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Re: [RFI] Comparing Lightning Arrestors?

To: dalej <dj2001x@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [RFI] Comparing Lightning Arrestors?
From: K8RI <k8ri@rogerhalstead.com>
Date: Wed, 18 May 2011 07:46:23 -0400
List-post: <rfi@contesting.com">mailto:rfi@contesting.com>
On 5/18/2011 6:40 AM, dalej wrote:
> Wilco on the setup Roger.  I'm wondering where you place the choke balun in 
> your coax?  I have one here by Balun Designs and it's in the shack on the 
> antenna side of everything else.  Would it be better out by my remote switch 
> at the base of the tower?  It probably doesn't make a lot of difference.

I have one on the coax at the feed point to keep common mode voltages 
down and another where the coax reaches the tower. Each is 6 turns of 
Davis BuryFlex(TM) on 5  #31 mix cores for both 75 and 40 meter, center 
fed,  half wave slopers.  See pages 35 and 36 as well as Fig 36 of 
http://www.audiosystemsgroup.com/RFI-Ham.pdf , Jim Brown's (K9YC) "A 
Ham's Guide to RFI, Ferrites, Baluns, and Audio Interfacing"

73

Roger (K8RI)
> 73
> Dale
>
>
>
> On 18, May 2011, at 3:38, K8RI wrote:
>
>> On 5/18/2011 4:05 AM, dalej wrote:
>>> Nice installation Roger.  Thanks for the article and pictures.  Mine is not 
>>> as elaborate, but I do have three ground rods all tied together at the base 
>>> of the tower and one at the shack entrance about 30 feet from the tower.  
>>> The station ground is tied into the cold water copper pipes which is tied 
>>> to another ground on the other side of the house at the service entrance 
>>> and it is tied in to the street side of the water meter too.  The entire 
>>> ground system here is all tied in to the tower grounds with heavy solid 
>>> copper buried wire. We don't get the lightning storms here like say in 
>>> Tucson Az or Florida, but we do get some.  Sometimes rather intense..
>>>
>>> I was gonna say that (I have not had any lightning damage here in 38 
>>> years), but I'll just say I've been lucky so far.
>>>
>> Thanks on the comments,
>>
>> Even with 32 or 33 Ground rods cadwelded(TM) to over 600 feet of bare #2 
>> copper, I have claim luck, particularly as many times as the tower has been 
>> hit.<:-))  It's taken all those hits without damage...that I know of, but 
>> the next one could blow everything apart.  You never know, but it doesn't 
>> hurt to try and stack the odds in your favor.
>>
>> Keeping the antennas at DC ground along with current baluns helps keep the 
>> noise down too.
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Roger (K8RI)
>>> 73
>>> Dale
>>>> I hope when you disconnect things inside you ground things outside.
>>>> A floating antenna or antennas make a tempting target for lightning and
>>>> from there it's a short jump to the house.
>>>> With the ground system here, I rarely disconnect anything and have had
>>>> no damage from numerous strikes to the tower.  That's not to say I feel
>>>> immune with this system as I don't, but if I disconnect anything it gets
>>>> grounded.
>>>>
>>>> 4th photo down on http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/cablebox.htm
>>>> shows the initial entrance box.  It's been replaced with a larger box,
>>>> more cables,  more polyphasers and more grounds.  The bare #2 copper
>>>> ground line on the far right caries through to the equipment inside the
>>>> house.
>>>>
>>>> 73
>>>>
>>>> Roger (K8RI)
>>>>
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>


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