Folks: I'm preparing for the next phase of my tower project - installation of cables and antennas. (Grounding and conduit run are finished, but nothing more to report.) I'll be grounding the coax shi
N4CC and I have finally completed our remote Internet station in Hilliard, FL. Probably half our time spent before and during construction was studying and implementing lightning abatement. Ground ri
On 5/15/15 7:38 AM, Paul Christensen wrote: N4CC and I have finally completed our remote Internet station in Hilliard, FL. Probably half our time spent before and during construction was studying and
Author: TexasRF--- via TowerTalk <towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: Fri, 15 May 2015 11:09:53 -0400
Hi Paul, as a victim of a free running az motor I can appreciate your concern. Shorted MOVs are not the only source of trouble. I use big 30A power relays to control rotation direction and on more th
Jim, "what about mechanical limit switches on the rotator motor?" A possibility but that's probably best done when these units are back on the ground for service. That shouldnt be for quite a long ti
"what about mechanical limit switches on the rotator motor?" A possibility but that's probably best done when these units are back on the ground for service. That shouldnt be for quite a long time.
Jim & Gerald, Tnx for the info. Will need to look at limit switches for the future. Paul, W9AC "what about mechanical limit switches on the rotator motor?" A possibility but that's probably best done
I'd be most tempted to install contactors in both "rotate" leads that were only closed when turning the antenna. Consider making your "common" disconnect a three pole device. 73, ... Joe, W4TV "what
Good advice, Joe. For now, I'm inclined to isolate circuit ground from chassis ground on the secondary side of the controller's power transformer. Of course, there's no guarantee during a strike even
Author: "Roger (K8RI) on TT" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Fri, 15 May 2015 21:11:07 -0400
Having worked with literally thousands of MOV,s from little ones up to 50,000 Joul ratings, They will typically fail shorted, BUT I have seen many fail open. It depends on the power contained in the
My solution is to pull all AC plugs from the wall and disconnect all antennas whenever a storm is coming. That pretty much takes care of most problems. My ground system is going to be improved from t
Roger, Tnx for the MOV info. I'm also considering the addition of a second vacuum relay inside the M2 prop pitch controller. That would actually be the easiest solution and not be subject to an accid
Physically unplugging things on a remote station is not a practical solution. I believe that MOVs typically fail shorted and actually they start to leak voltage after some use. This can affect the ra
John, Thanks for the added info. Last time I looked, GH didn't publish the full schematic set for the K7NV version of the rotator. But, I suspect it's doing the same thing: using a DPDT relay to isol
I used to pull all plugs and disconnect all antennas but had a problem because I left the equipment grounded and strike came over phone line through an amplifier to ground. Now I have an equipment gr
The disconnect method is fine if you're always at home and you're not serious about a contest that might be running or trying to to snag #310 when a storm approaches...but otherwise, it's nice to hav
Author: "Roger (K8RI) on TT" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Sat, 16 May 2015 20:09:01 -0400
Some things to remember when disconnecting antennas and stations. Never, ever, leave the coax laying on the floor. Best is to bring it in through a grounded plate which is a Common point ground (CPG)
I guess the moral of this story is don't connect your phone line to your amplifier? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ TowerTalk mailing l
Author: "Roger (K8RI) on TT" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 11:55:45 -0400
If you are going to disconnect, disconnect everything. Remember that 1000 volts per meter of wire from a lightening strike a mile away and there are how many meters of wire in the house? In my case I
I guess the moral is, if you think disconnection is a guarantee, you're wrong. Unless you can anticipate every path and diligently disconnect everything every time. Of course, you can't ignore the po