[AMPS] Misc. Oscillations

Peter Chadwick Peter_Chadwick@mitel.com
Mon, 6 Mar 2000 11:52:09 -0000


Hans says;

>How come , by the way, that so many hams and their families survived their
>high come-and- hit-me-lightning  towers standing out from nearby high
>objects? Is it not strange that so few direct lightning hits  have
happened?

One reason I saw advanced ( I can't remember where, but it was a respectable
source) was that the grounded lightning conductor provided a degree of
discharge of the atmosphere, thus preventing charge buld up. Consider a big
(100kV plus) multiple  phase overhead AC line. Most have a ground conductor
right up the top, and how often do the  towers and ground conductor get hit?
So it suggests that there may be some truth in the theory.

Purely anecdotal, unscientific evidence. Before my tower went up, there was
a strike on one or other of the trees in the vicinity of my house about
every once every 3 years. Since the tower went up in 1985, there hasn't been
one.

73

Peter G3RZP



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