On 04 Apr 2007 19:50:45 GMT, KE5MMJZ wrote:

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

I'm just guessing but it would be tough to go into court and prove the
actions of a bolt of lightning that may or may not have been attracted
by your tower and then skipped to your neighbor's property and did
damage.

Where would the proof be on a bolt of lightning that lasted less than
a second and likely had no witnesses?

If your tower is up to spec on grounding paraphernalia, you ought to
be okay.

bob
k5qwg