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Posted: 1/6/2009 9:11:24 AM EST
anyone tried these? I've seen them out west more. They mount to the bottom of your vehicle and drag on the ground. Reduce static build up, mainly so you don't get shocked when you hop out. I wonder if these would improve mobile radio performance at all.
Link Posted: 1/6/2009 9:34:47 AM EST
[#1]
I don't know about the radio thing but they do work for the static shock.
Link Posted: 1/6/2009 10:40:49 AM EST
[#2]
I have noticed that ambulances drag a ton of chains underneath, I speculate to keep static out of ekg machines and etc..  If it works for that I speculate that it would help with hf mobile ops.  That said I added 3 or 4 small drag chains to my vehicle for hf mobile ops and still don't know if it helped but it probably does more than nothing.  They do however wear themselves back until they are about 2" from the road surface.
Link Posted: 1/6/2009 10:45:52 AM EST
[#3]
Found this at the Firestik antenna website:

Rolling Static
Compliments of Firestik® Antenna Company Technical Support Team

Copyright © 2007 Firestik® Antenna Company

Like leather-soled shoes crossing synthetic carpet in a low humidity environment, there are certain types of vehicle tires that are notorious for creating massive amounts of static electricity. You will know if your tires are the villain if your radio starts popping and crackling when you are moving down the highway but stops doing so when you come to a halt. This can be a real annoyance ... one that is more likely to occur when there is low humidity in the area, be it from winter freezing or summer dry spells in the southwest.

The only practical way to stop the problem is to give the static electricity some place to go ... otherwise your vehicle becomes an electrostatic generator and storage device. The best way that we know of is to attach a static strap to the vehicle chassis and let it drag on the road surface as you travel. Electrostatic discharge straps are generally made from a rubber material that has been cast or molded with non-sparking-type metallic particles such as copper, aluminum or brass. As you travel down the road the strap makes contact with the road surface and gives the electrical charge a place to discharge before it gets so strong that it discharges into the air and causes the popping and crackling in radio frequency (RF) devices.


––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Since posting this page we have received many calls from people looking for a place to get anti-static straps. Apparently, it isn't so easy. We did some Internet research and found a couple of places. One offered straps that were a little gaudy [in our opinion] ... had a heart shaped reflector and some rhinestones on the strap. The other offered a more generic version for $19.95 that could be purchased on-line with PayPal or a credit card. The web site is Mizter.com

During the search we did note some other comments regarding the static straps. While our primary interest involved radio noise, there were mentions that spoke of eliminating dust build up on the vehicle. That makes sense [to us]. There was also many blog posts that talked about eliminating fatigue while driving long distances and as few from people who transport dogs to shows and they found that the incident of motion sickness declined (or went away) after the vehicle was outfitted with anti-static straps. While that information sounds a bit "out there" to us, we can not deny or confirm those claims."
Link Posted: 1/6/2009 11:45:12 AM EST
[#4]
Quoted:
I have noticed that ambulances drag a ton of chains underneath, I speculate to keep static out of ekg machines and etc..  If it works for that I speculate that it would help with hf mobile ops.  That said I added 3 or 4 small drag chains to my vehicle for hf mobile ops and still don't know if it helped but it probably does more than nothing.  They do however wear themselves back until they are about 2" from the road surface.


Actually those chains you see hanging under ambulances are not for grounding at all.

They are tire chains.

Link Posted: 1/6/2009 12:19:13 PM EST
[#5]
Quoted:
Quoted:
I have noticed that ambulances drag a ton of chains underneath, I speculate to keep static out of ekg machines and etc..  If it works for that I speculate that it would help with hf mobile ops.  That said I added 3 or 4 small drag chains to my vehicle for hf mobile ops and still don't know if it helped but it probably does more than nothing.  They do however wear themselves back until they are about 2" from the road surface.


Actually those chains you see hanging under ambulances are not for grounding at all.

They are tire chains.



I googled this and they do indeed seem to make automatic tire chain systems and that is what they are.

Who'da thunk it?
Link Posted: 1/6/2009 12:27:48 PM EST
[#6]
Quoted:
I googled this and they do indeed seem to make automatic tire chain systems and that is what they are.

Who'da thunk it?


now that's awesome!

Link Posted: 1/6/2009 1:54:45 PM EST
[#7]
Other than the ground straps, an extreme measure is to put some powdered graphite in the tire to help dissipate static buildup in the tires themselves.
Link Posted: 1/6/2009 6:17:37 PM EST
[#8]
Quoted:
anyone tried these? I've seen them out west more. They mount to the bottom of your vehicle and drag on the ground. Reduce static build up, mainly so you don't get shocked when you hop out. I wonder if these would improve mobile radio performance at all.


