[TowerTalk] no ground is better ?

[Jay Schwisow]

Bill,

If lightning is travelling a mile or so on its way to ground does your 
friend think that disconnected coax from the rig will stop the strike at 
the end of the 259 or N connector?

Well I sure hope he not only disconnects but throws it outside...far far 
away from the house.   What about the AC mains?   Taking a surge there 
could not only hit your ham equipment (if not unplugged) but also tv, 
computers, etc...The single copper wire out of the box into the ground 
behind the house is inadequate.  These discussions are not about 
tower/antenna grounding but about a complete home and shack ground system.

Does this same person have a very limited budget ?   Relative to other 
things in the hobby (rigs, towers, antennas, etc..) a good ground system 
is not  very expensive. However, it does NOT offer 100% protection. 

Why did I do it?  One reason is that Colorado and where I live in 
Colorado is one of the most lightning prone areas of the country.  
According to NOAA, about 494,000 cloud to ground lightning flashes occur 
in Colorado every year.  In addition, I am along the Palmer Divide which 
is one of the worst areas for severe weather in the state. Disconnecting 
is not an option - I would be off the air for 3-4 months.

How did I do it?  I did it close to commercial specs.   According to a 
friend in the cellphone industry only 20 cell sites (out of about 
500,000) are lost to lightning each year. 


Jay - KT5E



bill rubin wrote:
> I have a friend (will not say his call sign) who believes that if you can't
> do a full grounding system (building halo, rods every 16 ft, etc) is is
> better NOT to ground your antenna system and just disconnect your coax when
> not used.  Sort of the "lightning does not see me" idea.   While I have
> argued this issue with him I was looking for technical documentation why his
> reasoning is false.  Any information to disclaim the no ground and antenna
> disconnect practice ?
>
> 73' Bill
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