[RFI] w7ekb & ground rods

[EDWARDS, EDDIE J]

Jim, 

I'm not sure if the lightning protection measures are tailored to VHF/UHF sites in any way I can see.  Lightning doesn't care what band the antennas and equipment are.  They all blow up the same without taking some grounding protection.  

I do agree with you these are guidelines for best practice and not laws in stone.  Ham radio stations in homes are not communications facilities.  QST had a great article on this few years ago by the Polyphaser founder (Roger Block, I think).  The recommendations can be accommodated to fit the ordinary home, and additional (less expensive) precautions taken (i.e. disconnect and ground entry port) when we can't meet the letter of R56.  Also most hams don't need to be "on-the-air" throughout a thunderstorm unless they're operating at an EOC for ARES/RACES.  

My ham shack doesn't meet R56 completely either.  But I've done as much as possible to come as close as I could afford to meet it.  Why spend $1000-$2000 or more on radios and antennas and then go cheap on lightning protection only to lose the ham equipment (and other electronics in the house too)?  

Lots of good ideas in those links even for ham shacks that are remote locations from their towers.  Look at the dispatch centers for possible ideas to link grounds back to single point grounds.  

73, de ed -K0iL

-----Original Message-----
From: RFI [mailto:rfi-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jim Brown
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2015 5:23 PM
To: rfi at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [RFI] w7ekb & ground rods

On Thu,1/15/2015 1:45 PM, EDWARDS, EDDIE J wrote:
> Couple more good references for grounding and bonding standards from Motorola & Harris:

Remember that these "good practice" methods are tailored to VHF/UHF, 
with antennas bonded to the tower, coax (or hard line) bonded to the 
tower top and bottom, for well-laid out power and antenna entrances, and 
mostly for new construction. That's a bit different from our typical HF 
installations, in existing homes and apartments, and power and antennas 
often entering at widely separated points.

73, Jim K9YC
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