Since folks are hunkered down anyways, here is a problem. I am improving my
emergency radio capability by adding a 2-m radio to my home office. Who
knows where this thing is going, and I think this is a good time to prepare.
I would like your thoughts or experience with the following.
I am looking to mount a 2-m antenna on my roof. Currently I have a TV
antenna attached with a j-pole just below the chimney output. I have a
single-story house. My plan has been to extend the j-pole about 4 ft higher
to get better TV reception, and mount the antenna just above it. I do have
to watch out for offending the HOA.
My property has power lines running parallel with the back of the house, and
these power lines are about 35 feet high and 35 feet laterally away from the
chimney.
I am concerned about a couple of things:
1. Some day I may want to start a fire in the fireplace, and I do not
want the heat to get to the antennas. This is why I have the TV antenna
mounted below the top of the chimney.
2. I would like to avoid arching or lightning strikes, though I think
it is quite common for most of us to have power lines around to contend
with. Two thoughts here:
a. Of course, I will ground it all.
b. I wonder if the power lines might protect the lower antennas since
lightning may hit them first. I mention this since the first thought was
that the power lines might add to the lightning risk, not detract.
c. That said, lightning does what it wants, and even a nearby lightning
strike, as opposed to a direct strike, will do significant damage.
On that last point, I will share a short story. When in Louisiana many
years ago, we got into a discussion about how lightning had destroyed a lot
of equipment in a member's shack. This included, as I recall, about 3-5
computers, and about as many radios. This was all sitting on a metal table.
Due to the lightning storm, the Ham had disconnected all of the antennas.
Lightning hit his tower and made the 2" jump to the table. The rest was
history. But, that was not the story I wanted to tell. That was the
discussion we were having. Another Ham broke in and told us that he had a
tower at one end of his house which was operational, and he had just that
day mounted a short marine antenna at the other end of the house on his
chimney. It was a dark and stormy night the previous evening, and the
lightning passed the tower to hit the yet unconnected marine antenna. So,
lightning does not follow the rules.
OK, so I diverged. I really would like to know what experience and advice
you can offer me on my project. The power lines make me nervous, and I
really wish my best mounting option were not in the heat zone of the
chimney.
Mark
N5PRD
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