Submarine, North Sea, big helo , rain storm: nasty setup, the kind of event that generate great sea stories (they are all true, though change a bit when told over the years). Likely the static charge from the helo rotes caused the strike. I would go for #4 or #6 solid copper wire for the ground circuit. Tie your ground to the utility inlet ground, water pipes and gas pipes. depending on the setup, might want to add a couple more of those 8' ground rods. Still there is no guarantee but it improves the odds.
Will, KB7QL On Wed, Apr 8, 2020 at 3:36 PM Ron Bosch via BVARC <[email protected]> wrote: > Will, et al, > To agree with you in a backhand kind of way, I have, in fact, seen > lightning hit a submarine while at sea in a rain storm in the North > Atlantic, although the lightning in question came off of a line hanging > from a Sea Stallion, and was VERY Impressive to a 20 year old ELT whose job > it was to make sure the deck was radiologically clear prior to a med evac. > To bring it back to topic, though... Having just gotten back into HAM radio > after a 10 year absence, I have recently acquired some new and expensive > toys. The "current" grounding set up is a 12 GA wire run from my station > to the ground rod put in as part of the repaneling of my electrical into > the house. The ground rod in question is an ~8 foot copper rod driven into > the ground with about 6 inches showing above ground level. I bonded the 12 > GA wire to the rod with a hose clamp. Do you all think that sufficient to > protect my brand new ID-4100 and IC-7100? > > Ron > KE4DRF > > Judging by personal experience, the next public health crisis after COVID > 19 is likely to be cirrhosis. > > Ron Bosch > > "..any man who may be asked what he did .. to make his life worthwhile, I > think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction" 'I served in > the United States Navy." > > John F. Kennedy > > When I was young and bold and strong, > Oh, right was right, and wrong was wrong! > My plume on high, my flag unfurled, > I rode away to right the world. > ‘Come out, you dogs, and fight!’ said I, > And wept there was but once to die. > > But I am old; and good and bad > Are woven in a crazy plaid. > > Dorothy Parker > > "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate > intensity" > > Wm Butler Yeats > > "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between > man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his > worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and > not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole > American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law > respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise > thereof", thus building a wall of separation between church and State." > > Thomas Jefferson > > > "Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, > every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, > if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of > blindfolded fear." > > Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Peter Carr > > > A Government founded upon justice, and recognizing the equal rights of all > men; claiming no higher authority for existence, or sanction for its laws, > than nature, reason, and the regularly ascertained will of the people; > steadily refusing to put its sword and purse in the service of any > religious creed or family, is a standing offense to most of the Governments > of the world, and to some narrow and bigoted people among ourselves. > > Frederick Douglass > > > > > > > On Wed, Apr 8, 2020 at 11:53 AM Will Gray via BVARC <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Lightning is interesting. The strike begins when the electrons that have >> been scrubbed from the air by rain or snow are deposited on the ground >> (generally). A negative charge builds where the earth acts like the plate >> of a capacitor. With no other path the charge gets great enough to find >> the path of least resistance back to the atmosphere overhead or nearby from >> where the electrons were scrubbed by failing rain. If the area is well >> grounded, the electrons are dissipated in the the earth, if insulated (why >> lightning strikes concrete runways) the charge builds. If your house, >> ground, trees, or anything is insulated allowing the charge to build, the >> strike will occur when the charge is great enough. In my years at sea in >> he Navy, I never saw a lightning strike hit the surface of the water or the >> ship, no matter how heavy the rain. The salt water as a conductor >> dissipated the charge. Aircraft flying in rain build up a charge and may >> be struck, damaging them with burn marks and even scoring bearings in the >> engines. Aircraft have static wicks to bleed off the charge just as trucks >> have straps to bleed off the charge so the 7,000 gallons of gasoline in a >> tanker truck doesn't go up in flames from a lightning strike or lesser >> static discharge. >> >> Will Gray, KB&QL >> >> On Wed, Apr 8, 2020 at 11:38 AM Robert Polinski via BVARC < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Much what is said is true, but I will add a few points. Forty some years >>> ago I worked for a 2 way radio co. We had the Yellow Cab contract. I was at >>> Yellow Cab on Hays street in north