[Elecraft] Grounding & Receivers

Sat Feb 16 11:12:04 2002

In your post, "rather than make those right angle turns." Balderdash!

Let's see, what's the mass of an electron? Maybe it CAN make that right =
angle turn! I'd imagine some of the electrons would jump to ground at =
the first rod, and some would jump to ground at the second rod, and LOTS =
would get into your rig and FRY IT'S BRAINS.

Disconnect the antenna when not on the air, and don't be on the air =
during thunderstorms. Expect lots of burns along the wall and floor and =
table where the coax was laying without a load. Multi-Megavolts aren't =
too picky about complete circuits. They tend to make their own.

I got to see the lightening machine at Westinghouse DTD, Athens Ga. =
years ago. They use this 5 Story Tall Van De Graff generator to test =
pole pigs (distribution transformers). Turns out it's cheaper to replace =
the pole pigs every now and again than to put breakers on them. =
Resetting a breaker is cheaper than replacing the transformer, but the =
number of calls to do so raises the ante enough that the economical =
logic is to Let 'em Blow!

(20 year old memories - They may have different technology now, like =
automatically resetting breakers. Saves raining down hot oil and metal =
shards on the paying marks, er, ah, customers).

Dan / WG4S / K2 #2456

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2002 10:55 AM
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Grounding & Receivers

Dudley

The K1 is remarkable.  You will not be disappointed. =20

As for grounding, I too have a second floor shack.  I run a full KW in=20
addition to a 756Pro, an FT920, K1 and K2 without a problem.  I use a =
ladder=20
line fed doublet, a 2 element mini beam and a GAP Titan vertical so I =
guess I=20
have every possible type of antenna in the air.  The secret is to =
"unground"=20
your station.  If you are trying to run a ground wire to the earth, it =
is=20
acting as part of your antenna.  Get rid of the ground wire. =20

For lightning protection, run your coax down from your antenna and tape =
a=20
foot or so of it to a ground rod then make a right angle turn, run the =
coax=20
along the ground, then tape a foot or so of it to a ground rod right =
before=20
you make a right angle turn to go up to your shack.  This is not a =
perfect=20
solution but the idea is the lightning will jump to ground rather than =
make=20
those right angle turns.  I have no personal experience as whether this =
will=20
really work in case of a direct strike but it is a solution that has =
some=20
logic.

Radio K4IA
Craig Buck
Fredericksburg, Virginia USA
QRP ARCI #2550  FISTS #6702 CC 788 Diamond #64
K1 #470    K2 #2460=20
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