lightning on ac power entrance

[EDWOODS at PACTIME1.SDCRC.PacBell.COM]

After talking to Pete N4ZR about how we ground for lightning here in
Pacific Bell's low lightning area (check the isoceraunic charts((nice
word, huh)) for US that show thunder storm * days for different areas),
I forgot to mention conducted lightning energy on the ac power entrance
lines.

Yes, that too.  Mother nature also requires that one purchases ac surge
suppression for your entrance panel.  This is not the MOV thing in your
power strip.

Check out a company called Joslyn in Spokane, Wa. They will supply you
with all the info you need to protect that side of your station from
being zapped.

Eric, NV6O
edwoods at pacbell.com


>From p_casier at ub4b.eunet.be (Peter Casier)  Wed Aug 24 23:53:17 1994
From: p_casier at ub4b.eunet.be (Peter Casier) (Peter Casier)
Date: Thu, 25 Aug 1994 00:53:17 +0200
Subject: 4 elevated radials
Message-ID: <199408242253.AA12155 at ub4b.eunet.be>

>
>Point:  Forget about 4 elevated radials: use 12 - 16.  I cannot verify Al 
>Christman's results, but someone else is welcome to try.
>

Friends,

When witnessing discussions like 'how many radial and should I elevate or
not', I turn to my neighbour and godfather, ON4UN, with question marks in my
eyes.

Running OT3T ('93 cqww m/s phone) from John's QTH last year, we used his new
4 square on 80m. This thing uses 1 (one, line in 'uno') elevated radial per
vertical. The radial is elevated about 6 meters from the ground.
Actually, the verticals are pieces of wire coming down from guywires. Those
guywires run from the 160m vertical to 4 distant poles. Each pole also holds
the rope for the radial.

John designed and modelled the 4 square, and once installed, our technical
contest supervisor (hi), ON6WU, put a network analyzer on it. The thing
worked as modelled.

During the contest, the 4 square prooved to work like a bomb. US stations
mentioned later on that we were the first and last heard EU signal on 80m...
And it was not the power doing it, I can tell you. (as my godfather tells
me, while he puts his hand fatherly on my head: 'If you can not hear them,
you can not work them')

Actually, thanks to this 4 square we managed to end first m/s for europe,
beating our friends at IQ4A (1000 km further south). We run almost shoulder
by shoulder on all bands, except on 80 hihi.

For more technical explanation, write to John.

We are now using the same design for our 40m 4 square, to be used for the
multiplier station.

CU from OT4T, this year running m/s phone AND cw in the cqww. Listen for
that signal on 80m and remember: UNO radial per vertical.

73

Peter - ON6TT.
 

p_casier at ub4b.eunet.be