The only safe thing to do is disconnect the antenna and ground from the
rigs. I've used a large knife swich to disconnect my ground but lately I've
just disconnected the rig's main coax from the AlphaDelta antenna switch. I
leave the antennas connected to the switch. My #8 ground wire is bolted to
the antenna switch and goes directly to the outdoor ground system. This
system keeps the static electricity bled off the antennas and eliminates
worries about the rig getting blasted.
Steve Ellington
N4LQ@insightbb.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Rippey" <w3uls@3n.net>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2005 10:13 PM
Subject: [TenTec] OT: Lightning and Grounds
> K4TAX wrote:
>
> "George, I do hope you have those driven grounds bonded to the AC mains
> ground and all other driven grounds around the property. Failure to do so
> will produce a step voltage between two different ground during a near-by
> lightning strike. Equipment connected between the two different grounds
> will then share the current flowing between the two different grounds.
> The
> result is that one can observe extensive equipment damage or worse."
>
> 1. I've often wondered what would happend with a lightning strike nearby
> and everything connected together (as at my QTH): coax feed line ground
> block; phone; AC main; AC outlet strip for radios; radios' bus bar ground.
> This may be dumb, but why would not the electrical charge from lightning
> come bounding into the shack via the common grounds? Disconnecting the
> antenna leads at the radios does not seem to be a protection since the
> radios' grounds are common with the outside grounds.
>
> 2. The local power company told me a couple of years ago that the code
> around here anyway no longer requires installation of a ground rod at the
> Main for a new house. What gives here?
>
> 73,
> John, W3ULS
>
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