A 'static drain' is a viable item to have on a mobile station. I have a short length of small chain that drags from my rig. Personally, I'm of the opinion that keeping the static bled off will decrease the noise level of received signals. YMMV.
Link Posted: 1/7/2009 4:30:11 AM EST
[#9]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I have noticed that ambulances drag a ton of chains underneath, I speculate to keep static out of ekg machines and etc..  If it works for that I speculate that it would help with hf mobile ops.  That said I added 3 or 4 small drag chains to my vehicle for hf mobile ops and still don't know if it helped but it probably does more than nothing.  They do however wear themselves back until they are about 2" from the road surface.


Actually those chains you see hanging under ambulances are not for grounding at all.

They are tire chains.



I googled this and they do indeed seem to make automatic tire chain systems and that is what they are.

Who'da thunk it?


Here is a video, and another.

These are used quite extensively on ambulances, fire trucks, school buses and highway department trucks.

I had always wondered why the chains were there and while visiting the firestation with my son when he was young, I asked.

Link Posted: 1/7/2009 4:37:17 PM EST
[#10]
Quoted:
Reduce static build up, mainly so you don't get shocked when you hop out.
Most of the static builds up when you slide off your car's seat, not due to the vehicle being driven. Separating yourself from your seat establishes a charge in your body with respect to the vehicle, and touching something on the vehicle drains the charge. Installing ground straps on the vehicle doesn't help, because the charge only exists between yourself and the vehicle - not between the vehicle and earth ground.

BTW, this effect can also cause fires at gas filling stations (some of which are erroneously blamed on cell phones) - You slide across the car seat while retrieving something inside the vehicle, walk back to the filler nozzle after it clicks off, and create a spark when you reach for it.
Link Posted: 1/7/2009 6:06:29 PM EST
[#11]
I have 2 of these on my F-350, and I honestly believe they made a difference, as the static noise floor dropped to near zero. Got them at NAPA

My sisters brand new F-450 dually was shocking her every time she got out of the truck. This went on for 6 months to a year, and no help from the dealership. I installed a pair of these for her, and no more shocking

Static Straps at NAPA

I have also bonded the batteries to the fenders, fenders to the hood, cab to the frame, pickup box to the frame, and the doors to the cab.
Link Posted: 1/7/2009 6:47:22 PM EST
[#12]
Every POV that I saw in Korea had one.

Before I got the Intrepid with the leather interior, I used to ground myself by touching the ignition key to the doorframe before I got out of the car.
Link Posted: 1/8/2009 5:14:18 AM EST
[#13]
Fork lifts usually have them.
Link Posted: 1/8/2009 2:50:54 PM EST
[#14]


They didn't have it at my local NAPA, so i'll have to order one. I did find a ground battery cable, 14" braided 1". Not long enough. So i'll probably use that one to ground my tuner to the vehicle. That alone might help a bit.
Link Posted: 1/9/2009 4:08:11 AM EST
[#15]
I was about to make a post claiming static charge in a car was not a problem and bonding of the body is a lot more important than any static drain.  Then, I decided to check the guru of all mobile radio site at K0BG's site.  Sure enough... he talks about static build-up from rolling down the road.  He suggests a corona ball, but also indicates a ground strap dragging the ground can help.  

Mobile radio site.  Scroll down the left side to the "Controlling Static" topic.  

BTW... note that a good DSP filter will overcome this problem.  A regular noise blanker will not be up to the task though.  Did I mention that I love my IC7000?  LOL
Link Posted: 1/9/2009 6:07:12 AM EST
[#16]
It probably helps, cliffy, that your mobile isn't nearly 21 years old like mine

To bad the dsp on my 857 is a joke.  I have bad noise levels that I believe are ingnition noise, I've tried just about everything except for shielding the plug wires.
Link Posted: 1/26/2009 4:56:07 PM EST
[#17]
Quoted:
It probably helps, cliffy, that your mobile isn't nearly 21 years old like mine

To bad the dsp on my 857 is a joke.  I have bad noise levels that I believe are ingnition noise, I've tried just about everything except for shielding the plug wires.


ever find a fix? I just got a new mobile antenna, and the engine on noise is constant S7-S9.
Link Posted: 1/27/2009 3:19:44 PM EST
[#18]
Static drain. Mine is just a short length of dog tie-out cable. One end is grounded to my chasis and the other end is frayed out like a hairball and drags the ground. The first one I tried was a short piece os chain, but it wanted to bounce around alot.

It really helps keep the static noise floor down on my mobile station.

'73

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