>>Sorry, but Jerry has a lot to worry about from a direct or partial direct
>>lightning hit on his installation. ...
>
>... I use two banana
>>plugs/sockets to unfasten my ladder line from the window patch panel
>>termination point.
>
>>73, K4VUD, Charlie
>>=====================================================================
>I have a friend here in town who, when a storm comes up, wraps his hand
>around his PL239's and "plays Ben Franklin" for several seconds while he
>disconnects each of them. His wife does this for him if he is not home.
>Russian Roulette, anyone?
>
>Do your family a favor, Charlie: Stay away from those bananna plugs on the
>ladder line when there is a storm around.
I'd like to point out that the ONLY time I've had lightning induced damage
at my old location was when my antenna was disconnected.
My rig was out in the car, as it was Sunday after Field Day. My brother and
I came home and crashed for a few hours. At about 6:30 pm local, a nearby
strike got my 80m dipole and vaporized about 70 feet of 450 ohm
transmitting twin-lead.
(The copper was literally GONE) Where the wire was first fastened to the
house, a 3 foot black mark of soot was left, and this had to be painted
over.
All my other antennas were grounded through my station antenna switch. The
dipole was normally connected to my antenna tuner, which was grounded to
the station ground.
By leaving the dipole floating, static charges built up on it and induced
the strike.
Don't just disconnect antennas during a storm. GROUND all antennas when not
in use.
(PS - my next antenna farm is going to have more proper lightning protection.
Bill Coleman, AA4LR Mail: aa4lr@radio.org
Quote: "Man will never fly in a thousand years!"
-- Wilbur Wright, 1902
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