Re: Use a Ground or Lightning Rod?

Tom Biasi wrote:
"W. eWatson" <notvalid2@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:fpTXl.31440$Ws1.17163@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Last week we had a terrific lightning storm, and it hit the TV mast, rotor, and antenna. That was witnessed by a neighbor. Although I had turned off a lot of computer equipment and unplugged quite a bit of it, I was on a trip but my wife was here, it knocked out the internet card on this computer and a hub in another building. Interestingly, the hub was not hooked to the electrical outlet. I had pulled it out. The rotor controller got zapped too. All else was fine. Maybe I just haven't used some other device that was damaged.

Terrain-wise we are really exposed, but do not have frequent lightning storms. There are no big trees near the house, and none higher than the house. Well, one. A ponderosa 50 feet from the house. We are at the highest point in the sparsely populated neighborhood. The closest home to us is 200'. The older neighbors around here said the storm last week was easily the strongest and most dynamic they've seen in there some 30 years here. No one thought to take pictures!

I'm quite sure the rotor, antenna, and mast are not grounded. The question becomes how to deal with a future strike. One is to ground the mast and rotor. Another is to just put up a lightning rod on the roof. Another is to just take down the antenna completely. We really don't use it any more. I've left it in place with some thought I might want to use it for local stations, which really are 60 miles away. Otherwise, we are on DirecTV.
--
W. eWatson

(121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N) GMT-8 hr std. time)
Obz Site: 39° 15' 7" N, 121° 2' 32" W, 2700 feet

Web Page: <www.speckledwithstars.net/>

Take down the antenna, It can't get hit if its not there.
If you ground it you have a lightning rod.
Keep in mind that lightning rods are not for getting hit, they are for preventing hits by keeping the field bled off.
If you like you can put some lightning rods on your house.
Surge protect all sensitive equipment at the power line and protect any incoming non-power line.
A direct hit is beyond what mere mortals can tame.

Tom


Sounds reasonable, but what would people in my position do if they had to depend on a TV antenna, and not DirecTV, etc.? Just use lightning rods?

I do find it odd that an ethernet card and a ethernet hub got hosed, especially when the hub was not electrically connected to anything other than an ethernet cable. Its wall wart was not plugged in. The ethernet cable between the house and the building with the hub is underground.


--
W. eWatson

(121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N) GMT-8 hr std. time)
Obz Site: 39° 15' 7" N, 121° 2' 32" W, 2700 feet

Web Page: <www.speckledwithstars.net/>

.

Quantcast