[TowerTalk] Dealing with Lightning

[Stephen Vinson]

M.G. Brafford wrote:
> 
>After suffering seven lightning strikes in the last two years, I'm >starting to think the "ole ground rod per tower leg" just isn't cutting >it anymore.

> 73, Mick  W4YV

Mick ... I read your post with interest.  I have a 145' tower with 12'
mast and 12' antenna mounted above it.  I have installed PolyPhasers on
all feed lines and installed a PolyPhaser strike counter.  I even
extended the leads longer than recommended which should allow me to
measure near strikes.  To date (after several severe storms) I have no
recordings on the counter.  

I noticed that you have done the normal grounding setup by most amateurs
but (and I might have missed it) I did not hear you say you had bonded
all tower sections together.  That might be why your Indonesian friends 
tower has not suffered a strike.  Try bonding the tower sections to
gether at the joints.  Use stainless bands and straps and use a
electrical antioxidant to treat the connections.  

What is probably happening is that the joints have oxidized and thus the
tower is building a charge (capacitor effect) that is not bleed off by
the ground strap well ... until the charge builds to such a level or the
tower is struck due to the charge it holds.  Grounding lowers the
potential due to static charge build up, but only if a low resistant
path is present to bleed off the charge.  

I don't profess to know alot about grounding.  I my self am learning but
one of our local repeaters will get very noisy (electrically) when the
joints oxidize in the joints.  Bonding the sections reduces this build
up.  

I hope someone will add more to this or help in any way that I might
have miss lead you.  Hope this helps !!!!

Steve
KD4WIW
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