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About lightning etc...
I had the new GPA behind the house up last week....
To make sure I had the best SWR and best signal, I use thick coax, and left out the coupling piece I had that I used to disconnect in case lighting was expected. The weather report was good, with a drop of rain, and the sky was clear.... I went to sleep. At 3.25 last night I woke up because of an incredible flash and BANG. Thought "have to buy new gear now, pity..." hehe). LOL But nothing was smoking, counted seconds between flashes (more now), it was overhead alright. But my neighbor (50 meters away) has a higher mast. Anyway, it started raining, usually there is enough conductive path then for it not no strike, I went outside in pyamas, waited for a flash, (clouds take time to charge up again) and cut the coax, folded it back, so there was some meters separation. Went to bed again, noticed I was wet... Just now I put some connecters and a coupling piece, so that is fixed. So, anyways the sky is clear and the sun shines, and the SWR is slightly better now... But now I am thinking 'lightning detector', I know these exist, was it not a simple ferrite rod with a detector (for low frequencies)? Does anyone here use these? Good diagrams? I should google anyways.... Anyways I made some other changes too, I am now running the set from a 12 Ah 12V gel battery, It is charged continously with an AC/DC adapter, no large power supplies needed. and I can use things when electricity fails, say in case of flooding. _________________________________________ Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server More than 140,000 groups Unlimited download http://www.usenetzone.com to open account |
Jan Panteltje wrote:
I had the new GPA behind the house up last week.... To make sure I had the best SWR and best signal, I use thick coax, and left out the coupling piece I had that I used to disconnect in case lighting was expected. The weather report was good, with a drop of rain, and the sky was clear.... I went to sleep. At 3.25 last night I woke up because of an incredible flash and BANG. Thought "have to buy new gear now, pity..." hehe). LOL But nothing was smoking, counted seconds between flashes (more now), it was overhead alright. But my neighbor (50 meters away) has a higher mast. Anyway, it started raining, usually there is enough conductive path then for it not no strike, I went outside in pyamas, waited for a flash, (clouds take time to charge up again) and cut the coax, folded it back, so there was some meters separation. Went to bed again, noticed I was wet... Just now I put some connecters and a coupling piece, so that is fixed. So, anyways the sky is clear and the sun shines, and the SWR is slightly better now... But now I am thinking 'lightning detector', I know these exist, was it not a simple ferrite rod with a detector (for low frequencies)? Does anyone here use these? Good diagrams? I should google anyways.... Anyways I made some other changes too, I am now running the set from a 12 Ah 12V gel battery, It is charged continously with an AC/DC adapter, no large power supplies needed. and I can use things when electricity fails, say in case of flooding. _________________________________________ Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server More than 140,000 groups Unlimited download http://www.usenetzone.com to open account all the work to set up a station and no lightning protection scheme? there are many ways to protect the equipment including gas discharge kit. any surge protection on the ac input? |
On a sunny day (Mon, 26 Sep 2005 19:41:07 -0400) it happened jim
wrote in : all the work to set up a station and no lightning protection scheme? there are many ways to protect the equipment including gas discharge kit. any surge protection on the ac input? mmm maybe the situation is different here. And I do no see how I could make 100% lightning protection, neither against EMP in case of a nuke attack. As lighting is on average rather rare... I found some diagrams of lightning detectors using google. There seem to be basically 2 types, one with tuned antenna, and the other with not tuned antenna. The second would always trigger if anybody here in the area (I am surrounded by CB fans) presses transmit.... So, last night I wound 500 turns of wire on an old ferrite rod, tuned it with 100pF, then with 100nF. I have this old helium neon laser supply, if you remove the laser (it was kaput anyways), it makes great arcs. Used oscilloscope to measure signals... and resonance of the ferrite coil + cap. So I can tune it from 3kHz to about 50 kHz. Later I will look at what sort of pre-amp and pulse detector I will use, it is small can go in a plastic box, and should trigger some beep that alerts me. That said, I left the little radio LW receiver I have on at about 163 kHz, and feeding that into the PC for signal processing would also work. So much for electronics. Problem with lightning *protection* is (and I have worked with HV power stuff) it will easily jump over whatever you make.. we used to play