[R-390] cables

[Richard Loken]

On Thu, 21 Sep 2017, Glenn Little WB4UIV wrote:

> Believe it or not, pun intended, Motorola would put knots in their power 
> cords at communications sites.
> This was to provide an impedance to impulse (lightning).
> Not sure if it really worked, but, it was done at a lot of their sites.

That is believable.

It is said that lightning does not turn corners very well so I expect that 
the lightning would blow the cord apart in its haste to get through the knot 
but would it save the radio?  Possiby knot but it is knot going to make it 
worse now is it? There are anecdotes about unconnected television sets 
having many of their semiconductors cooked when the house was struck by 
lightning - no wire was required.

According to my training in the distant past, the "drip loop" in the
cabling from the antenna tower to the radio shack was there to discourage
lightning and not to keep water from following the feedlines into the shack.

However my memory is not very trustworthy anymore.

-- 
   Richard Loken VE6BSV         	  : "...underneath those tuques we wear,
   Athabasca, Alberta Canada       : our heads are naked!"
   ** rlloken at telus.net **         :    - Arthur Black