Setting up a mobile as a base.

Don't get confused between your ground plane and grounding the metal fence rail. The ground rod you drive into the earth is to ground the metal mast, in case of lightening.

With my whip antenna, for the ground plane. I used 12 gage insulated wire. I attached one end of the 12 ga to the lower side of my antenna mount. And the other end to is attached to lag eye bolts screwed into wooden stakes..
Using black rubber bungies to isolate the ground plane wire from the metal lag bolts in the wooden stakes.

 

I've always used #6 solid copper ground wire from the bottom of the mast to the around rod (about 1ft length).

 

I've never done neither, not sure you need to.

 

Most people don't use the "ground plane" attachment. The higher you can get it over the roof, the better it will perform. If you use guy wires, I would use insulators also.

 

I would recommend a "ground plane". Without a "ground plane" the signal will have a higher angle of radiation. Plus, many other problems.


You might want to read http://www.w8ji.com/ground_plane_verticals.htm

 

I have my Imax up in the tree you see in the pic along side the house. In the other pic you can see it sticks out the top of the tree. I have extended it further up by 6' or so feet over the years.
There is braided copper ground wire attached to the metal poles which are anchored to the tree that leads to a 6' ground rod. The antenna is attached to the push poles.

There is no ground plane and I have no problems with range. When skip is rolling I can talk really just about anywhere in the country on 38lsb. It also helps I use a Magnum 257 mobile as a base. That thing has ears! Better receive than transmit. So really I can hear just about anywhere in the country than transmit. It's still stock so I like to think they can hear me everywhere.