Re: [amsat-bb] antenna rig and Lightning

[John Charles <m1btr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In message <199905271317.IAA11721@mut1.muscanet.com>, Dave Metz
<Dave.Metz@mut1.muscanet.com> writes
>
>Interestingly enought the local two meter repeater (with three antennas 
>connected,
>UHF links, etc) stays on and connected through every storm.  It has never 
>suffered
>any damage.  I keep expecting it, but it has not happened in 12 years.  It sits 
>in my
>shack ten feet from my operating bench.  I must be lucky (or the 
>repeater is)!

Hope you both stay lucky David.
A year back our local 70cm repeater site took a strike. We never did
find one aerial, just the metal bottom of the fibreglass colinear which
was peeled back like a banana skin. Didn't do the rig a lot of good
either ;)

All my cables have a join (N or F type depending on use, even 3 pin
types for rotator cables) where they enter the property and I have just
undone them all with electrical storms forecast for tonight. The plugs
on the end of each incoming lead then plug into a metal box (full of
skts with all pins grounded) which has a hefty cable to my earth spikes.
May not help a lot with a direct hit but should hopefully help a lot to
dissipate static build up, especially on my beams which have isolated
driven elements.

I've been cautious ever since a friend of mine had a rig 'fried' by
induced voltages from a near miss.

73  John  M1BTR  (Lincolnshire, England)
-- 
  m1btr@midmarsh.demon.co.uk         M1BTR@GB7SKG
  QRV 6m 2m 70cm 3cm   Member: BATC RIG RSGB UKRS
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