[Elecraft] Avoiding costly lightning damage to your radios gear

[Phil Kane]

On 10/30/2018 9:17 AM, John K9UWA wrote:

> So YES a Tower can be protected from damage. When the TV stations and Radio 
> station towers get hit they don't even go off air. Neither does my Ham Station. 

My firm designs communication sites for the Public Safety and Homeland
Security sectors (and any others who are willing to afford us).  Our
standard tried-and-true site grounding systems require a ground ring
buried in conductive concrete in deep trenches.  Many ground rods and
the leads to protected structures are cad-welded to this ring before the
trenches are back-filled with earth.  .  Inside each equipment enclosure
there is a comparable "halo" ground ring with leads to each piece of
equipment, as well as entry protectors on every electrical service,
communication, and antenna cable coming into the enclosure(s).

This system was originally designed and refined by Tom Croda (KB6KBI -
SK), a member of our firm  who was a nationally-acknowledged expert in
power and grounding systems for communication sites.  Our clients using
this system haven't lost any structures or equipment.

On topic - both my CEO and myself are Elecraft users and we haven't lost
any of those either.

73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
Elecraft K2/100   s/n 5402

VP - General Counsel & Engineering Manager
CSI Telecommunications, Inc. - Consulting Engineers
San Francisco, CA - Beaverton, OR