Hi gang,
Back in the June 1985 issue of Ham Radio Magazine, I wrote an article on
"Protecting Equipment". While primarily aimed at VHF/UHF, many techniques
shown are useable on HF as well. The coil of coax was shown.
Another interesting and simple scheme is also shown, namely the placing of
a 5 foot long (or so) piece of conduit over RG-8 type coax. It acts like a
high impedance to lightning but otherwise no affect on the operation. check
it out.
73,
Joe, W1JR
>Hi Donald and anyone else interested,
>
>Donald said:
>
>> For years I have added a coil of two or three
>> windings about 20" to any coax that comes into
>> the shack. I bare the coax outer covering above
>> the balun spot to expose the braid on the outer
>> lead. Then I run a soldered a connection from
>> the braid directly to ground STRAIGHT DOWN.
>
>There are many methods of protecting your gear from lightning.
>Usually the correct and most reliable methods are just not feasible
>if you live typical residential house or apartment. You need to pull
>little tricks. Some work quite well actually. A few turns of coax
>outside makes a nice choke. Grounding the braid as Donald described
>should work just fine. Sure, not as fancy as a commercial entrance
>panel and following every step in the Poly-Phaser manual, but better
>then just running the coax straight in.
>
>That reminds me of the time I visited a dumpy old shack that was
>being used for commercial two-way stuff. This place was so dumpy
>that they even had plastic tarps over the radios to keep the
>rainwater that leaked through the roof from getting in the rigs. A
>few turns outside in the coax, and the AC line cord had a big ugly
>knot tied in it. I asked the "tech" about the knot and he told me it
>was for lightning protection. He claimed he had replaced several
>completely blasted apart line cords, but the radios survived in fine
>shape. I had to just shake my head, but then, it probably worked.
>Either that or the tech was pulling my leg.
>
>73 Jim K7SLI
>
>
>It
>> doesn't seem to make signals any worse, and it
>> may have even helped some. One thing, I've
>> never have lightning come into the shack.
>>
>> I am curious if anyone else does the same thing,
>> and what results they have had.
>>
>> tnx es 73 de n8csp
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
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