In a message dated 96-03-18 08:31:06 EST, you write:
>The bottom line is, we are entering the thunderstorm
>season -- make sure you think about your lightning protection. A complete
>disconnect is your best insurance.
Hiya, Jay --
Living here in the Pacific Northwest, I don't envy your lightning
activity. At least you're closer to EU than we are.
Yes, make sure you think AND ACT about your lightning protection.
Although disconnecting one's feedlines is a time-honored amateur tradition
in the face of an imminent lightning storm, it may be more psycholgical
benefit than actually helpful. If you take a hit, the transient surge of
even an "average" strike is probably in the range of 18,000 amperes. It's
still going to try to find a path to ground and may arc from where it is
laying to something else. If your equipment is still plugged into an AC
outlet, it may arc to the equipment. There are whole books written on this
topic so I'm not going to attempt to cover it. The bottom line is to design
one's ground system to keep lightning OUT of the shack through a
contientiously designed and installed single-point ground system. Let me
know if you want me to send you more information on this topic.
73 and good luck, Steve K7LXC
>From aa4lr@radio.org (Bill Coleman AA4LR) Mon Mar 18 14:07:27 1996
From: aa4lr@radio.org (Bill Coleman AA4LR) (Bill Coleman AA4LR)
Subject: WARNING Antenna Aloft!!!
Message-ID: <v01540b00ad731bf95700@[206.28.194.40]>
>not to mention the consequences of getting into the way of a low flying
>plane. in this area i am in the path of a low level air force training
>route, i even notified them before putting up my 150' tower which their
>a-10's promptly surveyed the next weekend giving me an excellent air show.
>getting up to 300' would put me right in their path, not to mention what
>might happen if it got away and went higher into the normal pattern of
>surrounding airports. i think there are still rules about going above
>200' which probably would be pointed out very quickly if a monster
>floating antenna caused any damage to a plane.
Any structure taller than 200 feet above ground has to be surveyed,
painted, lighted and registered with the FAA. That 200 foot limit falls to
the ground as you get closer to an airport. (The slope depends on how large
the runway of the airport is)
As long as your balloon is less than 200 feet above ground, don't sweat it.
(unless you are within a few miles of an airport)
Bill Coleman, AA4LR Mail: aa4lr@radio.org
Quote: "Not in a thousand years will man ever fly!"
-- Wilbur Wright, 1901
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