[TowerTalk] [Force 12 Talk] Antennas and power lines don't mix

[K7LXC at aol.com]

From: "ni0c" <ni0c at earthlink.net>
Subject: [Force 12 Talk]  Antennas and power lines don't mix

>  This past Sunday, July 5, I  could have become
a silent key and my nice ham station could have
gone up  in smoke. I was extremely lucky! 

I had reconfigured my Force 12 Sigma  40XK antenna,
changing bands from 30m to 20m, and was in the 
process of  putting it up again when I brushed the top
T bar against the HV line that  crosses the utility
easement at the back of my property.  I heard  what
sounded like a shotgun blast, and knew instantly what
had happened,  and that my life had been spared.

The center insulator of the Sigma 40XK  is what saved
my life, and my outdoor MFJ4712 relay box saved my  
station.  The explosion was the top of the MFJ box, which  
disappeared, while a hole approx. 3/8" in diameter was
melted in the top  T bar of the antenna.

I could write lots more about all my thoughts since  this
incident, but the most important thing is a warning to
my fellow  hams-- be careful!

73,
Chuck Guenther NI0C



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