Michael Germino wrote:
> I guess how much protection you plan, depends on how much
> lighting happens in your area. I have yet to see a "text book
> lighting protection" setup in my area. Seems like most people
> around here just ground their tower with one to three rods and
> forget it.
That's probably true. I have never seen anything resembling a text
book lightning protection scheme around here either... not at ham
stations and not at most commercial radio installations I've seen!
Some commercial installations have one ground rod; the ones that
don't have zero!
Most hams here rely on disconnecting cables for lightning
protection. I am no exception, but last June I had a very convincing
demonstration of the fact that disconnecting things offers no
protection from a direct strike. EVERY cable from the towers was
disconnected in my basement, with at least three feet of dry air
between the ends of those cables and the mating ends of cables
running up to the ham shack. In the shack ALL power, phone, and data
cables were unplugged with at least two feet between receptacles and
cords. One of my towers took a (small?) direct hit. Following the
deafening snap and blinding flash throughout my home, I spent an
hour nervously picking up fragmented remains of ham gear that had
been blown apart. I've spent much of the last nine months rebuilding
and repairing what could be salvaged. I'll spend the next several
years recovering financially. The ham gear was at "ground zero" but
I lost most of my household electronics and appliances too.
The moral of the story is that even in areas where lightning may be
infrequent and where "everyone" pays little attention to lightning
protection, it CAN and DOES happen. I'm lucky I didn't lose my home
and/or my life that night.
Were I to win the lottery, proper grounding and lightning protection
would be my first "spending spree"!
73,
Paul N1BUG
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