[TowerTalk] RCS-4 Coax Switch

[Alan AB2OS]

So do you have any comment on this exchange copied from the 
alt.home.repair newsgroup (originally concerning whole-house power-line 
surge arrestors):

">Reality check here....I don't care what surge protection you use, if
 >>lightning hits your stuff its fried.

Incorrect.  The building I work at (TV station) has equipment connected 
to an
antenna on the top of a tower that has an actual structure height of 
1,976 feet
tall, height above average terrain is even more than that.  This is 
taller than
the tallest building in the world.  This tower is struck many times a 
year, and
has in fact been struck several times today (I can see it from where I 
live out
the front window, even though it is 12 miles away).  Our equipment is 
running
just fine, thanks.  The transmitter is directly connected to the antenna, no
'lightning arrestor' of any kind in between.  How the hell does it 
survive this?
EARTH GROUNDING.  We do have some AC surge protection on the building in 
case
the power lines are struck, but the biggest problem would seem to be the 
tower
itself being struck, yet in over 30 years of operation there has been 
almost no
lightning damage at this facility.  The last equipment 'failure' 
attributed to
lightning was about five years ago when an AC surge popped a couple of 
filter
caps in a power supply causing some hum in the audio.

True lightning protection is possible, and should be able to prevent 
most strike
damage.  There will always be that possibility of "The big one", 
especially in a
residential protection system where spending thousands of dollars on 
grounding
may not be feasible, economically, or otherwise."

Alan AB2OS


On 07/05/04 10:53 am Mike put fingers to keyboard and launched the 
following message into cyberspace:

> I seen what I believe was a direct hit, it melted the first 100 feet or so
> of a commercial 400 foot tower and the equipment building was gone along
> with the equipment inside.