> OK, I just gotta...
>
> If the braid transmits RF better, wouldn't that allow spark and
> alternator noise to pollute the body easier and be a bad thing?
>
> I always thought it was for flex because of all the movement.
Bass-ackwards, Mike. The braid is to establish an rf ground in common
between the engine/drivetrain and the body as well as the dc ground. The
flex was a bonus. Way back when, we commonly had to run braid straps
between the hood and the firewall or the tailpipe and the body. This was
most common with mobile transmitters but it made noticeable differences in
the radio. Of course, this was back in the days of AM radio only and I was
mostly in West Texas where the signals were weak, at best, anyway.

Signature
Will Honea
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Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
Lon - 01 Mar 2008 02:19 GMT
>> OK, I just gotta...
>>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> the radio. Of course, this was back in the days of AM radio only and I was
> mostly in West Texas where the signals were weak, at best, anyway.
General rule of thumb for RF. Any ground longer than it is wide isn't
an RF ground. Granted there is a bit of fudge for lower wavelength RF,
but pretty much applies. The advantage of the braid is you have orders
of magnitude more surface area, since the RF will tend to be skin effect
on a lot of smaller conductors rather than the less efficient fewer
larger ones. But yes, the better the path between the engine and body,
the less noise you get elsewhere.