Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

[Michael Shanks via BVARC]

The best lighting protection was the 5 bucks I spent on my membership in
BVARC. As a new ham the amount of information that all the members have
passed along has been great. My education of of this great hobby has been
expanded and improve. I want to thank all the members of BVARC for the
willingness to help us newbees and others to become better hams. Looking
forward to many years of membership in BVARC the best largest ham club in
Texas.

Mike Ki5npm


On Thu, May 27, 2021, 3:21 PM Mark Brantana via BVARC 
wrote:

> Because of this conversation I just called my agent. The house is covered,
> but there is the deductible. I will also be looking into getting the ARRL
> insurance, though I don’t have a lot. Additionally, the damage might be
> isolated to your equipment. reading is that the ARRL charges you as a
> fraction of the value of your actual equipment, so it could be pennies if
> you, like me, don’t have a lot of high value equipment. It would certainly
> help get me back on the air.
> Mark
> N5PRD
>
> On May 27, 2021, at 10:30 AM, Karl Bernard via BVARC 
> wrote:
>
> I recommend ARRL insurance - very affordable:
> https://www.arrlinsurance.com/
>
> I just recently signed up, but I bought it after speaking to someone that
> had made 2-3 claims on it over the years and they paid out with no fuss
> every time.
>
> Karl
> W5KMB
>
> On Wed, May 26, 2021 at 7:16 PM Keith Dutson via BVARC 
> wrote:
>
>> Some useful info in this post, but shows lack of facts.  For example, it
>> is well known and documented that lightning can strike from cloud to ground
>> and vice versa.
>>
>> My station has been damaged by lightning several times.  The worst damage
>> was in May, 2019, when a large bolt struck my 150 foot tower.  This was
>> witnessed by my daughter and her husband who were outside at the time.  The
>> station furniture in the shack was being moved at that time and there were
>> no antennas connected.  However, all units were plugged into power and
>> connected to computers.  ALL computers and transceivers were destroyed, and
>> the linear amplifiers were damaged in the power supply section.  There were
>> several signs of lightning flashover at signal and power connections.  I
>> was standing in the shack at the time of the strike, and there was no
>> sound, but it felt like the time in military basic combat training where
>> I felt the concussion of dynamite blasts.
>>
>> Now I have relay controlled disconnect of power and antennas for all
>> stations.  The disconnect grounds antennas and rigs.
>>
>> I did collect insurance.  The claim was for about $25,000, and I got
>> about $22,000 after deductible.
>>
>> 73, Keith NM5G
>>
>> On Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 09:40:06 AM CDT, Will Gray via BVARC <
>> bvarc@bvarc.org> wrote:
>>
>>
>> There are lots of books on the subject and plenty of examples
>> visible around major electrical installations of how to prevent damage by
>> lightning.  Lightning occurs when there is a large charge difference
>> present, normally caused by rain carrying electrons from clouds to ground.
>> If there is no path to deplete the charge and when the charge is great
>> enough, the electrons go back to the more positively charged area of the
>> clouds above.  The strike is from ground to cloud.  The use of several
>> ground rods tied together and connected to power grounds, water pipes, gas
>> pipes, and the antenna system tends to deplete the charge to the earth,
>> preventing the strike.  Unplug, disconnect and ground your equipment.
>> During an electrical storm stay away from doors, windows and chimneys.  Get
>> in your vehicle and close the doors.
>>
>> Safety!
>> Will Gray, KB7QL
>>
>> 
>> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
>>
>> BVARC mailing list
>> BVARC@bvarc.org
>> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
>> Publicly available archives are available here: 
>> https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/
>>
>> 
>> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
>>
>> BVARC mailing list
>> BVARC@bvarc.org
>> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
>> Publicly available archives are available here:
>> https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/
>>
> 
> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
>
> BVARC mailing list
> BVARC@bvarc.org
> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
> Publicly available archives are available here:
> https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/
>
>
> 
> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
>
> BVARC mailing list
> BVARC@bvarc.org
> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
> Publicly available archives are available here:
> https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/
>

Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club

BVARC mailing list
BVARC@bvarc.org
http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_b

Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

[Mark Brantana via BVARC]

Because of this conversation I just called my agent. The house is covered, but 
there is the deductible. I will also be looking into getting the ARRL 
insurance, though I don’t have a lot. Additionally, the damage might be 
isolated to your equipment. reading is that the ARRL charges you as a fraction 
of the value of your actual equipment, so it could be pennies if you, like me, 
don’t have a lot of high value equipment. It would certainly help get me back 
on the air. 
Mark
N5PRD

