For lightning protection, is it generally considered good practice to
install heavy-gauge copper wire jumpers across each junction point between
tower sections?

My guess is that the electrical connection between one tower section and
the next might be somewhat variable, especially if the tower sections
weren't new when the tower was assembled.

For lightning protection, is it generally considered good practice to
install heavy-gauge copper wire jumpers across each junction point
between tower sections?

My guess is that the electrical connection between one tower section
and the next might be somewhat variable, especially if the tower
sections weren't new when the tower was assembled.




No, it is not. Common commercial practice is to bond the base of each
tower to a good common copper earth ground system around the radio vault
structure... assuming the vault is close to the towers. ... otherwise,
additional grounding would be needed around the towers' bases.


Ed

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:04:27 +0000, Ed wrote:

For lightning protection, is it generally considered good practice to
install heavy-gauge copper wire jumpers across each junction point
between tower sections?

My guess is that the electrical connection between one tower section
and the next might be somewhat variable, especially if the tower
sections weren't new when the tower was assembled.




No, it is not. Common commercial practice is to bond the base of each
tower to a good common copper earth ground system around the radio vault
structure... assuming the vault is close to the towers. ... otherwise,
additional grounding would be needed around the towers' bases.


Ed

Excellent explaination of how to properly ground the base of your tower.
Too bad it doesnt address the question asked, which was the grounding
between tower segments.

--Teh

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:04:27 +0000, Ed wrote:

No, it is not. Common commercial practice is to bond the base of each
tower to a good common copper earth ground system around the radio vault
structure... assuming the vault is close to the towers. ... otherwise,
additional grounding would be needed around the towers' bases.

Good afternoon, Ed.

I am in the process of doing that, but my concern is that the second
through fifth tower sections may or may not have a decent electrical
connection to the first (lowest) tower section which is the one that's
grounded.

Rick (W-A-one-R-K-T) wrote:

...
My guess is that the electrical connection between one tower section and
the next might be somewhat variable, especially if the tower sections
weren't new when the tower was assembled.


Best case scenario? Might help.

Worst case scenario? Can't hurt.

That said, could a corrosion condition arise from the "bonding" of
dissimilar metals? Would "tinning" the copper wire with solder
slow/prevent this possibility? Perhaps another fix ...

Regards,
JS

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 14:00:08 -0400, Rick (W-A-one-R-K-T) wrote:

For lightning protection, is it generally considered good practice to
install heavy-gauge copper wire jumpers across each junction point
between tower sections?

My reading of the Polyphaser technical papers is that bonding between
sections is not done for many of the reasons already mentioned.

My guess is that the electrical connection between one tower section and
the next might be somewhat variable, especially if the tower sections
weren't new when the tower was assembled.

So long as the galvanized metal surfaces are clean when assembled, there
should be adequate bonding between the two.

73, de Nate

--

"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds,
the pessimist fears this is true."

LOTS of NEVERSEZE (bad spelling I know) will also IMHO help with
grouding and taking down the tower years later.



On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 06:35:21 -0500, Nate Bargmann
wrote:

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 14:00:08 -0400, Rick (W-A-one-R-K-T) wrote:

For lightning protection, is it generally considered good practice to
install heavy-gauge copper wire jumpers across each junction point
between tower sections?

My reading of the Polyphaser technical papers is that bonding between
sections is not done for many of the reasons already mentioned.

My guess is that the electrical connection between one tower section and
the next might be somewhat variable, especially if the tower sections
weren't new when the tower was assembled.

So long as the galvanized metal surfaces are clean when assembled, there
should be adequate bonding between the two.

73, de Nate

"Rick (W-A-one-R-K-T)" wrote in message
news

For lightning protection, is it generally considered good practice to
install heavy-gauge copper wire jumpers across each junction point between
tower sections?

My guess is that the electrical connection between one tower section and
the next might be somewhat variable, especially if the tower sections
weren't new when the tower was assembled.


If you are really serious about grounding the tower you can run copper
braided ground wire from an air terminal on top of the tower to a ground
system below but this is not normally done on amateur towers.

Jimmie