Additional dedicated ground wire required (not supplied)

This product includes a chassis grounding point, which MUST be connected via a dedicated ground wire (not supplied), to the vessel's RF ground point. This is in addition to the ground wire included in the product’s power cable, which must also be connected to the same RF ground point.

ConnectionsGroundingPowerGrounding

It is important that an effective RF ground is connected to the system. A single common ground point should be used for all equipment. If several items require grounding, each item of equipment can be grounded by connecting each product’s ground and drain wires (as applicable) to a single local point (e.g. within a distribution panel), and then this point connected via an appropriately-rated conductor to the vessel's RF common ground point. An RF ground point is typically a circuit with a very low-impedance signal at Radio Frequency (RF), connected to the water via an electrode immersed in the water or bonded to the inner side of the hull in an area that is underwater.

On vessels without an RF ground system, the ground and drain wires (as applicable) of all equipment should be connected directly to the vessel’s negative battery terminal.

The dc power system should be either:

  • Negative grounded (“bonded”), with the negative battery terminal connected to the vessel's RF ground.

  • Floating, with neither battery terminal connected to the vessel's ground.

The preferred minimum requirement for the path to ground (bonded or non-bonded) is via a flat tinned copper braid, with a 30 A rating or greater. If this is not possible, an equivalent stranded wire conductor may be used, rated as follows:

  • for runs of <1 m (3 ft), use 6 mm2 (10 AWG) or greater.

  • for runs of >1 m (3 ft), use 8 mm2 (8 AWG) or greater.

In any grounding system, always keep the length of connecting braid or wires as short as possible.