[TowerTalk] Lightnun

[Tom Rauch]

> Come on everyone; read all about how lightning works on
the Polyphaser
> website.
> A grounded structure is constantly bleeding away the
static charge which
> can build up enough to enable the ground leader to form.

That isn't what they say in the technical document at:

http://www.polyphaser.com/ppc_PEN1021.asp

they basically say first people claimed they could discharge
the cloud with grounded dissipators. When that claim was
proven false, the story changed to it reduces hits. But that
has never panned out in any data, and they give a few
examples.

They close the discussion of pipe cleaners and dissipators
by saying:
"Few array suppliers will agree whether it prevents a strike
100% or just minimizes the chances of a strike. Another
argument is whether to ground the array and how important
the ground is to the array operation."
"The real solution for lightning protection is to have
control of the strike energy. To do this, a well-designed
ground system will be a better investment than cluttering up
the top of the tower."

Another paper is:

http://www.polyphaser.com/ppc_PEN1020.asp

That basically agrees with what you say about how a strike
behaves, but that was never debated. Nowhere I can find in
that paper or anywhere on the polyphaser site does it say
grounding a tower prevents streamers or reduces chances of a
strike. As a matter of fact they seem to go out of their way
to stress that we need protection and prevention *doesn't*
work.

The idea that we can bleed off a charge on a tower by
increasing grounding disagrees with basic physics of
electric fields, charges, and conductors, so it doesn't make
sense that the would say anything about prevention by
grounding. I would be shocked if they said that. I can't
find a single thing on the Polyphaser site that agree with
the idea grounding prevents a streamer. If anyone can find
it, please tell me where it is.

73 Tom