I bought a house last year.  New homes in VA are built with formed concrete basement walls (Instead of cinder block construction.).  The walls are about 8" thick.  

I need a cable pass through for LMR400 AND control wire.

I am planning my ham shack.  I have the following questions.  Please feel free to answer any or all of them.

#1: What is the best way to drill/cut a 2" hole through the wall?  (What tool for the job?)

#2: What type of box would you use on the outside of the house?  I think an L.B. box is what I seek, although I will take other recommendations...



#3: Where is the electrical ground in this place?  Every other place I have lived at has a crap ton of ground rods around the perimeter, all tied together to ensure all are the "Same ground".

#4: If I hammer in a new ground rod outside the wall, very close to the LB box, how do I tie it in to the home's existing ground?

1.  Is this a finished basement?  Is the basement under the entire house?  If you have access to the band board, that's a lot easier than trying to go through concrete.  Just make sure you caulk it well.  If you have windows, that's also an option and coax pass through setups for windows are commercially sold.

2.  The box you posted will work, but it is a bit small.  You'll want to install a lightning arrestor or grounding block here (right before the coax enters the house) so keep that in mind.  They make bigger boxes, metal cabinets are also an option.

3.  See the other thread that I posted in, but follow your service entrance.

4.  If you drive another ground rod, it needs to be tied to your service entrance ground (that's code) with at least a 6AWG conductor (can be bare) (also code)

1. Don't. Go thru the rim board.



3. Typically right below the panel if it is on the outside. It may be under the mulch or whatever they have against the house. Some are embedded into foundation. Dumb idea since the lime in the concrete will eat things, but that's what the inspector wanted.



4. At the panel. Run the wire to the panel and add it to the ground wires that are already in it.

#1 Rent a core drill if you want it real nice and neat, or use a small electric demolition hammer if you can live with a little uneven edge (gets filled anyway)  Or just go a little higher into the rim joist and use a regular hole saw.
#2 Yep.
#3 and 4 Read and follow the governing electric code.  Generally the existing ground can be traced from the main panel by way of the bare twisted copper wire that goes to the ground rod, into the concrete, to the copper well pipe, etc.  The code will tell you what is acceptable for a new ground.  The grounds are generally tied together between structures so your feed would have four wires if you ran 240V out there.
BUT THIS DEPENDS ON YOUR LOCAL CODE!!!

My on;y comment is about your box. I doubt LMR-400 will bend through that 90 degree joint without exceeding its bend radius.

Answers to questions in no particular order:

Partially finished basement.  Ham shack/man cave is not finished.

Through the rim board?  Ugh.  



If I go through the rim board, I am going to be placing LMR 400 very near the big bundle of romex.  I will ALSO come out through the siding outside of the house.  It will also be a PITA to get a hole straight through the rim board without drilling upwards due to the placement of the joist.

I found the fat ground coming out of the breaker box.  I will track it down outside when I get some daylight and it stops raining.

LMR 400 and bend radius: I was going to place a 90° fitting and lightning arrester in there.  I am also going to use a bigger LB box than the picture I posted.  I didn't feel like surfing Google images for a different picture.

You might ask in the ham forum too since we've all done something similar at one time or another

Nevermind I see you did!

Core bit. You will end up with a cleaner hole and be sure that it is the OD of the pipe you are planning on running through it. Around here its usually $60 a day to rent the drill and bit.