with 100kV in the lab.... better to prevent it getting in the house in the first place by disconnecting antennas. My view anyways, cheap better solutions show me! Those so called mains surge protectors you plug in the wall for the computer are not worth the cost of box they come in. I have one, opened it, it has 2 pins. some mm apart, that are supposed to function as a spark gap. In series with that is a VDR (voltage dependent resistor). That crap will evaporate .... You will have several kV on ground and neutral in case of a real hit.... And good thing, mains is here where I am all underground cable, so nothing to worry about. US is different I know, transformers with wiring on poles outside... At most you can expect a power failure, when I run on gel battery I am free of mains (but set is connected to PC for for example packet, voice control, recording, headset... so once lightning DID make it on the mains it would all evaporate). I have seen TV PCBs (used to have a TV repair shop) with all tracks evaporated because of lightning strike. YMMV |
"jim" wrote in message ... Jan Panteltje wrote: I had the new GPA behind the house up last week.... To make sure I had the best SWR and best signal, I use thick coax, and left out the coupling piece I had that I used to disconnect in case lighting was expected. The weather report was good, with a drop of rain, and the sky was clear.... I went to sleep. At 3.25 last night I woke up because of an incredible flash and BANG. Thought "have to buy new gear now, pity..." hehe). LOL But nothing was smoking, counted seconds between flashes (more now), it was overhead alright. But my neighbor (50 meters away) has a higher mast. Anyway, it started raining, usually there is enough conductive path then for it not no strike, I went outside in pyamas, waited for a flash, (clouds take time to charge up again) and cut the coax, folded it back, so there was some meters separation. Went to bed again, noticed I was wet... Just now I put some connecters and a coupling piece, so that is fixed. So, anyways the sky is clear and the sun shines, and the SWR is slightly better now... But now I am thinking 'lightning detector', I know these exist, was it not a simple ferrite rod with a detector (for low frequencies)? Does anyone here use these? Good diagrams? I should google anyways.... Anyways I made some other changes too, I am now running the set from a 12 Ah 12V gel battery, It is charged continously with an AC/DC adapter, no large power supplies needed. and I can use things when electricity fails, say in case of flooding. _________________________________________ Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server More than 140,000 groups Unlimited download http://www.usenetzone.com to open account all the work to set up a station and no lightning protection scheme? there are many ways to protect the equipment including gas discharge kit. any surge protection on the ac input? Nothing that would be worth buying to protect a CB rig will stop a direct strike. A direct strike will vaporize a gas discharge kit on its way to your radio. But then if you want to spend a few thousand dollars you can get direct-strike protection. Kevin, WB5RUE ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
About lightning etc...
"Kevin Muenzler, WB5RUE" wrote in message ... "jim" wrote in message ... Jan Panteltje wrote: I had the new GPA behind the house up last week.... To make sure I had the best SWR and best signal, I use thick coax, and left out the coupling piece I had that I used to disconnect in case lighting was expected. The weather report was good, with a drop of rain, and the sky was clear.... I went to sleep. At 3.25 last night I woke up because of an incredible flash and BANG. Thought "have to buy new gear now, pity..." hehe). LOL But nothing was smoking, counted seconds between flashes (more now), it was overhead alright. But my neighbor (50 meters away) has a higher mast. Anyway, it started raining, usually there is enough conductive path then for it not no strike, I went outside in pyamas, waited for a flash, (clouds take time to charge up again) and cut the coax, folded it back, so there was some meters separation. Went to bed again, noticed I was wet... Just now I put some connecters and a coupling piece, so that is fixed. So, anyways the sky is clear and the sun shines, and the SWR is slightly better now... But now I am thinking 'lightning detector', I know these exist, was it not a simple ferrite rod with a detector (for low frequencies)? Does anyone here use these? Good diagrams? I should google anyways.... Anyways I made some other changes too, I am now running the set from a 12 Ah 12V gel battery, It is charged continously with an AC/DC adapter, no large power supplies needed. and I can use things when electricity fails, say in case of flooding. PolyPhasers do work They have done a good job of protecting all the broadcast equipment I have installed over the years and they have protected many ham and CB rigs also. http://www.polyphaser.com/kommerce_p...px?class=M0044 Chad |
About lightning etc...
