At one time there were some entry panels made from copper/brass.? These were combination entry ports/bonding solutions.? Unfortunately they were a pain to use and didn't seal well from my experience.? The entry ports I referenced have become the standard, particularly with the rise in the price of copper and the frequency of copper thefts.? The port plate is electrically isolated from all of the cables by the boots and cushions and those same cables should be bonded to the same bonding/grounding system on both sides of the port - so unless the port is mounted to a metal building there is no chance of potential between the cables and the plate.? I will have to review the R56 manual again to confirm if there is any requirement for bonding these entry plates but that would not be too difficult either.? I would avoid a plastic plate - and have never seen one - as they would be more likely to break down and crack over time, particularly if someone over-tightens a boot clamp.
I saw the?note from Dan about port entry techniques in another thread.? Do I recall correctly these used to be made from copper?? R56 doesn't seem to suggest aluminum for this purpose, but it's been a while since my last read.
So if Tessco makes these entry port devices?of aluminum, what can you all suggest for grounding?this panel to the site grounding system... or does this simply?float leaving the task of cable grounding?to other devices?
John
On Thu, Nov 24, 2022 at 12:31 PM Dan Woodie <kc8zum@...> wrote:
Below is a 2-port 4" entry port I used at my repeater site.? Use a masonry hole saw to cut the holes then mount and seal this plate.? Get cushions appropriate for the cable size and number of cables used.? Below are some examples.
