Put up a sign with that statement on it. Attach it to your antenna/tower. The lightning will see that and not strike.:headbang
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Coax And Lightning?
- Thread starter Eastside
- Start date
:headbang ARGH!
The same basics apply for CB, ham radio, paging systems, cellular phones, broadcasting, etc. It doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. In fact, proper planning at installation can be very simple and not cost anything extra. You likely have no problem dishing out hundreds of dollars for radio equipment, towers, antennas, etc but then go cheap on installation.
And I've seen VERY few commercial broadcast stations that were properly installed. Even high priced consultants and supposed RF engineers all too often miss the boat completely.
The same basics apply for CB, ham radio, paging systems, cellular phones, broadcasting, etc. It doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. In fact, proper planning at installation can be very simple and not cost anything extra. You likely have no problem dishing out hundreds of dollars for radio equipment, towers, antennas, etc but then go cheap on installation.
And I've seen VERY few commercial broadcast stations that were properly installed. Even high priced consultants and supposed RF engineers all too often miss the boat completely.
I did what I know how to do......which is drive a ground rod in the ground and attach it to my tower with heavy solid copper wire.....that is the extent of my grounding knowledge....I asked the question because I do not know...then basically it seems I get called stupid for not knowing the answer....or am I reading yours and CK's posts wrong?
I'm not calling you stupid! You're right to ask questions and try to learn.
The stupid ones are those who have the information in front of them and are too pig headed to read and accept it. Read through the grounding PDF as well as the techniques mentioned in its links. There are simple and inexpensive techniques to protect your equipment.
Tossing the cable outdoors during a storm is really not a solution. If there were a strike while you were moving the cable you'd get nailed. If you're away from home or asleep there is no protection. You need to provide protection to the system 24/7 and not worry about having to disconnect anything.
The stupid ones are those who have the information in front of them and are too pig headed to read and accept it. Read through the grounding PDF as well as the techniques mentioned in its links. There are simple and inexpensive techniques to protect your equipment.
Tossing the cable outdoors during a storm is really not a solution. If there were a strike while you were moving the cable you'd get nailed. If you're away from home or asleep there is no protection. You need to provide protection to the system 24/7 and not worry about having to disconnect anything.
I was looking at the diagrams....if I understood it right...is it telling you to ground your tower and coax to your homes grounding system?
This old house of mine still has the old 2 prong outlets....and I have no idea how it is grounded.
Ideally the coax would enter the house at the AC entrance. Run a heavy gauge wire from the house ground to bond it to the antenna / tower ground. Bond the coax to the house ground where it enters the house. Doing this will greatly limit ground currents flowing along the coax and through radio equipment to the AC ground.
Nobody called you stupid. Warren (VO1KS) and I just got caught up in a well grounded discussion Sorry for the pun but it was completely intentional.
Somewhere in that discussion I was hoping that some info was stated that would have been of some use.Even the two prong outlets lead back to the electrical service main entrance panel that should be grounded. There should be a heavy ground wire, probably green, that goes from the frame of your panel outdoors to a buried ground rod. Ideally the tower ground should be connected to the ground back at your electrical service panel and it should be connected with a heavy wide copper strap or a very heavy wire. The bigger the better.
Nobody called you stupid. Warren (VO1KS) and I just got caught up in a well grounded discussion Sorry for the pun but it was completely intentional.
Even the two prong outlets lead back to the electrical service main entrance panel that should be grounded. There should be a heavy ground wire, probably green, that goes from the frame of your panel outdoors to a buried ground rod. Ideally the tower ground should be connected to the ground back at your electrical service panel and it should be connected with a heavy wide copper strap or a very heavy wire. The bigger the better.
I went out and looked at my meter and looked for a ground rod like in the diagram....no ground rod....so I traced the ground wire and it looks like it goes back out to the telephone pole.
The only ground I found in the breaker box went to the water pipe that comes up out of the cement.
I went out and looked at my meter and looked for a ground rod like in the diagram....no ground rod....so I traced the ground wire and it looks like it goes back out to the telephone pole.
The only ground I found in the breaker box went to the water pipe that comes up out of the cement.
Hmmmmm..... a ground should not go back to the telephone pole but it should go from the telco entrance to ground. Are you sure it is telephone pole it goes back too and not a power pole that brings the power into the house? Sometimes you will not see a ground rod at the electrical entrance as they are often buried completely at the time of installation and all you see is a heavy wire disappearing into the ground. Usually the COLD water pipe is also tied to the electrical ground but there is usually a separate ground rod as well. In my basement I can see the main ground coming in from the power company tied to my panel and a heavy green wire going from my panel to my cold water pipe.
The telephone pole has power lines and telephone and cable tv.....and there is no wire going into the ground.....just a small copper ground wire going up to the wires coming from the pole.
My home is a slab home...no basement.
I seen a fat green wire on the side of the fuse box....the one that is attached to the water pipe is smaller.
The ground wire will go back to the pole. This is why you should have the tower and transmission lines bonded to the AC entrance ground and the RF entrance as close by as possible.
The TV cable, satellite, telephone, and other lines should be treated in much the same way as RF lines from the tower.
Three wires come to the house, two live and a common ground/neutral. In the main electrical panel the neutral and ground conductors are separated for a total of four wires.
The TV cable, satellite, telephone, and other lines should be treated in much the same way as RF lines from the tower.
Three wires come to the house, two live and a common ground/neutral. In the main electrical panel the neutral and ground conductors are separated for a total of four wires.
A typical ground wire from a pole comes from the top line(s) which is a ground connecting all poles. The wire it usually tacked onto the pole and extends into the ground with the pole where it's made into a flat coil on the bottom of the pole. At least that's how it's required to be done by power companies here in Oklahoma. (I assume it's the same for all states?)
That's not the place to make your ground connections. Make them at the breaker box or meter ground.
This isn't a very good description but it's the best I can make of what goes on here. I wish I could afford to put in a really good safety ground system. I have an adequate RF ground system which isn't the same thing at all. Oh well, maybe later...
- 'Doc
(After seeing some of the supposed safety grounds put in by various utility installers, connecting to a PVC water pipe for instance, I figure mine is at least average. No, I'm not joking about that.)
That's not the place to make your ground connections. Make them at the breaker box or meter ground.
This isn't a very good description but it's the best I can make of what goes on here. I wish I could afford to put in a really good safety ground system. I have an adequate RF ground system which isn't the same thing at all. Oh well, maybe later...
- 'Doc
(After seeing some of the supposed safety grounds put in by various utility installers, connecting to a PVC water pipe for instance, I figure mine is at least average. No, I'm not joking about that.)
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