On a sunny day (Wed, 28 Sep 2005 10:07:43 -0500) it happened "Chad Wahls"
wrote in : yPhasers do work They have done a good job of protecting all the broadcast equipment I have installed over the years and they have protected many ham and CB rigs also. http://www.polyphaser.com/kommerce_p...px?class=M0044 Chad Hi Chad, thank you! lots of info on that site. I just did read this: http://www.polyphaser.com/ppc_TD1016.aspx and it gives me some good ideas how to do things. |
About lightning etc...
On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 10:07:43 -0500, "Chad Wahls"
wrote in : "Kevin Muenzler, WB5RUE" wrote in message ... "jim" wrote in message ... Jan Panteltje wrote: I had the new GPA behind the house up last week.... To make sure I had the best SWR and best signal, I use thick coax, and left out the coupling piece I had that I used to disconnect in case lighting was expected. The weather report was good, with a drop of rain, and the sky was clear.... I went to sleep. At 3.25 last night I woke up because of an incredible flash and BANG. Thought "have to buy new gear now, pity..." hehe). LOL But nothing was smoking, counted seconds between flashes (more now), it was overhead alright. But my neighbor (50 meters away) has a higher mast. Anyway, it started raining, usually there is enough conductive path then for it not no strike, I went outside in pyamas, waited for a flash, (clouds take time to charge up again) and cut the coax, folded it back, so there was some meters separation. Went to bed again, noticed I was wet... Just now I put some connecters and a coupling piece, so that is fixed. So, anyways the sky is clear and the sun shines, and the SWR is slightly better now... But now I am thinking 'lightning detector', I know these exist, was it not a simple ferrite rod with a detector (for low frequencies)? Does anyone here use these? Good diagrams? I should google anyways.... Anyways I made some other changes too, I am now running the set from a 12 Ah 12V gel battery, It is charged continously with an AC/DC adapter, no large power supplies needed. and I can use things when electricity fails, say in case of flooding. PolyPhasers do work They have done a good job of protecting all the broadcast equipment I have installed over the years and they have protected many ham and CB rigs also. http://www.polyphaser.com/kommerce_p...px?class=M0044 Chad They work ok to protect against static buildup and nearby strikes, but they can't be trusted to isolate your system from a direct hit. I have a couple of these units in my 'blooper box' (failed parts bin). One is blown in half and the other is melted. Unless you have a grounded broadcast tower with a large radial field, the only reliable protection against a direct strike is to disconnect. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
About lightning etc...
Frank Gilliland wrote:
I have a couple of these units in my 'blooper box' (failed parts bin). One is blown in half and the other is melted. Hi Frank. Begs the question what the hell are you saving that toasted plastic for, you pack-rat? :p |
About lightning etc...
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About lightning etc...
On 28 Sep 2005 22:39:50 GMT, Steveo wrote:
+Frank Gilliland wrote: + I have + a couple of these units in my 'blooper box' (failed parts bin). One is + blown in half and the other is melted. + +Hi Frank. + +Begs the question what the hell are you saving that toasted plastic for, +you pack-rat? :p **** It would probably make a nice conversation piece. You ougt to see what lightning does to a commercial FM antenna. One of the elements was just a nub of molten copper. james |
About lightning etc...
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About lightning etc...
