Coax And Lightning?

[Eastside]

I am trying to figure out what to do with my coax when a lightning storm is on the way...other than pulling it back out the window?

I was thinking of something like a block with so-239 connectors on one side and a ground wire connector on the other side....then running the ground wire out the window to a copper ground rod...so when a storm is coming you just take your coax off your radio and screw it onto the ground block until the storm is over.....do they even sell what I am describing ?

 

[RatsoW8]

It needs to be outside the house. I added a junction box outside the house where I disconnect. If lightning hits and comes in through the coax it will laugh at your ground wire and burn down your house.

 

[Eastside]

It needs to be outside the house. I added a junction box outside the house where I disconnect. If lightning hits and comes in through the coax it will laugh at your ground wire and burn down your house.

How do you keep the junction box and coax ends from getting all corroded and dirty from being outside?
I need a junction box for 3 coaxes...do you know where I can buy one?

Ok...I understand what you are talking about now...the box is for protecting the connections from the weather.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

It needs to be outside the house. I added a junction box outside the house where I disconnect. If lightning hits and comes in through the coax it will laugh at your ground wire and burn down your house.

The whole idea is to prevent lightning from passing through your equipment in the first place. If properly grounded, which granted is an extensive endeavor, you should be able to take a direct strike and suffer no damage whatsoever.Few CBer's or hams get that involved however.

http://members.rennlist.org/warren/grounding.pdf

 

[AudioShockwav]

As far as enclosures Look for something like this:

Slimline Junction (3 - 17 in. X 3 in. to 9 in. X 6 in.) Overview

Or

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/QuickViewService?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&R=202043419&catEntryId=202043419
There are ones that have doors and Gaskets if you want to open them easily.

http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/Overview/Catalog/Enclosures/Metal/NEMA_4
Just search for Nema 4 enclosures
We used them at work to mount stuff in all the time, lots of sizes available.
I have even put small motor starters in them with SO cord in/out and strain reliefs for temporarily installs if we were doing a test run on something.

73
Jeff

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

is there any reason why a nice thick tupper-ware container couldn't be used ? not the thin crappy ones . drill holes on one side for the coax to go in and out of and stand it up to mount it so those holes are on the bottom .

 

[Eastside]

is there any reason why a nice thick tupper-ware container couldn't be used ? not the thin crappy ones . drill holes on one side for the coax to go in and out of and stand it up to mount it so those holes are on the bottom .

I guess anything would work that kept the connectors out of the weather...stick the ends in a plastic pop bottle.

 

[Robb]

is there any reason why a nice thick tupper-ware container couldn't be used ? not the thin crappy ones . drill holes on one side for the coax to go in and out of and stand it up to mount it so those holes are on the bottom .

Tupperware?!?
You can probably buy a weatherproof junction box from HomeDepot or Lowe's for about ~$10.
Save your Tupperware - Booty!
:laugh:

 

[vo1ks]

Hey cool link.

There are two issues involved. Grounding is important, but so is bonding. The individual AC and antenna grounds must be bonded in such a manner to provide a direct low impedance path between them and a high impedance path through the equipment. This will shunt any ground currents between the grounds, bypassing and protecting the equipment.

A shorted quarter wavelength transmission line connected with a Tee connector will provide added protection. Using RG58 or RG8 cable, for CB the stub must be 6 feet long. Attach a connector on one end, solder the inner and outer conductors together on the far end. Connect to one of the Tee connectors, antenna to one, and radio to the other.

Proper grounding doesn't have to be complex or complicated. When installing the station it can often be designed for best protection quite easily. However, even a poorly designed system can be improved with some effort. There is absolutely no reason any CB or ham station could not be installed properly with adequate protection.

The whole idea is to prevent lightning from passing through your equipment in the first place. If properly grounded, which granted is an extensive endeavor, you should be able to take a direct strike and suffer no damage whatsoever.Few CBer's or hams get that involved however.

http://members.rennlist.org/warren/grounding.pdf

 

[Eastside]

Well it is storming again and I had to pull my 3 coax cables back outside....I cut a slit in a tropicana oj bottle and shoved the ends in and them shoved it over a ground rod to hold it up.
I still have my rotor wire coming in the window......just do not want to take off those 8 wires every time it storms.....wish it had a plug.....those 8 wires are a pia.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Hey cool link.

