[TenTec] Argonaut VI Lost RX/TX on 160/80 Meters-- Poly Phaser resources

[Billy Cox]

Reed my friend, we are simply going to have to agree to disagree. 

You have simply been very very lucky, and all you have to do is 
forget to do all of your steps (which I noted you have had minor
damage there several times to some gear) and then what? 

You can't predict storms 100% here as to when they will show up. 

If your system is a single coax to a vertical, then I guess if 
you want to play the odds, have at it, some day it may bite.

My being lucky ran out, and as I shared I paid the price not only
as to insurance rates, but also other household damage from thinking
the rules did not apply to me as to proper station grounding.

I would not wish that experience on anyone, nor will I post blind 
advice that may cause others to suffer similar damages.

Since all of the work to get re-insured and at reasonable rates, 
no damage and I don't run around worrying "Did I remember to pull 
everything" or "dang it, I am not home sure hope nothing bad 
happens 'cause I didn't remember to disconnect the ..."

In my case there were multiple towers, rotors and yagis with phased
verticals on the lower bands. Way too many lines to be hooking up
and disconnecting every day. It's best to do things right on this.

Others have provided references if you want to study them, or QST
has had several good articles, especially those by Block several
years ago. The are practical simple steps take can be taken on this.

Be very very careful taking "ham lore" at face value, as it won't
be worth a rubber nickel if you have damages. So be very careful.

That does not mean it's all wrong, but it may not be 100% right,
and it's YOUR gear, house, insurance that will take hit on this.

What destroys much gear is having independent grounds, where ALL
of your system pieces rise and fall at different potential rates. 

A common Single Point Ground reduces those differences and helps 
to reduce the related damages. I think even Steve mentioned that.

Likewise the proper ground rods, interconnects, and so on allow
the SGP system to divert much of the charge into the actual ground,
exactly as broadcast stations and emergency communications do it. 

If the 'best ground' in your antenna system is your actual house
ground ... well, think about that ... and whose fault is that?

The towers here and vertical arrays have ground rods, radials, and
copper straps in to the ground to also help any induced charges.

Unless you are going to disconnect ALL, every wire, of your cable
TV, AC mains, telephone lines, etc ... you ARE bringing into the
house the potential of damage as your AC line/etc. have grounds.

So you do have a inside/station ground unless you are on purpose
not using the '3rd wire' at all. In reality most of us DO use it.

I wish and hope your luck continues, but to state that is all that
anyone has to do may end up being expensive ham lore to others.

Have a great day there!

73 de Billy, AA4NU


----- Original Message -----
From: "Reed" <w4jz at bellsouth.net>
To: tentec at contesting.com
Sent: Tuesday, July 7, 2015 2:46:39 AM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Argonaut VI Lost RX/TX on 160/80 Meters-- Poly Phaser resources

If you bond your station to the very same ground that your antennas are 
grounded to, you are inviting lightning right inside your house.  It's 
going to follow that #6 or #4 wire right to your equipment tearing up 
everything in its path. Bonding all grounds right to your house ground 
makes sense electrical, but when 100,000 volts at no telling what amps 
hits that antenna or tower it is going to follow that ground wire right 
through your house until it gets back to the house ground blowing up 
everything in its path.   GROUND GROUND GROUND your antennas, but no way 
will I ever again have a station ground bonded to the same ground as the 
ground rods of my antennas.  Matter of fact, as I stated earlier, I have 
no station ground.  Disconnect coax OUTSIDE & you will not have to worry 
about lightning coming in through antenna.

Now a broadcast station that is running 24/7 yes, massive grounding and 
bonding everything even the metal building.  But for ham radio operator 
that knows better to operate in a thunderstorm, bonding and grounding to 
keep his station on the air would cost more than all his radio & gear is 
worth.

If your house is not wired correctly & lightning comes in then you are 
in deep trouble with home owners insurance because it doesn't meet 
code.  My late father was a state electrical inspector & you wouldn't 
believe some of the stuff he saw electricians try and pull in wiring homes.

Here is the article again about station grounding.

http://www.eham.net/articles/21383

As far as insurance, all my equipment is on a separate policy wrote for 
ham radio.  Home owners insurance are sometimes not friendly with ham 
radio equipment because they don't understand it.  They see a radio & 
think OK that is worth $500, instead of $5000. Then they go off the deep 
end & look for ways of not paying or jack your rates up.  Had that 
happen to a ham friend.

Here is the NEC link if bonding your station is what you want, but for 
me, I disconnect coax, unplug DC input from power supply to junction box 
& flip a master switch that turns off AC to power supply that is plugged 
into a APC UPS. It has worked for 24 years & we get hammered in middle 
TN with storms.  Lightning is going to have to come through roof to hit 
my gear, but it is not going to come though a #6 ground wire.

http://www.joneseducation.com:8080/xyleme_cre_player/courses/ncti/ep1101_01_dt/Scorm2004Content/media/DirecTV/Grounding/NEC_Section_810_Excerpt.pdf

73,
Reed  W4JZ
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