Lightning - Watch Out!!
I have been reading with some interest the comments about lightning
and lightning strikes.
Nothing you can buy or build will protect your equipment if you
experience a DIRECT lightning strike and the current flows to your
gear.
Lightning is simply an electrical spark between two charges. With
towers, the "strike" can even originate at the tower (floating or
grounded) and flow up to the clouds.
In many cases, a lightning strike at ground can have a peak current of
over 35,000 amps (for a few microseconds). Imagine the size of ground
wire required to handle this much current without melting.
The main purpose of grounding your tower or equipment is to protect it
from nearby strikes. With a nearby strike, the surrounding electric
field (up to a mile away) can be so intense that it will blow out many
electrical devices. With proper grounding, the fields from nearby
strikes can be directed away from your equipment to ground.
Floating versus grounding? Airplanes are a prime example of a
floating meatllic object and they still get hit. If you have never
been hit, your just lucky!!
Good Luck
Steve Best
Cushcraft Corp.
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: [TowerTalk] Comments on Lighting from a non-expert
Author: Lee Buller <k0wa@southwind.net> at InterNet
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: 6/3/98 9:25 AM
Isn't it the goal of a good installation NOT to get hit by a lighting bolt?
That is my goal. Gee, for years farmers have had lighting rods on the barn.
Why not towers?
And...if you do get hit...something is gonna fry. Facts of life! Lighting
is fickle, like a tornado, you never know what it will do. We do know that
if you get hit then there will be damage. I guess being a fatalist isn't
fashionable. That is why we have insurance.
Let me ask this. What about the EMP of a lighitng strike. Anyone have a
close lighting strike, say a block or two away, and lose CMOS?
Lee
k0wa@southwind.
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