[1000mp] Braid or strap for ground wire...big question.

Fri, 3 May 2002 12:49:13 -0500

Why do lightning equipment suppliers recommend and sell the very expensive
woven stranded copper wire for connecting together lightning protection
points and continuing on to ground instead of just normal stranded copper
wire (of the same AWG) where the points are located on the roof of a house?
I live on a hilltop location and plan to install lightning protection for
the house as well as the antenna system.  I have a metal roof of
approximately 6000 sq ft and the same size stranded copper power wiring is
considerably less expensive and certainly more available.  I remember
looking at some very old lightning rods (points) pulled off a 90 year old
house and the cables were very large connecting them and continuing on to
ground - probably 1/2 inch diameter and made up of about 1/8 inch diameter
wires for the strands.

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Tom Rauch
Sent: Friday, May 03, 2002 8:08 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [1000mp] Braid or strap for ground wire...big question.

As far as resonances, mutual coupling is so high a braid acts just
like a single conductor. It does not provide "multiple paths and
multiple resonances", so far as DC through HF is concerned. That's
folklore.