On a sunny day (Wed, 28 Sep 2005 22:47:27 GMT) it happened james
wrote in : +Hi Frank. + +Begs the question what the hell are you saving that toasted plastic for, +you pack-rat? :p **** It would probably make a nice conversation piece. You ougt to see what lightning does to a commercial FM antenna. One of the elements was just a nub of molten copper. That reminds me... of a fireball! I had just placed a FM antenna (simple dipole, year was 1961 or 1962 or there about) on our common roof (flat roof) for a neighbor. I went to my place at the other side of the building, and it started thundering and raining. Went back and told him to disconnect that antenna. When to my room, and had the window open, trees in front of the house, first floor, fascinating that lightning... A flash, bang.. nothing. Then a moment later this big round ball, dimly lighting up, maybe 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter slowly lowered itself in front of my window. No heat radiated from it... It then hung perfectly still for a moment. For a moment I had this fear that it would enter the room.... then it slowly sank out of view and I heard a loud bang. Next morning me and the downstairs neighbor went to look at the remains of his radio antenna he had tied between 2 trees. Only the ends of the copper wire were still around the trees. Good thing he had disconnected too. Now do we deduce from this that erecting an antenna draws lighting effects? The FM antenna was still OK, how a ball lightning is created nobody seems to know for sure. But I have seen one! Beautiful! Mysterious too... Almost like there was awareness in it.... |
About lightning etc...
"Frank Gilliland" wrote in message ... On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 10:07:43 -0500, "Chad Wahls" wrote in : "Kevin Muenzler, WB5RUE" wrote in message ... "jim" wrote in message ... Jan Panteltje wrote: I had the new GPA behind the house up last week.... To make sure I had the best SWR and best signal, I use thick coax, and left out the coupling piece I had that I used to disconnect in case lighting was expected. The weather report was good, with a drop of rain, and the sky was clear.... I went to sleep. At 3.25 last night I woke up because of an incredible flash and BANG. Thought "have to buy new gear now, pity..." hehe). LOL But nothing was smoking, counted seconds between flashes (more now), it was overhead alright. But my neighbor (50 meters away) has a higher mast. Anyway, it started raining, usually there is enough conductive path then for it not no strike, I went outside in pyamas, waited for a flash, (clouds take time to charge up again) and cut the coax, folded it back, so there was some meters separation. Went to bed again, noticed I was wet... Just now I put some connecters and a coupling piece, so that is fixed. So, anyways the sky is clear and the sun shines, and the SWR is slightly better now... But now I am thinking 'lightning detector', I know these exist, was it not a simple ferrite rod with a detector (for low frequencies)? Does anyone here use these? Good diagrams? I should google anyways.... Anyways I made some other changes too, I am now running the set from a 12 Ah 12V gel battery, It is charged continously with an AC/DC adapter, no large power supplies needed. and I can use things when electricity fails, say in case of flooding. PolyPhasers do work They have done a good job of protecting all the broadcast equipment I have installed over the years and they have protected many ham and CB rigs also. http://www.polyphaser.com/kommerce_p...px?class=M0044 Chad They work ok to protect against static buildup and nearby strikes, but they can't be trusted to isolate your system from a direct hit. I have a couple of these units in my 'blooper box' (failed parts bin). One is blown in half and the other is melted. And the equipment connected? did it survive? I suffered a direct hit that made my Imax look like flaked rice all over the back yard, gear was up and running and suffered no loss. |
About lightning etc...
"Jan Panteltje" wrote in message news:1127995252.258b64b688137be451b5886a887f3197@t eranews... On a sunny day (Wed, 28 Sep 2005 22:47:27 GMT) it happened james wrote in : +Hi Frank. + +Begs the question what the hell are you saving that toasted plastic for, +you pack-rat? :p **** It would probably make a nice conversation piece. You ougt to see what lightning does to a commercial FM antenna. One of the elements was just a nub of molten copper. That reminds me... of a fireball! I had just placed a FM antenna (simple dipole, year was 1961 or 1962 or there about) on our common roof (flat roof) for a neighbor. I went to my place at the other side of the building, and it started thundering and raining. Went back and told him to disconnect that antenna. When to my room, and had the window open, trees in front of the house, first floor, fascinating that lightning... A flash, bang.. nothing. Then a moment later this big round ball, dimly lighting up, maybe 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter slowly lowered itself in front of my window. No heat radiated from it... It then hung perfectly still for a moment. For a moment I had this fear that it would enter the room.... then it slowly sank out of view and I heard a loud bang. Next morning me and the downstairs neighbor went to look at the remains of his radio antenna he had tied between 2 trees. Only the ends of the copper wire were still around the trees. Good thing he had disconnected too. Now do we deduce from this that erecting an antenna draws lighting effects? The FM antenna was still OK, how a ball lightning is created nobody seems to know for sure. But I have seen one! Beautiful! Mysterious too... Almost like there was awareness in it.... It is VERY cool I have seen it too and thinking about it makes my hair prickly! Chad |
About lightning etc...
"I AmnotGeorgeBush" wrote in message ... From: (Chad Wahls) PolyPhasers do work Maybe they do,,,against surges and buildups and the like. I found nothing claiming they protect against a direct strike of lightning.. They have done a good job of protecting all the broadcast equipment I have installed over the years Yea, protected from surges, buildups, etc. These products can work great for "nearby" zaps etc., but not a direct strike. and they have protected many ham and CB rigs also. Not from a direct strike they didn't. Protection that is supposed to shunt sometimes fail because of the reaction time. Other times the entire unit fries. I have yet to see a single product on the market that claims their product will offer total protection against a direct strike of lightning. Companies will make claims like their product is the best, or the latest technology or the most affordable ot offers the most protection, but none offer complete. http://www.polyphaser.com/kommerce_produc tdata.aspx?class=M0044 Chad Play it safe. Disconnect during the storm. It's the best advice for the average hammie/cb'er. Yes, I will contact my station manager and let them know I will be Disconnecting the EAS transmitter, marti's and all 3 station feeds next time a storm is approaching. NO LOSSES means NO LOSSES, no telemetry losses, remote losses, STL losses, period, phone or coax. It's not IF this tower gets hit during a storm it's how many times it gets hit. This is the broadcast industry we are talking about, we don't go of f the air and slam a 4" chunk of hardline in a mason jar. They DO work this is a 500' tower in the middle of glass-flat central Illinois! Get a 'Phasor and ground right and your gear will survive. Chad |
About lightning etc...
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About lightning etc...
You saw the green flash! No, just kidding!
I have seen a similar example. Flash right through the house in a horizontal line many years ago at the same time as a direct strike, but the ball did not hang around at all. It shot from one end to the other and disappeared..and this was INSIDE. |
About lightning etc...
From: (Chad*Wahls)
"I AmnotGeorgeBush" wrote in message ... From: (Chad Wahls) PolyPhasers do work Maybe they do,,,against surges and buildups and the like. I found nothing claiming they protect against a direct strike of lightning.. They have done a good job of protecting all the broadcast equipment I have installed over the years Yea, protected from surges, buildups, etc. These products can work great for "nearby" zaps etc., but not a direct strike. and they have protected many ham and CB rigs also. Not from a direct strike they didn't. Protection that is supposed to shunt sometimes fail because of the reaction time. Other times the entire unit fries. I have yet to see a single product on the market that claims their product will offer total protection against a direct strike of lightning. Companies will make claims like their product is the best, or the latest technology or the most affordable ot offers the most protection, but none offer complete. http://www.polyphaser.com/kommerce_produc tdata.aspx?class=M0044 Chad Play it safe. Disconnect during the storm. It's the best advice for the average hammie/cb'er. Yes, I will contact my station manager and let them know I will be Disconnecting the EAS transmitter, marti's and all 3 station feeds next time a storm is approaching. That would be the way to go if your station manager's station is comprised of average hammies, cb'ers and they're equipment as specifically mentioned above. NO LOSSES means NO LOSSES, no telemetry losses, remote losses, STL losses, period, phone or coax. It's not IF this tower gets hit during a storm it's how many times it gets hit. I live in the lightning capital of the world. Show me where the products you use offer a guaranteed replacement of all damaged components if your prodcut should fail. You won't find it because they can't accomplish complete protection. However, you WILL find such guarantees against surges by MANY products,,but no guarantees against lighting strikes. This is the broadcast industry we are talking about, we don't go of f the air and slam a 4" chunk of hardline in a mason jar. Which is why I reiterated for the "average" cb'er or hammie.. They DO work this is a 500' tower in the middle of glass-flat central Illinois! Get a 'Phasor and ground right and your gear will survive. Chad Well, heck..that's easy as hell to check. The bay area gets strikes every day even on sunshine days, but you will be hard pressed to find someone willing to accept the word of a product that offers no replacement guarantee. Since there is no guarantee, what incentive is there to leave your tuff connected during a storm? Zero. Play it safe. Disconnect your hammie/cb radio gear. |
About lightning etc...
