[TowerTalk] Lightning suppression through coax loops

[Pete Smith]

73, Pete N4ZR

The World Contest Station Database, updated daily at www.conteststations.com
The Reverse Beacon Network at http://reversebeacon.net, blog at 
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I bought an Ameritron RCS-10 antenna switch at Dayton, and in reading 
the manual (please, no giggling) I note that it calls for a two-turn 
loop in each antenna coax line just before entering the relay box. 
These are described as "drip and lightning retarding loops." The manual 
is quite prescriptive (for example, "keep coils spaced from each other 
by vertical or horizontal separation of 2" minimum"), and I get the 
"drip" part, but I wonder what the real, practical effect of these loops 
would be.  Is there enough inductance to offer any practical blocking 
effect for induced voltages resulting from a nearby strike?