-------------- Original message --------------
> Responding to Jim (but not sure which one!) --
>
> You say
>
> "That's why I was thinking that coming up with a suitable peer-reviewed
> document aimed directly at hams would be useful. Not an application
> note from a mfr or sales oriented source; not that information from
> PolyPhaser or ICE isn't useful, but they have an obvious orientation,
> so you'd want independent backup."
>
> This rings a bell. We are _amateurs_, and while some of us are
> engineers and scientists in real life, very few if any of us are
> professionals when it comes to specialized subjects like grounding and
> lightning protection.
>
> I observe that a lot of commercial and ham literature (PolyPhaser's
> material and most everything on the web) have a lot more philosophy
> than science. They say to do this and that but don't give references,
> and they're not peer-reviewed. I can't find statistics about how well
> their equipment has performed in real installations, certainly not for
> hams.
>
> To develop a standard for grounding of amateur radio stations seems to
> be beyond what our economically small hobby can support. Industry
> practices for cell towers and similar installations may be the best
> we'll ever get. Those facilities are quite standardized and are often
> built from scratch.
>
> [If you want to convince me that a particular lightning protection
> system - grounds, surge suppressors, etc. - is safe and effective, you
> have to _test_ it under realistic conditions. We get anecdotes on
> TowerTalk, but I don't know of any serious testing.]
>
> The problems of RF grounding and AC safety grounding are a little
> easier, because you can easily experiment on the RF side (it only needs
> to be good enough), and residential electrical codes help you with the
> AC.
>
> Most of us install radios and antennas where we can, and we don't build
> bonded metal buildings with controlled cable interfaces and all that.
> What I want to know is how I can make the best installation in my
> particular residence with my particular array of trees, utility lines,
> etc. without spending too much money. It's never going to be easy to
> use a standard developed for an industrial situation.
>
> So I end up with an _amateur_ installation, hopefully using enough of
> standard practices that my station and I will survive the most likely
> environmental threats. And with some luck, I will even be able to work
> some DX.
>
> 73, Martin AA6E
>
>
> > Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2005 20:07:21 -0800
> > From: "Jim Lux"
> > Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Comprehensive Grounding Tutorial on Web
> > To: , "Jim W7RY"
> > Message-ID: <003b01c50cca$867886a0$32a8a8c0@LAPTOP152422>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jim W7RY"
> > To:
> > Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2005 7:14 PM
> > Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Comprehensive Grounding Tutorial on Web
> >
> >
> > > This is hardly comprehensive.
> > >
> > >
> > > Lot's of details left. Other have also pointed this out.
> > >
> > > I would recommend a TIA/EIA document or similar.
> > >
> > >
> > I suppose the problems with TIA/EIA or IEEE documents are the
> > following:
> >
> > 1) Too much detail (nobody really wants to read a 200+ page
> > document)
> > 2) Not specific to ham applications (we're not grounding substations,
> > nor
> > cell towers, etc.)
> > 3) They aren't available online for free (hams are cheap, and aren't
> > about
> > to pay $50 for the IEEE spec)
> >
> >
> > That's why I was thinking that coming up with a suitable
> > peer-reviewed
> > document aimed directly at hams would be useful. Not an application
> > note
> > from a mfr or sales oriented source; not that information from
> > PolyPhaser or
> > ICE isn't useful, but they have an obvious orientation, so you'd want
> > independent backup. (No "NASA bought Static-Cats, so they must work"
> > nonsense) With a suitable bibliography and references to look up
> > more info,
> > etc.
> >
> > Preparing such a thing would be a lot of work...
> >
> > >
> > > 73
> > > Jim W7RY
> > >
> >
> >
> _______________________________________________
>
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
> Weather
> Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions
> and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
> _______________________________________________
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> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
_______________________________________________
See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather
Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions
and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
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