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Re: [TowerTalk] Antenna to Shack Ground Connection

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Antenna to Shack Ground Connection
From: "Roger (K8RI) on TT" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2015 23:13:00 -0500
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
On 1/28/2015 1:57 PM, Patrick Greenlee wrote:

Not a debunking, but maybe a modification<:-))

I have a 100' 45G that had a 30' mast extension in the center of a 200 X 200 lot. One multiple strike abt 6, or 7 years ago hit all around us except to the S, yet it ignored my system that was almost in the center of the strike zone. http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/Tower29.htm I was in a bit better shape back then. Yet as I've mentioned a number of times, it took 17 visually verified hits in 6 years and nothing in the 8 years since. Oh! That strike did a lot of damage in the neighborhood.

The only thing predictable about lightening, is its unpredictability.

73

Roger (K8RI)


The old rule of thumb for lightning protection from over head dissipation devices (high metal roofs, lightning rods, grounded towers, etc. is a 30 degree cone angle. This is NOT a guarantee but a tendency. I think more is better and would not find fault with a ground wire a ways above coax or control leads but would encourage ground rods along the way so as to not encourage a great deal of coupling between lightning generated ground wire and "other" conductors below it.

Patrick  NJ5G  (now stand by for a total debunking of my comments...)


On 1/28/2015 12:30 PM, David Gilbert wrote:

I don't have the expertise to be sure about it, but it always seemed to me that it would be best to run the ground wire (grounded at both ends and maybe a few places in between) in the same trench as the coax ... but some distance above them ... in order to provide a sort of shielding effect for the coax against induced currents from nearby lighting bursts. I was once told that the electric utilities run a ground line at the top of utility poles above the actual power lines for a similar purpose.

Possibly induced currents in the ground wire would still couple to the coax anyway, but I certainly don't see how running the ground wire with the coax would be any worse than running them separately.

73,
Dave   AB7E



On 1/28/2015 8:43 AM, Cox, Norman R. wrote:
Dear Group:

I am now ready to connect the tower grounding rod network to the shack grounding system. The crank-up tower is about 30 feet from the shack. Is it preferable to run the ground connection between the two along with signal cables? Or is it better to run the grounding connection not so close to the signal cables? I've seen people do it both ways, and can see a possible benefit either way, but a lightning strike could throw either idea out the window.

Thanks,

Norm
KE0ZT


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--

73

Roger (K8RI)


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