Houston. I was replacing 2 radios in the >>> radio shack at the base of the 450ft tower that had been removed and taken >>> to the shop for repair. As I got setup to replace the radios in the rack, >>> there were 4 radios & 4 standby radios in the rack. They used 4 VHF >>> channels at that time. There was a thunderstorm approaching outside. The >>> radio shack was just a small 8x 12 building a the tower base. The radios >>> were DC remote controlled from the dispatch office located 100 ft away. I >>> waited for the storm to pass before installing the repaired radios, as I >>> did not want the touch the rack a long as the storm was near. As I sat on >>> the floor of the shack looking out the door, it was raining real hard. I >>> then saw lightning strike the power lines behind the mechanic shop about >>> 300ft away. It blew a AC receptacle on the wall behind me off the wall. >>> Damaged 2 of the 4 radio power supplies, 1 DC remote. I had disconnected >>> all the standby equipment before the storm to facilitate the installation >>> of the replacement radios. To make a long story short (LOL) The lightning >>> hit the power line 300ft away from a 450ft tower. No lightning came down >>> the tower. So just being high in the air, does not necessarily make it a >>> lightning rod. >>> >>> What is important is bonding everything together. If all equipment in >>> your shack is at the same potential, the lightning current will not have >>> anywhere to flow. I can charge the case of your K3 with 10,000v but if >>> there is no current flow no damage will occur. If lightning hits the power >>> line and the ground rod at your shack is a better path than the AC ground >>> at your meter the current will travel thru your rig to get to the rod. If >>> you bond the shack/antenna ground with the AC ground with a #6 wire. Since >>> both are at the same potential, there will be no current flow & no damage. >>> ( this bonding is required by the NEC) See Mike Holt on you tube to >>> understand this. Robert KD5YVQ >>> >>> >>> >>> *From:* BVARC <[email protected]> *On Behalf Of *Eddie Runner via >>> BVARC >>> *Sent:* Wednesday, April 08, 2020 9:53 AM >>> *To:* Mark Brantana via BVARC <[email protected]> >>> *Cc:* Eddie Runner <[email protected]> >>> *Subject:* Re: [BVARC] Antenna Mounting Options >>> >>> >>> >>> Mark, it is true, lightning does what it wants to do. >>> >>> >>> >>> I have had outside antennas of all types including towers , long wires, >>> dipoles, cb antennas, shortwave, Ham of all kinds, over the past 50 years, >>> I have had houses with ground rods and houses without ground rods and even >>> when I had ground rods some antennas would sometimes not be grounded... >>> (one house I had 19 antennas up at one time).. >>> >>> >>> >>> I have a rule, if there is a threat of lightning, I AM NOT GONNA TOUCH >>> THAT COAX.. >>> >>> >>> >>> So that means I NEVER disconnect my coax when a storm comes.. >>> NEVER...NEVER... >>> >>> >>> >>> As far as I can remember I have never had lightning damage on any radio >>> gear.. >>> >>> >>> >>> Back in the 80s there was some speculation that lightning may have come >>> in >>> >>> through the phone line and destroyed 2 modems ( I used to run BBS's).. >>> >>> >>> >>> I have seen a few times where lightning hit TOWERS or POWER PANELS on >>> >>> homes, some were hams and some were just people with no antennas... >>> >>> >>> >>> I have seen gear supposedly hit by lightning.. Maybe some was, maybe >>> some just blew the finals >>> >>> cause the guy forgot to hook up the coax he unhooked the last time he >>> heard thunder.. ha ha >>> >>> >>> >>> But even all the times we know about, it is still fairly unlikely.. and >>> if the lightnng has your >>> >>> name on it.. ??? >>> >>> >>> >>> Good luck.. it is all VOODDOO..ha ha >>> >>> >>> >>> Eddie (NU5K) >>> >>> >>> >>> On Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 06:16:29 AM CDT, Mark Brantana via BVARC < >>> [email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> 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: >>> >>> >>> 1. Of course, I will ground it all. >>> 2. 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. >>> 3. 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 >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> ________________________________________________ >>> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club >>> >>> BVARC mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org >>> ________________________________________________ >>> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club >>> >>> BVARC mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org >>> >> >> >> -- >> 431 Forest Circle >> Ruston, LA 71270-2642 >> H:318-251-2219 >> C:318-265-2976 (text) >> [email protected] >> >> ________________________________________________ >> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club >> >> BVARC mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org >> > ________________________________________________ > Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club > > BVARC mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org > -- 431 Forest Circle Ruston, LA 71270-2642 H:318-251-2219 C:318-265-2976 (text) [email protected]
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