Setting up a proper RF ground system for my HF station and getting conflicting advice. Some sources say use flat copper strap or braid for lowest RF impedance, others say 14AWG wire is perfectly adequate for equipment bonding to the ground bus.

My setup: IC-7610, AL-80B amp, Astron supply, all connected to 1/2" copper pipe ground bus with #6 AWG run back to outside ground rod. Currently using 14AWG for individual equipment connections but wondering if I should upgrade to copper braid.

Also seeing newer info suggesting common-mode chokes are more important than trying to provide low-impedance RF grounds inside the shack. What's the current thinking on this?

The key with RF grounding is bonding all equipment to a common reference, not the absolute impedance to earth. 14AWG copper is fine for equipment connections - save your money and focus on proper choking instead.

I use 2" wide copper strap from a sheet metal shop and it's definitely helped with RF in the shack. That said, properly placed 1:1 chokes at the transceiver output and outside the shack wall made a bigger difference than the grounding upgrades.

Been running my contest station with basic #12 equipment grounds for years with zero RF issues. The real problem is usually common-mode currents on the feedline, not inadequate station grounding. Fix the source, not the symptoms.