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Re: Automatic lightning protection for radios

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Re: Automatic lightning protection for radios

As I understand it, there should be a multi-level defense.

Direct bonding to ground rods for any towers or support poles, plus the standard “automatic” grounding for the antenna wires using those things with the little metal chips in a tube, plus lots of ground rods, plus bonding of the antenna ground system to the household electric ground. All done outside the building.

Household surge protector in the breaker box, plus perhaps two more in series with the radio power supply. Also on the cable connection to the house.

And then disconnect switches on everything that plugs into the radio, including coax, USB, Ethernet, headphones, keys, power, etc., because induced voltage within the house can also be a problem.

So what would be nice would be a single box, controlled by the radio power switch, with relay disconnect of “anything you can think of that has a wire on it."

Doug, W0UHU
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John Simmons

Re: Automatic lightning protection for radios

Let's think about this. The difference of potential between cloud and
ground supports an arc of hundreds of feet. You are suggesting putting a
switch in line with a wire that connects to the radio to 'protect' it.
Won't the lightning just jump the open switch contacts?

--
73,
-de John NI0K

Douglas Hagerman via Elecraft wrote on 1/18/2021 12:39 PM:

> As I understand it, there should be a multi-level defense.
>
> Direct bonding to ground rods for any towers or support poles, plus the standard “automatic” grounding for the antenna wires using those things with the little metal chips in a tube, plus lots of ground rods, plus bonding of the antenna ground system to the household electric ground. All done outside the building.
>
> Household surge protector in the breaker box, plus perhaps two more in series with the radio power supply. Also on the cable connection to the house.
>
> And then disconnect switches on everything that plugs into the radio, including coax, USB, Ethernet, headphones, keys, power, etc., because induced voltage within the house can also be a problem.
>
> So what would be nice would be a single box, controlled by the radio power switch, with relay disconnect of “anything you can think of that has a wire on it."
>
> Doug, W0UHU
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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Lyn WØLEN

Re: Automatic lightning protection for radios

We had a direct strike a few years back, and the results were interesting. In most cases a gap of an inch or less vs. a direct connection made a huge difference. The lightning took the easiest path to ground every time. But that's the key ... you can't just "open" the line, it needs to be switched to a ground connection. Not even the quality of ground you need for RFI, noise, etc ... just a decent ground.

73
Lyn, W0LEN

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of John Simmons
Sent: Monday, January 18, 2021 6:01 PM
To: Elecraft Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Automatic lightning protection for radios

Let's think about this. The difference of potential between cloud and
ground supports an arc of hundreds of feet. You are suggesting putting a
switch in line with a wire that connects to the radio to 'protect' it.
Won't the lightning just jump the open switch contacts?

--
73,
-de John NI0K

Douglas Hagerman via Elecraft wrote on 1/18/2021 12:39 PM:

Lou Mecseri

Re: Automatic lightning protection for radios

Question:

By grounding your antenna do you make it more attractive to a lightning
strike?

73, Lou KE1F

On 1/23/2021 7:53 AM, Lyn Norstad wrote:

> We had a direct strike a few years back, and the results were interesting. In most cases a gap of an inch or less vs. a direct connection made a huge difference. The lightning took the easiest path to ground every time. But that's the key ... you can't just "open" the line, it needs to be switched to a ground connection. Not even the quality of ground you need for RFI, noise, etc ... just a decent ground.
>
> 73
> Lyn, W0LEN
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of John Simmons
> Sent: Monday, January 18, 2021 6:01 PM
> To: Elecraft Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Automatic lightning protection for radios
>
> Let's think about this. The difference of potential between cloud and
> ground supports an arc of hundreds of feet. You are suggesting putting a
> switch in line with a wire that connects to the radio to 'protect' it.
> Won't the lightning just jump the open switch contacts?
>
>

Leroy

Re: Automatic lightning protection for radios

The old boy Ben Franklin invented the lightning rod, and it uses a spark
gap to ground.

I over ground from my FAA training. Under the 6 foot concrete cube for my
tower is 10 foot copper
rod with welded ground cable that goes 30 feet up the tower to a large
ground clamp, for one.
Both of my neighbors have have trees hit by lightning, but my ten acre
antenna farm with
full size 160 meter loop and dipole have not been hit yet.

leroy ab7ce

-----Original Message-----
From: Lou Mecseri
Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2021 7:17 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Automatic lightning protection for radios

Question:

By grounding your antenna do you make it more attractive to a lightning
strike?

73, Lou KE1F

On 1/23/2021 7:53 AM, Lyn

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Edward R Cole

Re: Automatic lightning protection for radios

In reply to this post by Elecraft mailing list

This is a little bit "tongue-in-cheek" reply:

Only sure way to avoid lightning is to live where there is no lightning.

I happen to live in such a location. We hear thunder every other
year and see.see/hear lightning about once out of four years.

Odds of an earthquake or volcano eruption is much higher (in Alaska
on the "ring of fire") with four active volcanoes within sight
(closest is 50-mile away and has erupted three time while I have
lived up here). There are 141 active volcanoes in Alaska roughly
aligned along the Aleutian island chain and Alaska Peninsula. I live
at the northern end of that.

The climate is maritime as I live two miles from Cook Inlet which is
a 200+ mile long salt-water sound extending from the Northern
Pacific. So we do not get the extremes in temperature that produces
lightning (summer average 55-65F). Only 70-miles north Anchorage
gets more of that weather. Interior AK gets hundreds of strikes per
day in summer.

location-location

73, Ed - KL7UW
http://www.kl7uw.com
Dubus-NA Business mail:
[hidden email]

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Phil Kane-2

Re: Automatic lightning protection for radios

On 1/24/2021 11:17 AM, Edward R Cole wrote:

> I happen to live in such a location. We hear thunder every other year
> and see.see/hear lightning about once out of four years.

Ditto here in the Portland, OR area and in the San Francisco Bay Area
where we formerly lived. When I loved in Washington, DC it was like
ever day or two in the summer.

73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
Elecraft K2/100 s/n 5402

From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest
Beaverton (Washington County) Oregon

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RICHARD Martin

Re: Automatic lightning protection for radios

When I moved to Sacramento, I had to show the owner of the biggest
electronics store what a lightning arrestor was using rhe Allied Radio
Catalog.... I'm dating myself...hi hi
Dick
KN6AA

On Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 14:42 Phil Kane <[hidden email]> wrote:

> On 1/24/2021 11:17 AM, Edward R Cole wrote:
>
> > I happen to live in such a location. We hear thunder every other year
> > and see.see/hear lightning about once out of four years.
>
> Ditto here in the Portland, OR area and in the San Francisco Bay Area
> where we formerly lived. When I loved in Washington, DC it was like
> ever day or two in the summer.
>
> 73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
> Elecraft K2/100 s/n 5402
>
> From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest
> Beaverton (Washington County) Oregon
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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