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[TowerTalk] Tower lightning quiery

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Tower lightning quiery
From: K7LXC@aol.com (K7LXC@aol.com)
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 01:16:17 -0400 (EDT)
In a message dated 97-06-03 18:20:59 EDT, you write:

> If all the bs has cleared, I would like your thoughts on lightening damage
to
>  towers with insulated guys and towers with grounded guys.
>  Seems to me, the towers with grounded guys would be less likely to receive
>  excessive damage from direct strikes.  Assuming both installations have 2
or 
> 3 
>  ground rods at the tower base, what if any effect can the loss of grounded

>  guys have on a tower installation?
>    I am about to install a new set of guys with insulators. Any
comparisons?

     As far as lightning damage, try to prevent it. 

    Seriously, the lightning strike will try to find the least resistance
path to ground and you can't predict which path it'll take. As long as
everything is done adequately offering a low resistance path to ground and
dissipate harmlessly, you don't have anything to worry about. Two or three
ground rods at the tower base is a good start.

     Insulating the guys will force the strike down the tower while if
uninsulated guys take a hit, the turnbuckles are likely to get welded
together.

      Whole books have been written on this topic so it's hard to give you
all the answers in one email. If you're interested in more info, I have a
reprint of the chapter on lightning from my upcoming tower book that covers a
lot of ground (no pun intended). For a free copy, send an SASE with 2 stamps
to TOWER TECH, Box 572, Woodinville, WA, 98072.

73,  Steve   K7LXC

     TOWER TECH -- professional tower supplies for amateurs

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