[TowerTalk] Lightning suppression through coax loops

[Gene Smar]

Pete:

     I did almost the same thing on my tower with the rotator control cable. 
Underneath the rotator shelf and just before the cable enters a steel box at 
the base of the tower, I formed a four-turn solenoid out of the cable and 
held it in place with cable ties.

     I did a similar thing with the coax runs at the bottom of the tower.  I 
formed them into two-turn loops before they also entered the steel box where 
I have the antenna switch.  I figure it's belts-and-suspenders for lightning 
protection.  It may not be very effective but it's free.

73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pete Smith" <n4zr at contesting.com>
To: <TowerTalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 8:09 AM
Subject: [TowerTalk] Lightning suppression through coax loops


>
>
> 73, Pete N4ZR
>
> The World Contest Station Database, updated daily at 
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> The Reverse Beacon Network at http://reversebeacon.net, blog at
> reversebeacon.blogspot.com
> 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?
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