I can't imagine not doing anything. Some folks out there are just lucky
and they should buy lottery tickets.
I know that I have a complete grounding system and it didn't cost
$20,000. Maybe 1K and lots of labor.
I use all ICE products and you'd know if a arrestor went bad as you'd
have high SWR or complete loss of signal.
I know I've been whacked by a couple of reasons (never have seen a
direct strike nor any of my neighbors):
1. Trips to the top of the towers reveal small burnt pits on the upper
mast portion (and that isn't from the smokes from the birds who sit
around up top)!!!
2. Once during a t-storm, I was awakened by a direct strike very
nearby, Ka-Boom, bright flash, knocked me out of bed.
I went downstairs and the computer monitor needed degausing and the
fuses in the 12 volt power supply to the VHF/UHF radios which were on
need replacing.
Plus one fuse in the fusebox needed replacing.
The next day, while poking around the back forty, I was this piece of
wood, all jagged, then saw another, then another, like the Titanic
debris field.
I looked up and this very large and tall tree in the neighbor's back
forty, originally about 80 feet tall, had it's entire top half just
blown away and a split down the middle of the remaining section.
Lightning had struck and blown up this tree. The fuse that needed
replacing was a 30 amp fuse that fed the electrical out to the barn
about 200 feet from this tree. My short tower at the time with HF beam
and the VHF/UHF antennas on the TV tower next to the house were about
300 feet away. I surmise that the barn had seen a 30 amp or greater
surge induced in it's electrical wires and that blew out the fuse. I'd
say my HF and other antennas, etc, took about a 30 amp surge also.
Everything to this day keep chugging along.
Can your equipment survive a 30 amp surge?
Phil KB9CRY
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