163FB340
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lightning
should my vertical antenna be earthed,if so whats the best way and what sornt of cable should i use?
many thanks,stuart 
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7/Oct/2009, 3:34 pm
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Hot Fusion
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Re: lightning
Ordinary earth cable (green & yellow stuff) will do the job OK, but try to avoid any tight bends in the wire. Connect it to a proper earth stake knocked well into the ground.
Admittedly, in the event of a direct lightning strike the wire may well melt, but in this case I expect you'd lose the antenna too (I did!) so there are bigger things to worry about!
This type of earthing will ground the system for indirect strikes, but won't protect your rig - the only way to prevent damage to that is to completely disconnect it from the antenna.
A suggestion untried by me:
You could try putting a sharp point or two on the very top of your antenna - maybe sharpen up the aluminium on the tip? What this can do is help discharge a cloud by corona before the voltage builds up enough to cause a strike - this is the function of lightning conductors.
Better to prevent a strike than to try to deal with it when it happens...
Maybe others here may know more about this.
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Andy - 26 FB107
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7/Oct/2009, 8:27 pm
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26fb139
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Re: lightning
you can get lighting conduters but these still need a wire attaching ,when i put my new mast in the garden i will put in the hole a series of flat copper strips which i can connect to with as many copper wires buried in the ground ,and i'll connect te areils & mast to this .
this will give a good earth which should get rid of any excess rf,voltage build up & course static .& offer a little lighting passage away fom the house,but in theory you should disconnect your areils whennot in use. but how many do.
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139 in any GOOD group??
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8/Oct/2009, 12:55 pm
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