Doug,
I am going to use your logic here. Let's review what you said in a past
post:
> Not true in my case. Before I installed the porcupine my mast bleed off
> the charge.
How do you know it bleed off "the charge"?
> A number of years ago I added the porcupine and my mast/porcupine combo
> still bleeds off the charge.
How do you know it "still bleeds off the charge"?
> In other words, my addition of the porcupine did not have a negative
> effect. In almost 30 years I have not had any lightning damage. One of
> my mottos is 'experience trumps theory EVERY time' and this is another
> example.
> Doug/VA5DX
Ok, since I installed my rabbit's foot on my tower I have not had any
lightning damage either and I don't claim it bleeds off any charge!
Would you say that my experience trumps any theory about a rabbit's foot
being the better protector?
73
Gary K4FMX
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Doug Renwick [mailto:ve5ra@sasktel.net]
> Sent: Sunday, July 09, 2006 10:00 PM
> To: 'Gary Schafer'; towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject: RE: [TowerTalk] Lightning Strike
>
> Thanks Gary for the information. Yes, I agree that Roger,
> K8RI is a creditable source and in many areas.
> However, I am still waiting for an answer to my question to
> your statement about knowing that your tower(s) have never
> been hit by lightning. How do you know? Do you have a
> lightning strike counter?
> By what means do you know?
>
> Doug/VA5DX
>
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Lightning Strike
>
> Doug,
>
> You do realize that my comments about the rabbit's foot
> protector are in
> jest to those that claim that the bleed off type systems are
> seen to add
> protection to a tower?
>
> My point is that my absurd claim is just as logical as the
> claims that
> installing bleed off devices prevents strikes. My proof that
> it works is the
> same.
> Many towers can go a life time and not take a hit. Many can
> take a hit and
> you never know it happened.
>
> Just installing pointy things on the tower and then making
> claims that "the
> tower hasn't been hit since installed" isn't very scientific
> evidence that
> the device does anything at all.
> That is why I say that I can install a rabbit's foot and
> make the same claim
> that is just as valid.
>
> If noted, the manufacturers of those "pointy things" all
> recommend an
> elaborate ground system also be installed.
> Would it surprise anyone that installing the elaborate
> ground system without
> the "pointy things" accomplishes the same thing, less damage
> from lightning!
> NASSA, the FAA and many others with credibility have done
> those tests and
> concluded that they offer nothing.
>
> If anyone wants to really know if they take strikes on their
> tower
> Polyphaser makes a device they call a "lightning strike
> counter". It
> attaches to the tower with a wire several feet in length
> between two points
> over a short length of the tower. When a strike occurs there
> is a voltage
> drop across the tower section due to the high current being
> conducted by it
> and that voltage is rectified and trips a little counter.
> You can tell how
> many times the tower gets hit.
> They are easily made with a couple of gas tubes and a
> veeder-root counter.
>
> As to taking a direct strike and not sustaining any damage,
> it happens all
> the time on many towers. Even some very large strikes occur
> that are safely
> conducted to ground provided a good ground system is
> installed.
> Most strikes are small in reference to the rather rare mega
> strikes.
> Often the strike will leave small pock marks where it hit.
> Sometimes they
> are rather large marks.
> Roger, K8RI can give you some first hand data on direct
> strikes and
> surviving with no damage.
>
> 73
> Gary K4FMX
>
>
>
> --
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