Question on grounding (at the rig) - longish.

[Chuck W4MIL]

In a message dated 7/12/2006 10:54:52 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
w4gbw at BELLSOUTH.NET writes:

Mel is  correct in that in most of the US you can get away with minimal 
lightning  protection and be relative safe.
But here in central Florida where I live  you had better protect your 
station to the max.  We have many violent  thunder storms every year.



As another Florida ham, I agree with Wayne on the severity of the  
thunderstorms here.  I'm on the coast and believe me we see our share of  lightning 
also.  I saw the local news yesterday on the house burning just  south of me.  
Brush fires are started almost daily from these storms.
 
There is a simple solution that I have used for years to protect not only  my 
house but my rigs, test bench, computers and the like.  It works 100% of  the 
time and the cost is almost nothing.
 
DISCONNECT YOUR RIGS, COMPUTERS, TEST GEAR, etc. from the AC line.
 
DISCONNECT your antennas from your rigs.............. I have a set of  
SO-239's in a weatherproof box on the OUTSIDE of my house where my inside  antenna 
wiring terminates.  The coax from the antennas is connected to  these SO-239's 
OUTSIDE the house.
 
When I'm away or when severe thunderstorms are forecast, I simply unplug  the 
AC and disconnect the antennas outside the house.  I use "spark gaps"  in the 
coax line to help bleed off static charges but would never rely on them  to 
do anything other than melt if a direct hit occured.
 
My "ground" is a safety ground for my equipment and is there primarily to  
protect ME in case something goes south in one of the rigs or power  supplies.  
 
RF ground is another subject but mine is designed and engineered to meet  the 
RF ground requirements..........not that of grounding in hopes of averting a  
lightning strike.  Since I keep all of it outside the house and connect and  
disconnect when required I like to think I'm doing the best I can for  
protection.
 
 As a former AM/FM broadcast engineer I've seen lightning do damages  beyond 
belief at commercial installations where every known practice of  grounding 
was in force.  If the lightning wants to get you badly  enough........you cannot 
stop it.  And stay off the golf courses in Florida  if a storm is approaching 
or even 50-60 miles distant.
 
Just another $0.02 worth on a very serious subject.
 
YMMV
 
73 de W4MIL
Chuck

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