[TowerTalk] Lightnig Arrestors at tower base or house entrance?

[Gene Smar]

Glenn:

     I installed my Polyphasers at the bottom of my tower in a steel box because I also have a coax switch in there.  If I had installed the Poly's at the shack, I would have left the switch inputs and the coax runs from the antennas into the switch unprotected.  

     I also have a more robust ground system near the tower:  three runs of #2 solid connected to 12 ground rods.  Near the shack end of the coax I have only one ground rod that connects to one of the three tower ground leads.  So to my way of thinking (I didn't measure it), the ground impedance near the tower (three ground leads) ought to be lower than near the shack (one ground lead).  

     I suppose the answer to your question <Which is better?> depends on whether you have a continuous coax run from antenna to shack entrance, or whether you have intervening equipment along the way.  Of course you can go the belt-and-suspenders route by having Poly's at both points.  I chose not to.  YMMV.


73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F
P.S.  I believe W1AW uses the same technique as I do - Arrestors at the tower.  I forgot the date of the QST article where I read this.





From: Glenn Thorne <gathorne at traer.net>
Date: 2008/02/25 Mon AM 11:03:06 CST
To: TOWERTALK at contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] Lightnig Arrestors at tower base or house entrance?

I've seen descriptions and pictures of installations where lightning arrestors were installed in a weather proof box at the tower base and others where they are at the house entrance.  Which is better?

I plan on having the coax shied grounded at the top of the tower, bottom of the tower and at the house entrance.  But where is the best place to put lightning arrestors?  The run from the tower to the house will be about 30 ft. and will be buried.  

Thanks,

73, Glenn/KD0Q
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk