Thanks for the discussions so far.

I take lightning protection very seriously.

I have seen the results of what happens when an antenna and equipment
is not protected adequately....equipment fried, people suffering severe
shocks and fires started.

An example, one time I was in the basement of a friend who is a very
serious ham. With his feed line disconnected from his gear, we watched
as a storm induced voltage repeatily jumped over three feet through the
air to the basement floor. Even with the feed line disconnected,
several of his radios were damaged by induced voltages.

TMT

Brian Hill wrote:

Yes but the average Joe isn't going to want to spend a bazillion
dollars and
countless hours doing what it takes to install an effective system.
I'm
just giving practical cost saving advice to the average / casual SW
listener
and anybody that is going to jump into a major system like your talking
about would surely be an advanced hobbyist and have done his/her
homework and not be asking the question in such basic terms.

--
-------------------------------
Given my home is worth over 100K and my equipment as several
thosand if I could find replacements, the few hundred that I spent
was well worth the expense.

Anyone who has an outside antenna, with a feedline that enters
the buidling, had damn well better do some serious planing
and research to make certain they are compling with the local
electrical codes. Failure may result in criminal charges if anyone
gets hurt, and thye could have a nasty suprise if their insurance
carrier finds out the house fire was casued by an improper, ie
non code, installation. Many policies have exclussions for code
violations.

I wonder how many or few in this groud are aware of the NEC
requirements that "coax have the outer conductor connected to a
valid, bonded ground, before being brought inside, or being
grouned as soon as praticable"(their word not mine).
Very few installations that I am aware of even meet the most basic
safety requirements.

I gues hope and prayer might be an effective way to protect your
equipment and home from lightening, but I will stick with Polyphaser.

The primary reason why I am not that active in ham radio is I can't
afford enough protection for an unlimited numver of antennas.
So my scanner diskcone has to pull double duty and work for my
2M, 70cM opertions, mainly for weather emergencies.

I have 6 PolyPhaser units and I only use 4 of them, keeping 2 for
spares.
3 for "my" radio equipment, and 1 for the family TV/VCR.


Terry

I have a quick disconnect to the long wire antenna and it's disconnected
when not being used. During storms I always check the SW radio and my new
LCD TV to be sure they are totally disconnected, antenna, cable and power!


"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
ps.com...
In a recent conversation with fellow SWLers, we noted that each of us
used a different (or nonexistent) solution to lightning protection.

You can also see this attitude in antenna discussions...very little
discussion on proper grounding and lightning disappation.

So the question... what do YOU use for lightning protection to prevent
you and your radios from being turned into melted blobs of charred
tissue and plastic? Examples of proven designs with their accompanying
stories would be of particular interest.

TMT

Too_Many_Tools wrote:

In a recent conversation with fellow SWLers, we noted that each of us
used a different (or nonexistent) solution to lightning protection.

You can also see this attitude in antenna discussions...very little
discussion on proper grounding and lightning disappation.

So the question... what do YOU use for lightning protection to prevent
you and your radios from being turned into melted blobs of charred
tissue and plastic? Examples of proven designs with their accompanying
stories would be of particular interest.

My antennas here (70' and 200' wires) are transformer matched and grounded at
the feedpoint. From there the coax runs underground to the basement where they
enter Transi-Trap devices which are grounded. Up from that point the coax goes
to a antenna switch. When I'm not listening, at least in summer, I disconnect
the feed to the receivers.

dxAce
Michigan
USA

"Jim Douglas" wrote in message
...
I have a quick disconnect to the long wire antenna and it's disconnected
when not being used. During storms I always check the SW radio and my new
LCD TV to be sure they are totally disconnected, antenna, cable and power!


That's what I do too Jim. My switch terminates the ant to grd. My point is
that most casual listeners with modestly priced radios will not go and spend
hundreds or more on adequate lightning and ground systems for their radio
they just bought on Ebay for $200. But they can or will buy a ground rod and
a good ant switch with a grounding lug and unhook the radio when not in use.
I don't know why they can't see the point I'm trying to make.


--
73 and good DX. B.H.
Brian's Radio Universe
http://webpages.charter.net/brianhill/500.htm

"dxAce" wrote in message
...


Too_Many_Tools wrote:

In a recent conversation with fellow SWLers, we noted that each of us
used a different (or nonexistent) solution to lightning protection.

You can also see this attitude in antenna discussions...very little
discussion on proper grounding and lightning disappation.

So the question... what do YOU use for lightning protection to prevent
you and your radios from being turned into melted blobs of charred
tissue and plastic? Examples of proven designs with their accompanying
stories would be of particular interest.

My antennas here (70' and 200' wires) are transformer matched and grounded
at
the feedpoint. From there the coax runs underground to the basement where
they
enter Transi-Trap devices which are grounded. Up from that point the coax
goes
to a antenna switch. When I'm not listening, at least in summer, I
disconnect
the feed to the receivers.

dxAce
Michigan
USA



Yep it's too easy

TMT,

Industry sources explain why earthing exists atop
skyscrapers - which is well beyond the scope of this
discussion. If one has problems with this, then they can take
it up with those 1930s GE scientists. Skyscraper height is
not relevant here. Earthing connection must be short: ie
'less than 10 feet' for each incoming utility wire.

The point: protection is only as effective as the earth
ground. Single point earthing as discussed previously by
Polyphaser and at
http://tinyurl.com/ao36t

Earthing even required for underground utility wires. A
buried wire may carry destructive incoming transients as
described by a Polyphaser tech note and demonstrated by this
application note entitled "The Need for Coordinated
Protection" from another industry professional:

http://www.erico.com/public/library/...es/tncr002.pdf

Note the earthing system demonstrated by r2000swler. Same
concept of a good, bad, and ugly earthing system is also
demonstrated by a utility:
http://www.cinergy.com/surge/ttip08.htm

FDR wrote:
"w_tom" wrote in message
...
Short connection to earth exists atop skyscrapers.

If short you mean 1000 ft. or more, sure.

Early Hams would disconnect the antenna and even put that
lead inside a mason jar. They would still suffer damage.
Another here demonstrated the concept in discussing arcs to a
concrete basement floor.

Earthing even a disconnected antenna is necessary.
Furthermore, earthing without disconnecting costs so little
AND is so effective. Disconnecting or protectors alone are
not protection. Protection is earth ground. Everything else
is only as effective as the connection to that single point
earth ground.

Jim Douglas wrote:

I have a quick disconnect to the long wire antenna and it's disconnected
when not being used. During storms I always check the SW radio and my new
LCD TV to be sure they are totally disconnected, antenna, cable and power!

"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message
ps.com...
In a recent conversation with fellow SWLers, we noted that each of us
used a different (or nonexistent) solution to lightning protection.

You can also see this attitude in antenna discussions...very little
discussion on proper grounding and lightning disappation.

So the question... what do YOU use for lightning protection to prevent
you and your radios from being turned into melted blobs of charred
tissue and plastic? Examples of proven designs with their accompanying
stories would be of particular interest.

TMT

"w_tom" wrote in message
...
Industry sources explain why earthing exists atop
skyscrapers - which is well beyond the scope of this
discussion. If one has problems with this, then they can take
it up with those 1930s GE scientists. Skyscraper height is
not relevant here. Earthing connection must be short: ie
'less than 10 feet' for each incoming utility wire.

Just responding to the other posters claim of length.


The point: protection is only as effective as the earth
ground. Single point earthing as discussed previously by
Polyphaser and at
http://tinyurl.com/ao36t

Earthing even required for underground utility wires. A
buried wire may carry destructive incoming transients as
described by a Polyphaser tech note and demonstrated by this
application note entitled "The Need for Coordinated
Protection" from another industry professional:

http://www.erico.com/public/library/...es/tncr002.pdf

Note the earthing system demonstrated by r2000swler. Same
concept of a good, bad, and ugly earthing system is also
demonstrated by a utility:
http://www.cinergy.com/surge/ttip08.htm

FDR wrote:
"w_tom" wrote in message
...
Short connection to earth exists atop skyscrapers.

If short you mean 1000 ft. or more, sure.