There are two issues involved. Grounding is important, but so is bonding. The individual AC and antenna grounds must be bonded in such a manner to provide a direct low impedance path between them and a high impedance path through the equipment. This will shunt any ground currents between the grounds, bypassing and protecting the equipment.

A shorted quarter wavelength transmission line connected with a Tee connector will provide added protection. Using RG58 or RG8 cable, for CB the stub must be 6 feet long. Attach a connector on one end, solder the inner and outer conductors together on the far end. Connect to one of the Tee connectors, antenna to one, and radio to the other.

Proper grounding doesn't have to be complex or complicated. When installing the station it can often be designed for best protection quite easily. However, even a poorly designed system can be improved with some effort. There is absolutely no reason any CB or ham station could not be installed properly with adequate protection.

I thought you might like that link. The thing I find Warren, is that while you and I both know exactly what is involved in installing a virtually fool proof ground, most CBer's and hams neither understand everything required or simply do not want to spend the time and money in doing it right when there is so much bad info out there that is cheaper and easier to follow. it follows along the lines of getting back what you put into it.

 

[vo1ks]

It is neither difficult nor expensive to build things properly. Any expense would be offset by peace of mind, not to mention cost savings from potential damage to the house or equipment inside.

A little information to someone who cares and is truly interested can go a long way. Those are the people the grounding pdf is aimed towards. Ask questions and learn!

It's not just CBers and hams that don't understand. I wander broadcast sites and shake my head at the moronic installations. Hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake and they are too clueless, stupid, and cheap to protect the equipment. Easier to spend thousands of dollars and many hours rebuilding equipment than put things together properly.

Anyone pig headed and not wanting to accept information is a lost cause.
(Is there a smilie singing LA LA LA while poking fingers in its ears?)

I thought you might like that link. The thing I find Warren, is that while you and I both know exactly what is involved in installing a virtually fool proof ground, most CBer's and hams neither understand everything required or simply do not want to spend the time and money in doing it right when there is so much bad info out there that is cheaper and easier to follow. it follows along the lines of getting back what you put into it.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Anyone pig headed and not wanting to accept information is a lost cause.
(Is there a smilie singing LA LA LA while poking fingers in its ears?)

I'll have to look for one and add it if I find one. LOL What I mean is that some installations may require a loooong run of copper strap or very heavy bonding wire and some people just are too cheap to do it.Sucks to be them. Personaly I am willing to spend a few hundred on copper strap to safeguard my station but a lot are not. A lot of stations are installed as the area allows and that may not be such that all cables can enter and exit at the same point. My station is like that. The house layout is such that the radio room has to be in the den on the north end of the house. All utilities enter that end of the house so that is good. The problem is that the only place to install any type of decent tower and antenna system is on the south end of the house due to the placement of the house on the property. This was a done deal before I even had any thoughts of a station and was in fact before I had my ticket. This means that my electrical service entrance is about 75 feet from the base of my tower with the house in the middle. The house was built to allow maximum use of my property with no thoughts at the time of a ham station. Later when I got my ticket and wanted a tower it became necessary to locate it at the opposite end of the house. In this case it was not possible to plan everything out as it should be for maximum protection. This is going to mean a long run of heavy copper just to bond the tower ground to the electrical service ground. A lot of people are not willing to spend the money for that and are willing to take what they perceive as a small risk. To tell the truth I am not really looking forward to thunderstorms with a total tower height of about 77 feet plus maybe an 18 foot collinear vertical on top of that rounding out at 95 feet and wide open. Lightning has already stuck the power lines in front of the house and my tower will stand head and shoulders above them. I have plans to ground and bond the crap out of everything but the notion of taking a direct strike still scares the shit out of me despite having seen the lack of damage at some broadcast sites where things were done right. The fact that the ground at the tower base has only about 3 feet of soil on top of solid slate makes driving ground rods somewhat of a problem. Wish I had an eight foot drill bit. Maybe I just need to take a problem free strike to boost my confidence. :laugh:

 

[Eastside]

Be real...I am not a commercial broadcast radio station.

 

[Eastside]

It needs to be outside the house. I added a junction box outside the house where I disconnect. If lightning hits and comes in through the coax it will laugh at your ground wire and burn down your house.

Can you take a pic of your junction box inside...so I can see how you put it together...I would appreciate it.