Yes to the turns, but you can never provide complete protection, so , as James
said, use Polyphasers. When you compare the low cost of 3 of those per
transmission line (top of tower, bottom, and at your entrance panel), it is a
very small % of what I have seen for customers’ $ lightning damages, and
then sold the Polyphasers to them… “you can pay me now, or pay later”
Steve Davis, K1PEK DAVIS RF Co. DAVIS ROPE AND CABLE, LLC
Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 12:00 PM
1. Lightning protection (?) for Ameritron RCS-10 antenna switch
(Pete Smith N4ZR)
2. Lightning protection (?) for Ameritron RCS-10 antenna switch
(Rob Atkinson)
3. Re: Lightning protection (?) for Ameritron RCS-10 antenna
switch (J. Hunt)
4. Re: Lightning protection (?) for Ameritron RCS-10 antenna
switch (Floyd Rodgers)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2022 21:22:57 -0400
From: Pete Smith N4ZR <pete.n4zr@gmail.com>
To: TowerTalk <TowerTalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Lightning protection (?) for Ameritron RCS-10
antenna switch
Message-ID: <213888cb-3565-88b3-355d-8658e7de67c2@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
I just bought a new Ameritron RCS-10 to replace my old switch, which was
damaged by lightning.? In reading the instructions, I was struck by the
suggestion of making? 2 6" diameter turns in each coax line coming into
the relay box at the tower, no more than 3 feet from the switch itself,
what they call "lightning retarding loops."
I don't think I've ever seen this anywhere else, and wonder if there's
anything to it. It doesn't seem as if there would be enough inductance
in such loops to offer any degree of protection.
--
73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the new Reverse Beacon Network
web server at<https://reversebeacon.net>.
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2022 06:23:21 -0500
From: Rob Atkinson <ranchorobbo@gmail.com>
To: towertalk <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Lightning protection (?) for Ameritron RCS-10
antenna switch
Message-ID:
<CALWD7Z6CYnD+YXhHH6pqm2RZ++R4WbP20_VyNgmDJrv5pd+62w@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
It's a good thing to do. It won't fully protect but it will add some
X(L) in series with the strike RF. You frequently see a one turn
loop in the feed to an AM tower from the tuning house for the same
reason. By the way, it's also advisable to take excess power cord
length in your shack and wrap them into coil bundles for the same
reason. Making it harder to go one way means it's easier to go the
way you want it to, but you have to have an easier way like a low
resistance path directly to ground.
73
Rob
K5UJ
>I just bought a new Ameritron RCS-10 to replace my old switch, which was
>damaged by lightning. In reading the instructions, I was struck by the
>suggestion of making 2 6" diameter turns in each coax line coming into the
>>relay box at the tower, no more than 3 feet from the switch itself, what they
>call "lightning retarding loops."
>I don't think I've ever seen this anywhere else, and wonder if there's
>anything to it. It doesn't seem as if there would be enough inductance in such
>loops to offer any degree of protection.
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2022 12:05:28 +0000 (UTC)
From: "J. Hunt" <ki5dq@yahoo.com>
To: towertalk <towertalk@contesting.com>, Rob Atkinson
<ranchorobbo@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Lightning protection (?) for Ameritron RCS-10
antenna switch
Message-ID: <706956280.598971.1660997128111@mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Agreed.Applied the same approach here, along with Polyphasers.?
Cheers N 73,JamesKI5DQ
On Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 06:23:47 AM CDT, Rob Atkinson
<ranchorobbo@gmail.com> wrote:
It's a good thing to do.? It won't fully protect but it will add some
X(L) in series with the strike RF.? You frequently see a one turn
loop in the feed to an AM tower from the tuning house for the same
reason.? By the way, it's also advisable to take excess power cord
length in your shack and wrap them into coil bundles for the same
reason.? Making it harder to go one way means it's easier to go the
way you want it to, but you have to have an easier way like a low
resistance path directly to ground.
73
Rob
K5UJ
>I just bought a new Ameritron RCS-10 to replace my old switch, which was
>damaged by lightning.? In reading the instructions, I was struck by the
>suggestion of making? 2 6" diameter turns in each coax line coming into the
>>relay box at the tower, no more than 3 feet from the switch itself, what they
>call "lightning retarding loops."
>I don't think I've ever seen this anywhere else, and wonder if there's
>anything to it. It doesn't seem as if there would be enough inductance in such
>loops to offer any degree of protection.
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------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2022 15:24:53 +0000 (UTC)
From: Floyd Rodgers <kc5qbc@swbell.net>
To: TowerTalk <towertalk@contesting.com>, Pete Smith N4ZR
<pete.n4zr@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Lightning protection (?) for Ameritron RCS-10
antenna switch
Message-ID: <717824576.625235.1661009093884@mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Old timer trick, at least two turn coils on anything exposed to lightning.
Story was lightning does not make turns and will blow out and go to ground in
straight?line. Now thinking the quick hi voltage spike will not destroy
anything connected beyond?the coil would seem improbable.
On Friday, August 19, 2022 at 08:23:08 PM CDT, Pete Smith N4ZR
<pete.n4zr@gmail.com> wrote:
I just bought a new Ameritron RCS-10 to replace my old switch, which was
damaged by lightning.? In reading the instructions, I was struck by the
suggestion of making? 2 6" diameter turns in each coax line coming into
the relay box at the tower, no more than 3 feet from the switch itself,
what they call "lightning retarding loops."
I don't think I've ever seen this anywhere else, and wonder if there's
anything to it. It doesn't seem as if there would be enough inductance
in such loops to offer any degree of protection.
--
73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the new Reverse Beacon Network
web server at<https://reversebeacon.net>.
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.
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------------------------------
Subject: Digest Footer
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------------------------------
End of TowerTalk Digest, Vol 236, Issue 21
******************************************
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