[TowerTalk] Lightning ceasing over big antenna farms?

[VE6JY Don Moman]

Very limited as I bought it and started planting towers right away.  As I
recall, in the first month before I got anything put up, I put a small
camper under the lone tree near the present building site.  The tree got hit
by lightning and the camper  got flipped over by a small tornado.   So I was
off to a "good" start.  Fortunately, neither have re-occurred.

73 Don
VE6JY


----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith Dutson" <>
To: <TOWERTALK at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2004 6:59 PM
Subject: RE: [TowerTalk] Lightning ceasing over big antenna farms?


> Don,
>
> What is your experience of lightning strikes on this parcel before the
> towers were erected?
>
> Keith
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of VE6JY Don Moman
> Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2004 12:50 PM
> To: TOWERTALK at contesting.com
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Lightning ceasing over big antenna farms?
>
> Well, it seems to happen here.  I have over a dozen towers, mostly in the
> 150 foot range, spread over 80 acres.  The location is on a fairly high
> piece of ground (ridge) with quite a drop off to the east. I can see the
> storms coming and leaving for quite a distance.   We do get a significant
> amount of lightning activity in this area and it seems to be increasing,
but
> have never taken a direct hit - that I know of or that did any damage.
> Obviously we get nearby strikes that can cause damage from the pulse but
> even that is minimal - I just lost a VHF RX preamp 3 nights ago, which is
> the only thing I can recall that has been damaged in the 10 years at this
> QTH (other than beverage terminating resistors).  Now that I think of it,
it
> was connected to the only antenna that doesn't go thru the single point
> bulkhead...... hmmm, time to change that.
>
> MY previous QTH, not too far away but with only 1 tallish tower - 130 feet
> was hit several times over a similar time frame.
>
> I'm as convinced that it happens as some of you are that it doesn't. I
> certainly can't prove it.    I don't  depend on not getting hit for
> protection, so have a reasonably decent ground system but it certainly has
> holes in the coverage as new things get added and "temporarily" hooked up
> for a few years....  While there are no spider balls on my towers, there
are
> lots of pointy things like yagi elements.
>
> I was in the forum at Dayton in 1994 when John W0UN described his similar
> Kansas experience.  At the time I hadn't even purchased this property and
> had little reason to remember that section of his presentation, but for
some
> reason it stuck in my mind.  We've since discussed this several times at
> Dayton.  Perhaps there are other forces and circumstances that enter the
> picture.   Kansas and Alberta are both on the eastern side of a
significant
> mountain range, and basically on the start of the plains to the east.
>
> 73 Don
> VE6JY
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steve Katz" <stevek at jmr.com>
> To: <kk9a at arrl.net>; <TOWERTALK at contesting.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2004 4:38 PM
> Subject: RE: [BULK] - Re: [TowerTalk] spider balls
>
>
> > Lightning ceases over big antenna farms?  I sure haven't seen that
> happen...
> >
> > Biggest lightning damage I've ever seen occurred at WC2K in southern
> > NJ about 19 or so years ago.  Rick had big towers, including a
> > self-supporter about 120 feet high...very, very, very, very well
> > grounded.  Lightning
> took
> > out most of his station, and he told me he literally sat there and
> > watched it happen.  Not much you can do about it when your rigs are
> > exploding in sequence on benches all around you.  I didn't see it
> > happen, but I saw the aftermath, and it wasn't pretty.  Thankfully, the
> house was saved.
> > -WB2WIK/6
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: kk9a at arrl.net [mailto:kk9a at arrl.net]
> > Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2004 9:55 AM
> > To: TOWERTALK at contesting.com
> > Subject: [BULK] - Re: [TowerTalk] spider balls
> >
> >
> > I really question this.  Why would lightning not strike a well grounded
> > tower.   Once, I watched a storm approach my station.  As it passed over
I
> > saw lightning strike my tallest tower which has 15 ground rods and no
> spider
> > balls.
> >
> > 73,
> > John
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jerry Keller" <k3bz at arrl.net>
> > To: <Lew at dsl-only.net>
> > Cc: "'Towertalk Reflector'" <towertalk at contesting.com>
> > Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2004 14:07
> > Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] spider balls
> >
> > <snip>  But that's what I've been told is the way lightning rods work,
> > and it sure seems to be consistent with what I've seen myself and what
> > many others have described. How else would one attempt to explain the
> > strikes from t-storms somehow ceasing while passing over a big antenna
> > farm, then resuming after passing it, as has been reliably reported
> > here and
> elsewhere?
> >
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
> Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with
any
> questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
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>
> _______________________________________________
>
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any
questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
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