[TowerTalk] Broken Johnny-ball insulators

[Cqtestk4xs at aol.com]

I have taken a number of hits on my towers over the last few years since 
1998.  I have seen firsthand as the lightning hit the towers during thunderstorms. 
 Fortunately, most of the hits have gone down to earth.

Most of the guy wires on the towers are Phillystran, but on the 40 meter 
tower I had some EHS guy material left over and had to 'piece together' two pieces 
to make the 250 foot guy wire run.  It is on those insulators that the 
cracking and arcing took place.  I have heard tales of people hearing snapping and 
popping at the insulators as storms approach on broadcast towers.  I would 
imagine it happens on a grander scale from a lightning hit on the tower.  Perhaps 
multiple hits over a period of time, especially in lightning prone areas, 
could cause the damage as N4ZR and I have observed.

Those of you in the lightning prone areas might want to get out the 
binoculars to take a peak at those ceramic insulators used to break up the guy wire.

Bill K4XS