Lightning is about as predictable as your average teenager. It is very [very!] common for cloud-to-ground strikes to start with a ground-to-cloud "leader." You can't see it and it happens fairly fast [but nowhere near as fast as the main strike]. It builds an ionization path when the main strike then follows from the cloud to the ground ... at least part-way.
So, one could surmise that a ground rod connected to your mast would offer a desirable path for the leader current and thus "attract" a strike. Whether or not this will happen depends on where the ground charge has accumulated [usually but not always under the guilty cloud], whether or not your ground rod actually *is* a desirable path, what else is around your mast, and a host of other unpredictable things. A rod stuck in the earth makes a very problematical connection to "ground." The fact that the apex of the mast is not connected to your antenna is not relevant for a strike, although it is relevant for precip static. If a few megavolts decides to land on your "grounded" mast, it will all become connected and a few microseconds later, be vaporized. 73, Fred K6DGW On 4/21/2011 7:27 PM, Steve Ellington wrote: > Question: > Does grounding your tower or metal mast increase the likelihood of it being > hit by lightning? > I have a 50' metal mast holding up the center of a dipole. No antenna > contacts the mast and the ant. is supported by rope. Should I drive in a > ground rod just for the mast? If I do, would lightning be attracted to it > then? It just seems like I'm inviting a hit by grounding it. ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
