Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [TowerTalk] Tower Placement

To: "Alan Beagley" <AB2OS@att.net>,"TowerTalk" <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tower Placement
From: "Tower (K8RI)" <tower@rogerhalstead.com>
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 15:56:55 -0500
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
I think there are a lot of "it all depends".

My current tower http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/tower.htm is fairly
close to the house, but doesn't seem to create a problem due to lightening
strikes.  (It gets hit about three times a year on average).

Rarely does anything get disconnected during storms.
I've lost very little in the way of equipment, but one strike (don't know if
it hit the tower) came in on the phone line and fried one computer.

Some years ago when I had the Midland repeater out here the antenna took a
direct hit. Looked like an exploded cigar.  It blew off every bit of water
proofing on the connectors as well as removing the silver plating from every
connector up there. It then proceeded to blow out a section of 5/8ths Heliax
about 30 feet down from the top of the tower.  It also took out the RF amp
(transistor) in my two meter rig.

Last year I did lose one PolyPhaser and a barrel connector at one of the 75
meter baluns, but no equipment.damage.
I could not trace the connector failure back to any particular storm. The
PolyPhaser left no doubt.  The 2-meter rig went deaf during a thunder storm.
I don't think the strike was even close.  Replaced the PolyPhaser and the
rig was hearing as good as ever.

> I have read that placing the tower further away from the house reduces
> the effect on the house, its occupants, and its installed electronic
> devices of the huge magnetic field generated if/when the tower gets hit
> by lightning.

I always think of mine as a big lightening rod to protect the house.  The
neighbors think of it as the neighborhood lightening rod.  Particularly
since the one neighbor was looking right at it when it took a direct hit
last summer.  No damage at all.  I think he was impressed.<:-))

Course I do have on the order of 32 ground rods CadWelded to roughly 600
feet of bare #2 copper in the ground system.

Roger Halstead (K8RI, EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
N833R, World's Oldest Debonair (S# CD-2)
www.rogerhalstead.com
>
> Alan AB2OS
>
>
> On 02/06/04 11:00 am Tom put fingers to keyboard and launched the
> following message into cyberspace:
>
> > I'm in the planning stage of a tower. Do I put it near the house or
farther away? Do elements from the antenna come off and pierce the roof?
I've had terrible nightmares in the past with tower installations, although
nothing never happened. I have a rather small lot, need to put the tower
close to the house. Will be putting up a guy-less tower, but will be using
guys anyway. Am I overly cautious or dealing with paranoia.........Tom N4RS
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> 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.
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk@contesting.com
> 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.

_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>