On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 09:23:59 -0500, "Chad Wahls"
wrote in : snip http://www.polyphaser.com/kommerce_p...px?class=M0044 Chad They work ok to protect against static buildup and nearby strikes, but they can't be trusted to isolate your system from a direct hit. I have a couple of these units in my 'blooper box' (failed parts bin). One is blown in half and the other is melted. And the equipment connected? did it survive? Nope. I suffered a direct hit that made my Imax look like flaked rice all over the back yard, gear was up and running and suffered no loss. You were very, very lucky. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
About lightning etc...
I AmnotGeorgeBush wrote:
You saw the green flash! No, just kidding! I have seen a similar example. Flash right through the house in a horizontal line many years ago at the same time as a direct strike, but the ball did not hang around at all. It shot from one end to the other and disappeared..and this was INSIDE. It's been a long time. Nobody believed me when I told them about the ball lightning the first time. I was only eight or nine. In the early eighties, I watched a huge storm on July 4 in the west in Indiana. I saw three large balls of lightning travel parellel to the ground from cloud to cloud. It was far away. No telling just how big they were. I also saw lightning dance along a wire fence of the hog lot. It was always a real show to watch the summer storms off over the edge of the mountain and listen to the thunder and the rain on a tin roof. You can't keep awake for long. What a sweet lullabye. |
About lightning etc...
"Jan Panteltje" wrote in message news:1127926193.6d66811f87a46474e518cebaf7e7d146@t eranews... On a sunny day (Wed, 28 Sep 2005 10:07:43 -0500) it happened "Chad Wahls" wrote in : yPhasers do work They have done a good job of protecting all the broadcast equipment I have installed over the years and they have protected many ham and CB rigs also. http://www.polyphaser.com/kommerce_p...px?class=M0044 Chad Hi Chad, thank you! lots of info on that site. I just did read this: http://www.polyphaser.com/ppc_TD1016.aspx and it gives me some good ideas how to do things. A direct strike will vaporize that little box. Not to dis polyphaser, they make some excellent products all up and down the line but those discharge tubes WILL NOT protect against a direct strike. NONE, NADA. Kevin, WB5RUE ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
About lightning etc...
On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2005 15:26:20 -0500) it happened "Kevin, WB5RUE"
wrote in : I just did read this: http://www.polyphaser.com/ppc_TD1016.aspx and it gives me some good ideas how to do things. A direct strike will vaporize that little box. Not to dis polyphaser, they make some excellent products all up and down the line but those discharge tubes WILL NOT protect against a direct strike. NONE, NADA. Kevin, WB5RUE I am aware of that Kevin, but it has some great ideas how to make good earth at the mast, and also it reminded me to somehow connect the coax screen to the mast, now it is isolated. Probably the GPA base will flash over, but better if the electrons go to ground then if these go down the coax (outside) even if it is disconnected. There are some other good suggestions on that site too... In any case I will try to get my lightning detector working, and disconnect if it detects anything. As for the lightning detection electronics - I am now planning on the tuned ferrite rod, followed by a FET then by a PIC microcontroller... the small ones I have can replace a LOT of logic for pulse detection and processing, and have a comparator build in to detect precise voltage levels. PIC12F629 I have here a box full of... The advantage is that I can re-program the thing once I get a better idea what the lighting signals look like (so less false alarm). The price of these PICs is about a dollar :-) Only 8 pins DIL, internal oscillator, few micro amps power, hardly any other components needed, except for a beeper of sorts as alarm. |
About lightning etc...
