[TowerTalk] spark gaps & GDT's for lightning/static

[jimlux]

On 4/10/17 8:11 AM, Jim Thomson wrote:

> ##  You dont see am, fm broadcast or even cell sites with coax disconnected during lightning storms,
> they all stay on the air.   The broadcast ants and towers on the rooftops in chicago + NYC get hit all
> the time with lightning...so they must have it figured out.
>

Yes, but they typically do not have a sensitive receiver connected to 
those antennas.

Clamping the output of a 50kW transmitter to 2kV with a spark gap isn't 
going to be an issue, and a lightning stroke that results in 2kV on the 
transmitter output is something the transmitter can probably handle.