| Author |
Message |
    
Jameslarson
Intermediate Member
Username: Jameslarson
Post Number: 111
Registered: 4-2006
| | Posted on Monday, May 08, 2006 - 9:47 pm: | 
|
I see pictures here of people that ground their antennas, and then have another ground rod close to their house, where they ground everything in their room to a ground bar, which then gets grounded to the rod just outside (with polyphasers), which thenin turn gets grounded to the rod for the antenna.
I maybe wrong, but it seems to me that having a setup like that is bad because, what happens if the antenna gets hit by lightning? Wouldn't it travel from the antenna, to the ground rod, then to the other ground rod near the house, through the ground wire to the room and to the gear? |
Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808
Post Number: 9943
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Monday, May 08, 2006 - 11:56 pm: |
|
Jameslarsen,
I can only give you our OWN personal first hand experience after taking a direct hit to our Imax 2000 while talking with several other CEF Radio Club Member's on the air.
EQUIPMENT SAVED INSIDE:
EVERYTHING
2995DX
2970DX
President Lincoln
Ranger 696F SSB Base
Magnum S-45
S3200B Base
Yaesu FT-2800M
KLV 1000
Texas Star DX500V
Aliance HD 73 Rotor Control
Dosy TFC3001 Meter
Autek WM1 Meter
Swan WM-6200 Meter
MFJ989C Versa Tuner
MFJ-1700B Antenna Switch
and Other Test Equipment
EQUIPMENT LOST INSIDE: -0-
EQUIPMENT LOST OUTSIDE:
IMAX 2000 (Blown Apart into a million pieces)
&
110' of RG213 COAX (melted) (PL259 welded to SO239 on Imax)
6' piece of 1-1/4" Mast pipe sticking out of tower.
EQUIPMENT SAVED OUTSIDE that was Connected Inside:
ALLIANCE HD-73 Rotor
SE WHITE LIGHTNING QUAD ANTENNA
ANTTRON 2/6 GP BASE ANTENNA
CUSHCRAFT R-5 ANTENNA
Roughly 350' of RG-213 Coax
After the Hit we switched to the Beams on another tower and continued talking after checking everything out. 
The 1st Sargant and I would also like to personally THANK! Paul/Tech833 AGAIN for his Professional and Expert Advice and Help in setting our installation up as it saved EVERYTHING INSIDE!
Lon
Tech808
CEF808
N9CEF
CVC#2 
&
Shirley
1st Sargant
CEF164
CVC#3 |
Dale
Intermediate Member
Username: Dale
Post Number: 370
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 9:51 am: |
|
from my understanding the groundrods take the lighting and send it to the ground or something like that best bet just undo antenna coax toss it out the window
DALE/CEF426 |
Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833
Post Number: 1347
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 12:50 pm: |
|
James,
If your equipment was not connected to the antenna with coax cable, your question might be a valid one. However, since your radio is connected directly to your antenna with a very conductive cable, you do NOT want the lightning to take that path into your home! You want it to take the path of least resistance that you have created OUTSIDE your home!
Even those that disconnect coax from equipment are still at risk unless that cable is removed and tossed away nowhere near your home. Also, how do you know you will be -
1. Home
2. Awake
3. Able
To disconnect that cable EVERY time there is about to be a lightning storm. Not a chance! |
Jameslarson
Intermediate Member
Username: Jameslarson
Post Number: 113
Registered: 4-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 3:21 pm: |
|
Thanks for the info. Also, I would think that the coax should burn up before it even is able to have that much voltage travel through it. Or does it travel so fast that it doesn't have time to burn up before letting all that voltage travel through? |
Tech237
Moderator
Username: Tech237
Post Number: 330
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 3:56 pm: |
|
james,
MY TV antenna got hit by lightning back in 1988. Yes the cable burnt - the first 3ft was a case of no inner conductor (solid conductotr RG-6), it also blew a 2 inch hole in the mast supporting the antenna. The only thing that saved the TV from total destruction was the protective neon globes across the antenna socket. Most TVs in Australia have these in place - NOW. The neons fired and self destructed but in doing so shorted the power to ground - as they were designed to do. |
Kid_vicious
Senior Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 1543
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 4:03 pm: |
|
james, the things i dont know about, i have to trust someone about.
on grounding, i always put my trust in whatever the broadcast stations are doing.
and thats exactly what you'll get from tech833, because that's what he is; a broadcast engineer.
you can trust the info in any post with his name on it.
matt |
