[FADCA] Watch the Blue Light

[bud thompson]

I received this note from Phil Bankston - my next door neighbor who has 
experienced this location for longer than anyone in the neighborhood.

"I know the strike you are speaking about.  It wasn't a direct hit, but it 
was a damned close one.  I happened to be looking out my front window, and 
it was extremely close.  I checked all my electrical and electronic stuff. 
No problems, but that is because I have more lightening protectors than 
anyone in Deltona.   Good ones -not from Wal-Mart.

 When I first came here in '78 I had just gotten my first quality stereo and 
accessories in when  a strike hit a tree just across the canal from me. 
Over the next three months all my new appliances went to hell.  Only my 
stereo was undamaged.  The reason, a set of quality arrestors was installed 
on it.  The doggoned stuff cost me more that my refrigerator!"



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chuck Hast" <wchast at gmail.com>

<snip>

>Was the blue light BEFORE the actual discharge or was it the
>discharge, if it was
>dark enough you may have seen the leader that forms before the actual
>high current
>discharge takes place, if you are near or on one end of it this is
>sort of like the last
>view a fly has of a dragon fly bearing down on it... You see it and
>then you are caught
>up in it...

>From Phil's report I'd say I did not see the leader - I had figured what I 
saw was some manifestation of the Polyphasor(s) discharge since I felt it 
was right in the room with me!

> Did you go and check your coax for perforations in the
>underground
>part? Is the coax in some sort of pipe or is it just buried? the
>discharge may have
>popped holes in the insulation...

The five coax lines are buried in aluminum down spout tubing.  I'd have to 
dig it all up to inspect it.  If/when I determine an unacceptable VSWR, I 
can isolate the underground part from the run that goes up the tower.  At 
the base of the tower I have another single point ground plate where all 
coax lines go through the plate via coax barrels/ feed throughs.  That also 
helps those surges that are on the braid find a shorter path to ground than 
to come into the house to do so!  I've been tempted to add another set of 
Polyphasors at that point as well!

bud