[TowerTalk] Lighting

[Jim Lux]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Aycock" <baycock at direcway.com>
To: <Towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 5:01 AM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Lighting


> Funny how some simple things are forgotten.  I have two "grounding straps"
> that came with solid state components. The instructions told me to wrap
the
> velcro band around my wrist, with the metal plate in contact with my skin,
> and clip the alligator clip to the chassis of the place where the
component
> was intended to go. The purpose was to bleed off static charge through the
> wire, rather than by an arc to the component.
>
> How is this different from the effect of the ground provided by a tower
> coupled to the earth by a wire or rod?
>
> Bill

Because you, the strap, and the surface of the bench form a direct
connection between you and the workpiece, so there can be no voltage
differential between the two.

Lightning and thunderstorms would be more analogous to you connecting
yourself to one side of a HV power line, holding up an pointed rod, and
drawing a continuous corona discharge arc from the other side.  There is
always new charge being put into the cloud (relative to the earth under it).