"KE5MMJZ" wrote in message
...
As a new ham, I am considering erecting a tower for
my antenna(s). As part of my research, I've been
reading about lightning protection, and now feel
I have a fair understanding of what I need to do
in order to protect both my radio gear and my home.
However, the thought occurred to me that if I
ercted a tower it would probably increase the odds
of lightning striking either it or a nearby object,
and while my house might be protected (or at least
I would be the one choosing to take the risk), what
about the neighbors? Even if the strike would be
directly on my tower, from what I've read there
could be enough induced voltage/current to damage
the 'unprotected' appliances of my neighbors, and
they might blame me for their losses (or even if
it doesn't hit the tower, they may still see it
as the cause of a nearby strike).
Has anyone heard of any such cases or am I
just worrying about the highly improbable?

Thanks,
Frank
KE5MJZ


if the lightning is close enough to strike your tower, it was going to hit
in that general area anyway. your tower has no effect once you get up to
the heights where lightning starts... it can only effect that last little
jump to connect to the ground where the 'cone' or 'ball' of protection area
is commonly considered.