[TenTec] Grounds, etc.

[Phil Chambley, Sr.]

I guess until they take a hit, folks don't take the potential (sorry) for a lightning strike seriously.  

Years ago during a storm, I had dutifully disconnected everything and was waiting for the weather to pass.  Loose ends of cables were lying around on the floor, when I heard a very loud CLICK and a fireball roughly the size of a 1938 Buick came out the end of the rotor cable and bounced around the room.

I dunno how long this took, but it was sufficient time to give me expert instructor status in river dancing.

Now......

My tower is grounded via three 10 ft rods, one of which is in the bottom of the 4 ft. hole dug for the bottom section.  When I had my septic field line rebuilt, I got the guys to stretch 1000 ft of #10 back and forth in the ditch before filling in, and this is attached to the tower and the guy poles, which are 14 ft, with 7 ft in the ground, 4" steel sched 40.  

There is now a large junction box on the outside wall of my laundry room, terminating the remote switch cables, rotator cables, and coaces in an SO-239 and a large Jones plug.  I can unplug these and then unplug the 220 VAC strip at the desk and have everything floating.  There is no inside ground.  The switches are mounted on one of the guy posts.

Lightning hunts ground.  I made sure it finds it outside the shack, not in here.

Phil Chambley, Sr.
K4DPK

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