[TowerTalk] Lightning rod on top

[Lowell, Mark]

Greetings from Gloucester, VA.

I am new to tower talk and have not yet seen this thread as I digest the
immense archives. I can't imagine a better place to learn about erecting
towers!

I am planning my first tower, 110' of R25G, Phillystrand guys, with a
modest 2el multiband HF quad on top (20-10), 2m/440 quads nested inside,
and some small sidemounted verticals lower down. I will also use a sidearm
to support the center of a 160m dipole for the lower bands.

I am very concerned about drawing lightning strikes, as this tower will be
at least 25' above the surrounding trees. It would seem that a lightning
rod on the very top of the mast, with a correspondingly good ground system
below, would provide the best protection from the inevitable strikes.
(thanks to this reflector, I now know how to build a good grounding system
!)

I plan to run a heavy, flexible strap from the bottom of the mast to one
of the tower legs (or all three?) to conduct the majority of the strike
current.

Can I use a copper plated ground rod, upside-down, with the point at the
top for a suitable lightning rod? Will this also have decent dissipative
effects to prevent minor strikes?

Thank you all for your comments!

--...MARK_N1LO...--

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