Lightning strike dissapation

[mackmobile43]

What if a guy were to take a piece of say rg-8 coax and solder the shield to the center lead on one end which would be connected to a ground cable to earth and the other end soldered together with a pl-59 attached so as to connect the coax from the antenna to when a lightning storm approaches?
Would this be safer than having the coax just laying free inside the house?

 

[park]

O' yes it will help a lot, but don't you mean connecting a so-239 to that piece of coax so you can plug the antenna into it? I say it may help, because unless you ground your station to commercial standards (not many do) lighting can do anything it wants.

 

[mackmobile43]

O' yes it will help a lot, but don't you mean connecting a so-239 to that piece of coax so you can plug the antenna into it? I say it may help, because unless you ground your station to commercial standards (not many do) lighting can do anything it wants.

Forgot to mention that I used a barrel connector for that, the 239 does'nt solder very well to the shielded portion.

 

[hookedon6]

NOT a good idea. it will not provide a reliable path to ground. the solder will melt instantly with a strike. ground ALL components to a SINGLE ground point only, using bolts

 

[W5LZ]

If grounding the feed line is the only precaution, I agree with 'hookedon6', it just isn't very reliable. If you do that in addition to other good grounding things, it certainly won't hurt. At least it won't 'bite' you by accident.
As far as using coax as the ground lead, no real need. A sort of large conductor/cable will work just fine if not better. That 'large' cable will certainly handle more current than coax will, which is the whole point. This is one of those areas where "bigger is better" really is better (to some ridiculous extent). It's also one of those areas where it ain't never going to be 'perfect'.
- 'Doc

 

[6 Meters Rules]

If grounding the feed line is the only precaution, I agree with 'hookedon6', it just isn't very reliable. If you do that in addition to other good grounding things, it certainly won't hurt. At least it won't 'bite' you by accident.
As far as using coax as the ground lead, no real need. A sort of large conductor/cable will work just fine if not better. That 'large' cable will certainly handle more current than coax will, which is the whole point. This is one of those areas where "bigger is better" really is better (to some ridiculous extent). It's also one of those areas where it ain't never going to be 'perfect'.
- 'Doc

Mechanical Connection For Grounding Only NEC Code States this ,I use 8 Gauge Solid Minimum for Grounding & Directly too The Antenna's & Tower & I use More than 1 Ground Rod Everywhere & Space them @ least 6-10 feet apart !

 

[W5LZ]

That NEC is a very handy thing to have around, tells you all kinds of things that may not be readily apparent to the average person when dealing with electrical thingys. Nothing is ever going to completely protect you from lightning, but there are a lot of things that can certainly help. The NEC is one place to find those things. Just remember that it's the minimum requirements, not the maximum.
- 'Doc

 

[Robb]

What if a guy were to take a piece of say rg-8 coax and solder the shield to the center lead on one end which would be connected to a ground cable to earth and the other end soldered together with a pl-59 attached so as to connect the coax from the antenna to when a lightning storm approaches?
Would this be safer than having the coax just laying free inside the house?

On the Ham Tech exam, one of the questions was based on the lightning scenario. Having just taken these Tech/Gen tests, it is still pretty much in memory now.

The 'textbook way', is to disconnect all antenna cables and unplug all of your gear from AC power. As well as have a ground rod for each antenna, if I'm not mistaken. Solder will blow like a fuse and disconnect any grounding, so it may take another path. That is why bolts and clamps are used, as well as disconnecting everything from the outside environment. Lightning is an equal-opportunity killer of equipment and people. As a storm chaser and spotter for the NWS, I've been far too close to my share of it. As I am sure that you have if you have the concern for it as you do. Frankly, I would just disconnect the few cables and shove them all out. And reconnect thme after the storm passes. The tough part is if it should happen in the middle of the night, bu that is the way it goes!