[Harc] Grounding

[Ian Booze]

Hello,
   Firstly, I’m Ian and new to the club and HAM. I’ve been building computers for 20 years or so. I am also a musician and have worked on my tube amps so I am relatively good with electronics. I’m technically legally blind due to peripheral vision loss but my central vision is ok for now and hasn’t stopped me from soldering or building PC’s.
     I live in a house that has few outlets with ground and have a few questions regarding the the setup of my base station and ant. The ant I went with is the yeasu ATAS 120a (I wanted something portable) and a ATBK-100 radial kit both mounted to a photo kight stand (used to be a photographer) via a mirror mount. I’ve read the ATAS-120a needs a really good ground to work properly. I am thinking of setting it up in my backyard or wherever I can in order for it to work. Does anyone have any tips for a good grounding method?
Second question: my HF base/mobile station has a second ground that it recommends using a short m, thick, braided cable - is this absolutely necessary, or is it more for field use? And given the lack of outlets with ground in my house, are there any tips for me there? I live in Arcata and the house is pretty old. 

Thanks,
Ian KO6FKF