[TowerTalk] Lightning protection - AGAIN

[Thomas Giella KN4LF]

Martin et all,

I'm a retired Meteorologist and Space Plasma Physicist. Early on I was a proponent of the lightning strike prevention and/or reduction system concept, even though the scientific explanation by the manufacturer of how the device worked seemed flawed. Here in my local area we have two city owned power companies. Both companies installed the lightning strike prevention systems and though they still took direct lightning strikes, anecdotal evidence pointed to a reduction in lightning strike frequency. Actually early on they took no direct lightning strikes and were convinced that the installed system was working.

I conducted 10 years of experiments with the porcupine/spline ball air terminals here in west central Florida and said system did not prevent direct lightning strikes. I used 50 foot Rohn telescoping push up masts for the experiments jumpering the sections together for DC continuity. 

I still took a direct lightning strike every 1.5 to 2 years with the porcupine/spline balls installed. I had one as recently as July 19th, 2006 and published a website about it http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf60.htm .
 
--... ...--,
Thomas F. Giella, KN4LF
Lakeland, FL, USA
Grid Square EL97AW
kn4lf at arrl.net

KN4LF Amateur & SWL Radio History: http://www.kn4lf.com
Radiowave Propagation Yahoo eGroup: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/radiowavepropagation 
New Scientific Evidence for the Existence of God: http://www.cosmicfingerprints.com/audio/newevidence.htm 

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