[Elecraft] [OT] Grounding Antenna when not in use

[Tom W8JI]

Do some study on the subject and take whatever measures 
toward the ideal
solution that are practical for you.  I might add again here 
that *all*
ground rods must be tied to the utility ground rod with 
heavy wire.
That is protection for you and your equipment under 
elecrtical fault
conditions.
>>

That's good advice. It's a national electrical code 
requirement that the station ground has to be tied to the 
mains ground, not just for power line faults or equipment 
faults but also for lightning.

Assuming we have a normal height antenna and above-ground 
utilities, most hits that cause damage are on power lines. 
The surge runs through the power lines to ground through our 
gear if the equipment ground is not bonded to the mains 
ground. The opposite is true also if the antenna gets hit. 
Bonding the station ground to the mains ground diverts 
current from that path through the house.

While disconnecting an antenna does help for close hits or 
static buildup,  the devil is in the fine details of how we 
do things....not what we think we do.