[RFI] Question re: Whole House Surge Protection

[John K9UWA]

> 
> 73 Billy AA4NU

I like Billy had a very large strike about 15 years ago. It cost my insurance
company a bit over 10K. I was cancelled by the homeowners insurance
company and put onto the Indiana Assigned Risk Plan. That means high
price and high deductible. The company that got my assignment told me
I Had 6 months to install a commercial ground system or else they
wouldn't keep me either. I do have a large installation with three towers
and top antenna at 190 feet. Not as large as Tom's ... wish I had his space!

I did select Polyphaser equipment. I recommend that anyone with a tower
buy and read their book on grounding. As Tom stated the idea is to make
the whole system into one single low impedance ground. 

First for the towers you run 7 radials of copper flat stock our 1/3 of the 
total height of the tower with an 8 foot ground rod each 16 feet along the 
way. This makes about 90% of the lightning hit go into the ground and
only leaves around 10% or it for the devices you are going to put on the
house. Then you run one single copper strip ... no ground rods on it to
the house where you install your ground window. This is a chunk of
aluminum plate fastened to a ground rod and all your coax and rotor and
any relay boxes will get devices at this point. Now you also run this copper
around your house to tie into any other utilitiy company entrances. 
PowerLine/CATV/Phone/Dish etc .. again with an 8 foot rod each each feet along 
the way. Tie to the existing power company ground rod and phone etc.
Then you install the ... yes this is the expensive one power mains protector. 
As well as protectors designed for the phone and CATV etc. Polyphaser
has all these items. It isn't cheap.. and the work isn't easy ... but today
I can set here and watch it storm away knowing that it won't blow up
all my stuff again... only damage in 13 or 14 years is the sacrificial lamb
2 meter antenna on top of the tallest of the three towers... it keeps getting
shorter each year... nothing else in my system has been damaged.
John k9uwa
John Goller, K9UWA & Jean Goller, N9PXF 
Antique Radio Restorations
k9uwa at arrl.net
Visit our Web Site at:
http://www.JohnJeanAntiqueRadio.com
4836 Ranch Road
Leo, IN 46765
USA
1-260-637-6426