"Jan Panteltje" wrote in message news:1128121187.cd7b4cc1bdd8545b9d41c7ec94da4169@t eranews... On a sunny day (Fri, 30 Sep 2005 15:26:20 -0500) it happened "Kevin, WB5RUE" wrote in : I just did read this: http://www.polyphaser.com/ppc_TD1016.aspx and it gives me some good ideas how to do things. A direct strike will vaporize that little box. Not to dis polyphaser, they make some excellent products all up and down the line but those discharge tubes WILL NOT protect against a direct strike. NONE, NADA. Kevin, WB5RUE I am aware of that Kevin, but it has some great ideas how to make good earth at the mast, and also it reminded me to somehow connect the coax screen to the mast, now it is isolated. Probably the GPA base will flash over, but better if the electrons go to ground then if these go down the coax (outside) even if it is disconnected. There are some other good suggestions on that site too... In any case I will try to get my lightning detector working, and disconnect if it detects anything. As for the lightning detection electronics - I am now planning on the tuned ferrite rod, followed by a FET then by a PIC microcontroller... the small ones I have can replace a LOT of logic for pulse detection and processing, and have a comparator build in to detect precise voltage levels. PIC12F629 I have here a box full of... The advantage is that I can re-program the thing once I get a better idea what the lighting signals look like (so less false alarm). The price of these PICs is about a dollar :-) Only 8 pins DIL, internal oscillator, few micro amps power, hardly any other components needed, except for a beeper of sorts as alarm. It doesn't matter really how good your ground system is. If your antenna takes a direct strike and 99.999% of the energy goes into the ground you will still get several thousand volts (or hundreds of thousands of volts) coming down your coax. Unless you are willing to spend thousands of dollars on an active lightning protection system your only protection is to disconnect. Kevin, WB5RUE ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
Quote:
well this is just my poormans attempt to protect my equipment Cheers BTM |
About lightning etc...
"BTM" wrote in message ... Kevin Muenzler, WB5RUE Wrote: "jim" wrote in message ...- Jan Panteltje wrote: - I had the new GPA behind the house up last week.... To make sure I had the best SWR and best signal, I use thick coax, and left out the coupling piece I had that I used to disconnect in case lighting was expected. The weather report was good, with a drop of rain, and the sky was-- clear....-- I went to sleep. At 3.25 last night I woke up because of an incredible flash and BANG. Thought "have to buy new gear now, pity..." hehe). LOL But nothing was smoking, counted seconds between flashes (more now), it was overhead alright. But my neighbor (50 meters away) has a higher mast. Anyway, it started raining, usually there is enough conductive path then for it not no strike, I went outside in pyamas, waited for a flash, (clouds take time to charge up again) and cut the coax, folded it back, so there was some meters separation. Went to bed again, noticed I was wet... Just now I put some connecters and a coupling piece, so that is fixed. So, anyways the sky is clear and the sun shines, and the SWR is slightly better now... But now I am thinking 'lightning detector', I know these exist, was it-- not-- a simple ferrite rod with a detector (for low frequencies)? Does anyone here use these? Good diagrams? I should google anyways.... Anyways I made some other changes too, I am now running the set from a-- 12 Ah-- 12V gel battery, It is charged continously with an AC/DC adapter, no large power supplies-- needed.-- and I can use things when electricity fails, say in case of flooding. _________________________________________ Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server More than 140,000 groups Unlimited download http://www.usenetzone.com to open account- all the work to set up a station and no lightning protection scheme? there are many ways to protect the equipment including gas discharge kit. any surge protection on the ac input?- Nothing that would be worth buying to protect a CB rig will stop a direct strike. A direct strike will vaporize a gas discharge kit on its way to your radio. But then if you want to spend a few thousand dollars you can get direct-strike protection. Kevin, WB5RUE ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- I know nothing really will stop a direct strike but the more 90 degree turns you can make with you coax before entry the better! lightning doesnt like 90 degree angles, also i bring my coax all the way to the ground with a gas discharge unit at its lowest point then 90 back up to entry,most likely a drop in the bucket but ive never been wiped out. I also have 15 or so ground rods spread every 4 ft connected with stranded bare #6 then i covered it with dirt most of this is for field ground but field ground should be bonded to antenna ground always and is in my case, also bond them to your service ground,i also run my equipment off of battery backup units with avr and really nice surge clamping characteristics UPC and Cyberpower make nice units that stops that third order harmonic feedback wipe out thru your power in case of a strike well this is just my poormans attempt to protect my equipment Cheers BTM Yeah, and Santa Claus ate the cookies too. Lightning will take whatever path is there no matter how complex. It will go right through your gas discharge and Cyberpower UPS. Remember this spark has just traveled several miles to get to you. A few inches of gas or plastic isn't even going to slow it down. Kevin, WB5RUE ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
About lightning etc...
