[TowerTalk] Lightning Strikes

[Patrick Greenlee]

I have a Hy-Gain Hy-Tower multiband vertical atop a metal 
barn/counterpoise.  Top of antenna is about 75 ft AGL.  It has been up 
going on 5 years. Its coax runs to a multi-position remote controlled 
coax switch in the barn and thence underground to a polyphaser device 
and into the house.  When not operating I disconnect the coax from the 
tuner and connect it to a short braid going to an 8 ft ground rod driven 
in a hole in the concrete slab at my operating position.  I have never 
sustained damage nor lost the replaceable element in the polyphaser and 
we get oodles of lightning in this part of Oklahoma.  I have witnessed 
lightning strikes take limbs off of trees and have had many hits so 
close that the flash and bang were perceived as simultaneous.  My wife 
experienced an entertaining moment near my shack when lightning struck 
very close and a ball of incandescent plasma formed in midair a few feet 
from her.  It changed appearances a couple times and then with a loud 
pop it vanished.

Some of my "protection" is undoubtedly luck of the draw but I'd guess 
the polyphaser should get some credit.

My shack is currently in one corner of my woodworking shop which is part 
of the overall house structure.  The 1/3 of the house which houses my 
wood shop, metal shop, and 3 car garage is a "red iron" bld with welded 
steel trusses and vertical I beam columns. It has no metal siding or 
metal roof.  Exterior walls are brick wainscot and vinyl siding.  I 
suspect the steel  structure has been hit a few times but I have not 
seen evidence or experienced damage.

I have whole house MOV protection at the service panel.

I hope to make additional improvements soon.  I am currently reading the 
new Grounding and Bonding book published by the ARRL.

Patrick        NJ5G


On 6/26/17 8:09 AM, Ed Sawyer wrote:
> I have 3 towers that are all about 30 ft taller than the surrounding trees.
> There is one oak tree approaching the height within a 200 ft circle
> otherwise it's the tallest around.  They sit on a ridge with 180 drop off
> exposure from N to South on the east side.  Behind them on the West side are
> gently sloping climbing terrain that locally peaks about 250 ft higher than
> the towers.
>
>   
>
> I have 25 acres of land with beverages in all directions and antenna/cables
> covering about 6 acres (excluding the beverage footprint).
>
>   
>
> In 12 years, I have definitively recorded 2 strikes on the towers but
> probably 10 proximity strikes that have either been seen or created some
> kind of induced energy damage to switches.
>
>   
>
> Its part of the game.
>
>   
>
> Ed  N1UR
>
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