[Elecraft] Grounding negative side of power supply?

[Bill Coleman]

On Apr 20, 2010, at 7:52 PM, Robert Mcgraw wrote:

> At my shop sits my 100 ft tower for the 3 repeaters and one of my HF
> stations.  Some 50 ft away is a old Hickory tree that's about 60 to 70 ft
> tall.  Two years ago I received a lightning strike that destroyed the
> tree. No damage to the tower, any of the 12 antennas on the tower or any
> of the equipment in the two racks in the building.   The tower and
> equipment was correctly and properly grounded.  The tree wasn't.

A number of years ago, I got an induced strike on an untuned doublet that vaporized the copper out of 45 feet of window line from the doublet to the remote balun under the eaves of the house. Left a huge black mark on the side of the house.

None of my radio gear was hurt. It was all in the car. It was Sunday of Field Day, and I had come home to nap and hadn't unpacked my gear. 

The doublet was unconnected. I believe I would not have taken any damage had the antenna been properly grounded at the time. Today I ground all my antennas that are not in use. 



Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Web: http://boringhamradiopart.blogspot.com
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901