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Optimal Grounding?

Posted by Winston Smith (A) on January 4, 2008 at 14:43:36

Hey Inmates!

Is there a device to test the relative effectiveness of a grounding plane versus another grounding set-up? What I mean is this: a copper rod sunk deeply into earth with an attached ten gauge stranded wire used as the star-grounding point in a system has always sounded the cleanest of any grounding set-up I have ever used. But now I have moved my system and I am now required to use a wall outlet's 3rd pin as the true ground source for my system (only one wall outlet 3rd pin ground point is used, BTW, eliminating any hum problems, of which there are none currently, thank God!). Despite the lack of hum, this grounding set-up sounds MUCH dirtier and makes getting a reading of the AC voltage on the chassis' of various pieces of gear I have for proper plug polarity basically impossible, for some weird reason. Yet the wall outlet passed a polarity and ground test with flying colors. Further, all grounds are lifted on my gear, BTW, in both configurations, i.e., both the old set-up and the new, much dirtier sounding set-up. So, basically everything is the same between the two set-ups (old and new), except how the true ground is set up.

The lack of a reading on my RadioShack DMM when checking for AC voltage on the chassis' of my equipment is really throwing me for a loop, especially when such readings were easy and obvious previously, i.e., in my old set-up where I used the copper grounding rod system. With the new set-up using the wall power outlet's 3rd prong as my true ground currently, I can't even get readings on the DMM, despite using every sensitivity setting for checking AC voltages. Yet with my old copper rod-based grounding system I employed previously, such readings were quick, clear and easy.

So, any suggestions for a tester for grounding effectiveness? Do they exist? How do they work? Where can I get one at a reasonable price? Any help is ALWAYS very, very much appreciated.

Thanks, Inmates!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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