//snip//
I know nothing really will stop a direct strike but the more 90 degree turns you can make with you coax before entry the better! lightning doesnt like 90 degree angles, also i bring my coax all the way to the ground with a gas discharge unit at its lowest point then 90 back up to entry,most likely a drop in the bucket but ive never been wiped out. I also have 15 or so ground rods spread every 4 ft connected with stranded bare #6 then i covered it with dirt most of this is for field ground but field ground should be bonded to antenna ground always and is in my case, also bond them to your service ground,i also run my equipment off of battery backup units with avr and really nice surge clamping characteristics UPC and Cyberpower make nice units that stops that third order harmonic feedback wipe out thru your power in case of a strike well this is just my poormans attempt to protect my equipment Cheers BTM Yeah, and Santa Claus ate the cookies too. Lightning will take whatever path is there no matter how complex. It will go right through your gas discharge and Cyberpower UPS. Remember this spark has just traveled several miles to get to you. A few inches of gas or plastic isn't even going to slow it down. Kevin, WB5RUE I completely agree with Kevin. The only benefit these extra gadgets have is if there is a close strike and it helps to reject stray voltage from the bolt. Ive had two TV sets go down due to this, you can tell the difference... the stray voltage from a bolt of lightning will pop components on a board... a direct hit will make it explode... The only way to protect your equipment is to disconnect it AND either move the co-ax away or the radio itself. It doesnt help much disconnecting it and leaving it an inch from the radio. Regards, Graham |
About lightning etc...
"The Magnum" wrote in message ... //snip// I know nothing really will stop a direct strike but the more 90 degree turns you can make with you coax before entry the better! lightning doesnt like 90 degree angles, also i bring my coax all the way to the ground with a gas discharge unit at its lowest point then 90 back up to entry,most likely a drop in the bucket but ive never been wiped out. I also have 15 or so ground rods spread every 4 ft connected with stranded bare #6 then i covered it with dirt most of this is for field ground but field ground should be bonded to antenna ground always and is in my case, also bond them to your service ground,i also run my equipment off of battery backup units with avr and really nice surge clamping characteristics UPC and Cyberpower make nice units that stops that third order harmonic feedback wipe out thru your power in case of a strike well this is just my poormans attempt to protect my equipment Cheers BTM Yeah, and Santa Claus ate the cookies too. Lightning will take whatever path is there no matter how complex. It will go right through your gas discharge and Cyberpower UPS. Remember this spark has just traveled several miles to get to you. A few inches of gas or plastic isn't even going to slow it down. Kevin, WB5RUE I completely agree with Kevin. The only benefit these extra gadgets have is if there is a close strike and it helps to reject stray voltage from the bolt. Ive had two TV sets go down due to this, you can tell the difference... the stray voltage from a bolt of lightning will pop components on a board... a direct hit will make it explode... The only way to protect your equipment is to disconnect it AND either move the co-ax away or the radio itself. It doesnt help much disconnecting it and leaving it an inch from the radio. Regards, Graham And then there's the proximity factor...namely, every piece of wire in your home acting as the other half of a transformer, the lightning being the primary. Induced voltages are just as deadly to electronics. |
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