Grounding a base antenna?? Lightning

[unit_399]

In Springtime, nightly thunderstorms are a way of life in the mountains of Colombia. Sometimes I can hear the thunder from a nearby strike rumble on and on for 10-15 seconds or more. As a protective measure, I have tried to keep the amount of metal in my antenna system to a minimum. The tower is a 40' wooden utility pole, and the only metal in the quad antenna I use is the element wires. I use an "Armstrong" rotator instead of anything metal or electrical. In the 10 years we've lived here, never had a direct hit (knock on wood). I always disconnect the antenna when the radios aren't in use. The shack is a good 80 meters or so from the house, and I even kill the electrical power to it every night. I have surge protection installed throughout the house, and I know it has saved our televisions and appliances many times. The electrical transformer feeding our place and about half a dozen others takes a real beating from lightning every spring and has had to be replaced twice since we've been here. To me, there is no such thing as overkill when it comes to lightning protection.

- 399

 

[Limeybastard]

Without wandering in neighbors yards and such, I cannot seem to see anything coming down their exterior walls, something like a heavy guage copper rod or such. All I see is approx 1' vertical rods with a gold shaped ball on the end located on each peak of their shingle roof. A few homes around here have it, but I was just curious being the lightning capital of USA. I am thinking , perhaps its a matter of trust. I have yet to come across any half decent tradesman since living here from 2007.

 

[Robb]

Yeah; once that ground field rises up there is no stopping it except a strike there or somewhere close.

 

[Limeybastard]

Yeah; once that ground field rises up there is no stopping it except a strike there or somewhere close.

Silly question, but going to ask anyways. Him having this on his roof, no negative impact for others in the near vicinity?

 

[Beetle]

Here's a little fun -- for those who have Google Earth. Navigate yourself to Paris (the one in France, not Texas) and locate the Eiffel Tower. Lower your altitude to a couple thousand feet.

Then select 3D buildings and position yourself directly above the top of the Tower. Scroll down until you see an X-shaped piece of metal attached at the very highest point of the tippy-top. That X-shaped metal thing (XSMT) sort of gives the lightning a bigger target. Notice along the edges of the XSMT there are burned and eroded areas showing what lightning can do. I have to believe that the Eiffel Tower conforms to the French electrical code, whether such a thing existed at the time the tower was built. Imagine if it weren't well grounded!

I'd post a screenshot, but I'm one of a select group who can't even quote another post .

 

[Road Squawker]

actually, the Eiffel tower was originally an antenna structure

 

[Grinder74]

I lived in an old farm House in high school. One day I was sitting in my upstairs room watching a storm when lightning struck the lightning rod right above my head. I saw the porcelain ball shattered pieces fly to the ground. No damage to the house. Lightning did take out Dad's cb, a TV and Nintendo( while being played) in another event. Doubt we had any protection back then. Tripod on metal garage roof with an aluminum GP.

 

[Marconi]

RS, are you sure about that?

 

[The DB]

actually, the Eiffel tower was originally an antenna structure

It was originally built as a monument for a worlds fair in 1889. It wasn't until world war 1 nearly 20 years later that it was used as an antenna tower. To say it was built for antennas would not be accurate, however, becoming an antenna tower is what ultimately saved it from destruction.


The DB

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Indeed. Marconi recieved his first radio signal in 1895......six years after the Eifel Tower was built.

 

[Marconi]

i've heard tell an antenna was added to the tower after WWII in order to claim it as the tallest something, but I don't remember the details. I took this story to say they added an antenna on top...not the same as making the tower an antenna.

 

[The DB]

Indeed. Marconi recieved his first radio signal in 1895......six years after the Eifel Tower was built.

Marconi, I knew you were old but I didn't know you were that old...


The DB

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Marconi, I knew you were old but I didn't know you were that old...


The DB

Who do you think coached him along the way.

 

[543_Dallas]

In Springtime, nightly thunderstorms are a way of life in the mountains of Colombia. Sometimes I can hear the thunder from a nearby strike rumble on and on for 10-15 seconds or more. As a protective measure, I have tried to keep the amount of metal in my antenna system to a minimum. The tower is a 40' wooden utility pole, and the only metal in the quad antenna I use is the element wires. I use an "Armstrong" rotator instead of anything metal or electrical. In the 10 years we've lived here, never had a direct hit (knock on wood). I always disconnect the antenna when the radios aren't in use. The shack is a good 80 meters or so from the house, and I even kill the electrical power to it every night. I have surge protection installed throughout the house, and I know it has saved our televisions and appliances many times. The electrical transformer feeding our place and about half a dozen others takes a real beating from lightning every spring and has had to be replaced twice since we've been here. To me, there is no such thing as overkill when it comes to lightning protection.

- 399

Trees get hit all the time. I feel safer with the tower in concrete and each leg grounded to an 8ft ground rod with #4 copper.

I still disconnect at the shack entrance when I'm not using the stuff but if lightning picks my antenna I want to take as much energy to ground at the tower base before it has a chance to go somewhere else.

 

[unit_399]

Trees get hit all the time. I feel safer with the tower in concrete and each leg grounded to an 8ft ground rod with #4 copper.

I agree 543, but trees are full of water and pretty conductive. The utility pole is kiln dried, and pressure treated so it won't absorb water and is much less conductive.

- 399