[TowerTalk] RF Surge Suppressor at Base of Tower or Shack SPG or Both ?

[Jim Brown]

On 10/12/2021 11:14 AM, Shawn Donley wrote:
> Where should the coax surge suppressors go?  At the base of the tower or at the shack entry box or both?

Where antennas are bonded to all the bonded grounds, where they enter 
the shack. They protect the rig(s) two ways. First, by bonding the coax 
shield, and second by shorting the center conductor to that ground.

The coax shield should be bonded to the tower at top and bottom, but an 
arrestor at the tower is a waste of money.

Remembering that lightning is an RF event, not a DC event, a 130 ft long 
bonding wire looks like an inductor, and is essentially a waste of 
copper. It's only required if you have mains power at the tower, in 
which case it must be run with the power conductors (as with Romex, or 
in conduit).

The N0AX book is a great reference, to which I contributed.

73, Jim K9YC