Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

[TowerTalk] TowerTalk] Single point ground

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] TowerTalk] Single point ground
From: Roger Parsons <ve3zi@yahoo.com>
Reply-to: ve3zi@rac.ca
Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:49:17 -0800 (PST)
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
I think the definition of 'single point' can be a little tighter than it may 
appear:

My remote station is at a former AM broadcast tower - so that is very well 
grounded indeed. I also have an APRS digi on the tower (antenna at 260' on a 
325' tower). The coax comes down the tower and through a surge suppressor where 
it enters the hut. The AC feed is underground for about 500' and is grounded to 
the tower ground at the service panel though wide copper strap. There is about 
10' of cable between the service panel and the outlets for the APRS digi and 
TNC power supplies. A month or two back there must have been a lightning strike 
on the tower - I found that the digi and TNC power supply transformers had been 
destroyed - the fuses had clearly blown very forcefully. The radio and TNC, as 
well as all of the remote station equipment, were totally unharmed. 

I can only assume that that 10' of power cable was too much and allowed a large 
potential between that and the antenna cable. Either that, or the power company 
found a way to put DC on the AC line!

73 Roger
VE3ZI




      
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
  • [TowerTalk] TowerTalk] Single point ground, Roger Parsons <=