New answers tagged safety
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If a radio is powered by 13.8V DC and it doesn't have vacuum tubes in it then it doesn't require a ground for safety. The ground in a radio is only required for safety when there are voltages in the radio that are dangerous, such as the mains supply or plate voltage of a valve, so that if something with high voltage accidentally touches the metal case inside ...
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The OP states clearly that the only interest is safety. That is how I answer the question.
In most countries there is a category of equipment that is double insulated. If your radio is connected to a double insulated supply then it should be considered safe from an electrical safety perspective. There is little possibility of a live cable internally touching ...
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Is there any risk of a lightning strike following the ground braid?
Not only a risk, it almost certainly will. Soil has some significant resistance, so when there's a strike on your antenna, on the powerlines, or on the ground anywhere nearby, the potential between your two ground rods is substantial, and so too will be the current through any conductor ...
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The way I look at it, a well-constructed amateur station can have as many as three ground systems (which should be connected together): an electrical safety ground, an RF ground, and a lightning ground. When you talk about grounding something in a station, it helps to specify what the ground is for, or what hazard you're trying to protect against.
Regarding ...
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Modern QRP rigs can be operated completely isolated from ground (e.g. battery powered on a wooden picnic table (and insulated counterpoise wires if any). A/C connected power supplies can contain or be run through galvanic isolation transformers.
If operating under high static electricity pick-up conditions (very dry wind blowing on the antenna, etc.), a ...
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I'm going to say "Yes," but refer you to the ARRL for a discussion that you might review to make your own decision.
Safety is potentially a factor, but a bigger concern is that the electrical ground for your house isn't ideal to use to ground your entire radio and antenna system. Doing so can lead to difficult to diagnose noise issues.
Certainly, ...
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