> On May 27, 2021, at 10:30 AM, Karl Bernard via BVARC  wrote:
> 
> I recommend ARRL insurance - very affordable:
> https://www.arrlinsurance.com/ 
> 
> I just recently signed up, but I bought it after speaking to someone that had 
> made 2-3 claims on it over the years and they paid out with no fuss every 
> time.
> 
> Karl
> W5KMB
> 
> On Wed, May 26, 2021 at 7:16 PM Keith Dutson via BVARC  > wrote:
> Some useful info in this post, but shows lack of facts.  For example, it is 
> well known and documented that lightning can strike from cloud to ground and 
> vice versa.
> 
> My station has been damaged by lightning several times.  The worst damage was 
> in May, 2019, when a large bolt struck my 150 foot tower.  This was witnessed 
> by my daughter and her husband who were outside at the time.  The station 
> furniture in the shack was being moved at that time and there were no 
> antennas connected.  However, all units were plugged into power and connected 
> to computers.  ALL computers and transceivers were destroyed, and the linear 
> amplifiers were damaged in the power supply section.  There were several 
> signs of lightning flashover at signal and power connections.  I was standing 
> in the shack at the time of the strike, and there was no sound, but it felt 
> like the time in military basic combat training where I felt the concussion 
> of dynamite blasts.
> 
> Now I have relay controlled disconnect of power and antennas for all 
> stations.  The disconnect grounds antennas and rigs.
> 
> I did collect insurance.  The claim was for about $25,000, and I got about 
> $22,000 after deductible.
> 
> 73, Keith NM5G
> 
> On Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 09:40:06 AM CDT, Will Gray via BVARC 
> mailto:bvarc@bvarc.org>> wrote:
> 
> 
> There are lots of books on the subject and plenty of examples visible around 
> major electrical installations of how to prevent damage by lightning.  
> Lightning occurs when there is a large charge difference present, normally 
> caused by rain carrying electrons from clouds to ground.  If there is no path 
> to deplete the charge and when the charge is great enough, the electrons go 
> back to the more positively charged area of the clouds above.  The strike is 
> from ground to cloud.  The use of several ground rods tied together and 
> connected to power grounds, water pipes, gas pipes, and the antenna system 
> tends to deplete the charge to the earth, preventing the strike.  Unplug, 
> disconnect and ground your equipment.  During an electrical storm stay away 
> from doors, windows and chimneys.  Get in your vehicle and close the doors.
> 
> Safety!
> Will Gray, KB7QL
> 
> 
> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
> 
> BVARC mailing list
> BVARC@bvarc.org 
> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org 
> 
> Publicly available archives are available here: 
> https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/  
> 
> 
> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
> 
> BVARC mailing list
> BVARC@bvarc.org 
> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org 
> 
> Publicly available archives are available here: 
> https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/ 
>  
> 
> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
> 
> BVARC mailing list
> BVARC@bvarc.org
> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
> Publicly available archives are available here: 
> https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/ 


Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club

BVARC mailing list
BVARC@bvarc.org
http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
Publicly available archives are available here: 
https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/ 

Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

[Karl Bernard via BVARC]

I recommend ARRL insurance - very affordable:
https://www.arrlinsurance.com/

I just recently signed up, but I bought it after speaking to someone that
had made 2-3 claims on it over the years and they paid out with no fuss
every time.

Karl
W5KMB

On Wed, May 26, 2021 at 7:16 PM Keith Dutson via BVARC 
wrote:

> Some useful info in this post, but shows lack of facts.  For example, it
> is well known and documented that lightning can strike from cloud to ground
> and vice versa.
>
> My station has been damaged by lightning several times.  The worst damage
> was in May, 2019, when a large bolt struck my 150 foot tower.  This was
> witnessed by my daughter and her husband who were outside at the time.  The
> station furniture in the shack was being moved at that time and there were
> no antennas connected.  However, all units were plugged into power and
> connected to computers.  ALL computers and transceivers were destroyed, and
> the linear amplifiers were damaged in the power supply section.  There were
> several signs of lightning flashover at signal and power connections.  I
> was standing in the shack at the time of the strike, and there was no
> sound, but it felt like the time in military basic combat training where
> I felt the concussion of dynamite blasts.
>
> Now I have relay controlled disconnect of power and antennas for all
> stations.  The disconnect grounds antennas and rigs.
>
> I did collect insurance.  The claim was for about $25,000, and I got about
> $22,000 after deductible.
>
> 73, Keith NM5G
>
> On Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 09:40:06 AM CDT, Will Gray via BVARC <
> bvarc@bvarc.org> wrote:
>
>
> There are lots of books on the subject and plenty of examples
> visible around major electrical installations of how to prevent damage by
> lightning.  Lightning occurs when there is a large charge difference
> present, normally caused by rain carrying electrons from clouds to ground.
> If there is no path to deplete the charge and when the charge is great
> enough, the electrons go back to the more positively charged area of the
> clouds above.  The strike is from ground to cloud.  The use of several
> ground rods tied together and connected to power grounds, water pipes, gas
> pipes, and the antenna system tends to deplete the charge to the earth,
> preventing the strike.  Unplug, disconnect and ground your equipment.
> During an electrical storm stay away from doors, windows and chimneys.  Get
> in your vehicle and close the doors.
>
> Safety!
> Will Gray, KB7QL
>
> 
> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
>
> BVARC mailing list
> BVARC@bvarc.org
> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
> Publicly available archives are available here: 
> https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/
>
> 
> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
>
> BVARC mailing list
> BVARC@bvarc.org
> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
> Publicly available archives are available here:
> https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/
>

Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club

BVARC mailing list
BVARC@bvarc.org
http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
Publicly available archives are available here: 
https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/ 

Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

[mark janzer via BVARC]

 Careful, if Martin Jue at MFJ gets wind of that, the mug will get a model 
number and he'll sell them as a super duty ceramic lightning arrestor for 59.95.
On Thursday, May 27, 2021, 09:39:34 AM CDT, Jeffrey Carson via BVARC 
 wrote:  
 
  Now I know what to do with all the free MFJ coffee mugs i got at Dayton 2019!
On Thursday, May 27, 2021, 04:47:38 AM CDT, JP Pritchard via BVARC 
 wrote:  
 
   Great post, Douglas. Glad to see you here.       JP, k5JPP  
  On 05/26/2021 9:46 PM Douglas Kimpel via BVARC  wrote:       
 05/20/2013 
See website for details on how to get QSLs and Certificates.
 
May 20-May 26, 2300Z-2200Z, W9IMS, Indianapolis, IN. Indianapolis Motor 
Speedway Amateur Radio Club. 21.350 14.245 7.240 3.840. Certificate & QSL. IMS 
ARC, PO Box 30954, Indianapolis, IN 46230. w9ims.org
           
Douglas Kimpel
 
Chief Engineer 
 
KKHT, KNTH
 
Houston, Texas
 
713-206-2146 Cell
 
713-260-6129 Office
   From: BVARC  on behalf of Douglas Kimpel 
via BVARC 
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 9:18 PM
To: BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 
Cc: Douglas Kimpel 
Subject: Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention    Hey All,        I'm new 
to the club!  Lightening report from a long time ago!       I was able to make 
a good 80/160-meter dipole with the help of my former father-in-law WF5W 
(Silent Key) back in 2001. We were able to put the antenna 60 feet into the 
trees and it was fantastic!  Had a storm come in while I was doing some early 
weekend chores.   The power shut down briefly and at the same time I heard the 
thunderclap!        Lightning struck the east pine tree of the antenna span! 
The Lightening did a good job of removing the tree's bark it then jumped over 
the nylon rope and destroyed the ceramic insulator, vaporized 3 feet of the 
antenna copper, and destroyed the home-made coil ( I think I have the burned 
coil still, Looking).        The main strike was on the Pine tree, but a feeder 
strike found my phone line and house ground at the same time.        Lost the 
following!         One great antenna and its mounting point!    All land line 
phones and an answering machine!    One brand knew refrigerator!        MY Ten 
Tec Omni D survived as I had disconnected the feed line just before the storm 
and place the cable in a ceramic coffee cup.  The PL259 did not survive the 
strike at the ceramic coffee cup end and at the ballast!                    
       
Douglas Kimpel
 
Chief Engineer 
 
KKHT, KNTH
 
Houston, Texas
 
713-206-2146 Cell
 
713-260-6129 Office
   From: BVARC  on behalf of Ron Bosch via 
BVARC 
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 7:46 PM
To: BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 
Cc: Ron Bosch 
Subject: Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention     Keith,   Did you also 
lose your TV's and other electronics?  Did you lose any transceivers not 
connected to your mains?  The fact is that a lightning strike on or very near 
your house is going to impress current on any antenna system, or analogue 
thereof, in the near field, and the amount of energy carried by that antenna 
system is directly proportional to wire length to that antenna or antenna 
analogue.  The largest antenna analogue in our houses is the wiring system of 
the house itself, and a residential ground, while being a good short path, is 
not usually very efficient compared to the ground system of a commercial 
building or a broadcast tower.  That being said, the odds of taking such a hit 
are small by ground area and reduced exponentially by the relative heights of 
the surroundings.  The object lesson being that if you have the highest thing 
in large square footage connected electrically to your equipment, you are 
increasing your odds of a strike significantly.  Unfortunately, the best thing 
for getting a great signal on radio is the worst thing to do for protecting 
yourself from lightning strikes, which makes perfect sense if you realize that 
we are in the hobby of taking a small powered sine wave electrical signal from 
the atmosphere and responding to it using a slightly higher powered electrical 
sine wave :-)  The folks of us that do that most efficiently are the most 
likely to be the victims of the fact that the system is, by definition, very 
good at attracting a tens billion times higher potential static DC capacitive 
discharge.       Ron   KE4DRF   
   On Wed, May 26, 2021 at 7:16 PM Keith Dutson via BVARC < bvarc@bvarc.org> 
wrote:  
    Some useful info in this post, but shows lack of facts.  For example, 
it is well known and documented that lightning can strike from cloud to ground 
and vice versa.       My station has been damaged by lightning several times.  
The worst damage was in May, 2019, when a large bolt struck my 150 foot tower.  
This was witnessed by my daughter and her husband who were outside at the time. 
 The station furniture in the shack was being moved at that time and there were 
no antennas conne

Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

[Jeffrey Carson via BVARC]

 Now I know what to do with all the free MFJ coffee mugs i got at Dayton 2019!
On Thursday, May 27, 2021, 04:47:38 AM CDT, JP Pritchard via BVARC 
 wrote:  
 
   Great post, Douglas. Glad to see you here.       JP, k5JPP  
  On 05/26/2021 9:46 PM Douglas Kimpel via BVARC  wrote:       
 05/20/2013 
See website for details on how to get QSLs and Certificates.
 
May 20-May 26, 2300Z-2200Z, W9IMS, Indianapolis, IN. Indianapolis Motor 
Speedway Amateur Radio Club. 21.350 14.245 7.240 3.840. Certificate & QSL. IMS 
ARC, PO Box 30954, Indianapolis, IN 46230. w9ims.org
           
Douglas Kimpel
 
Chief Engineer 
 
KKHT, KNTH
 
Houston, Texas
 
713-206-2146 Cell
 
713-260-6129 Office
   From: BVARC  on behalf of Douglas Kimpel 
via BVARC 
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 9:18 PM
To: BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 
Cc: Douglas Kimpel 
Subject: Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention    Hey All,        I'm new 
to the club!  Lightening report from a long time ago!       I was able to make 
a good 80/160-meter dipole with the help of my former father-in-law WF5W 
(Silent Key) back in 2001. We were able to put the antenna 60 feet into the 
trees and it was fantastic!  Had a storm come in while I was doing some early 
weekend chores.   The power shut down briefly and at the same time I heard the 
thunderclap!        Lightning struck the east pine tree of the antenna span! 
The Lightening did a good job of removing the tree's bark it then jumped over 
the nylon rope and destroyed the ceramic insulator, vaporized 3 feet of the 
antenna copper, and destroyed the home-made coil ( I think I have the burned 
coil still, Looking).        The main strike was on the Pine tree, but a feeder 
strike found my phone line and house ground at the same time.        Lost the 
following!         One great antenna and its mounting point!    All land line 
phones and an answering machine!    One brand knew refrigerator!        MY Ten 
Tec Omni D survived as I had disconnected the feed line just before the storm 
and place the cable in a ceramic coffee cup.  The PL259 did not survive the 
strike at the ceramic coffee cup end and at the ballast!                    
       
Douglas Kimpel
 
Chief Engineer 
 
KKHT, KNTH
 
Houston, Texas
 
713-206-2146 Cell
 
713-260-6129 Office
   From: BVARC  on behalf of Ron Bosch via 
BVARC 
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 7:46 PM
To: BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 
Cc: Ron Bosch 
Subject: Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention     Keith,   Did you also 
lose your TV's and other electronics?  Did you lose any transceivers not 
connected to your mains?  The fact is that a lightning strike on or very near 
your house is going to impress current on any antenna system, or analogue 
thereof, in the near field, and the amount of energy carried by that antenna 
system is directly proportional to wire length to that antenna or antenna 
analogue.  The largest antenna analogue in our houses is the wiring system of 
the house itself, and a residential ground, while being a good short path, is 
not usually very efficient compared to the ground system of a commercial 
building or a broadcast tower.  That being said, the odds of taking such a hit 
are small by ground area and reduced exponentially by the relative heights of 
the surroundings.  The object lesson being that if you have the highest thing 
in large square footage connected electrically to your equipment, you are 
increasing your odds of a strike significantly.  Unfortunately, the best thing 
for getting a great signal on radio is the worst thing to do for protecting 
yourself from lightning strikes, which makes perfect sense if you realize that 
we are in the hobby of taking a small powered sine wave electrical signal from 
the atmosphere and responding to it using a slightly higher powered electrical 
sine wave :-)  The folks of us that do that most efficiently are the most 
likely to be the victims of the fact that the system is, by definition, very 
good at attracting a tens billion times higher potential static DC capacitive 
discharge.       Ron   KE4DRF   
   On Wed, May 26, 2021 at 7:16 PM Keith Dutson via BVARC < bvarc@bvarc.org> 
wrote:  
    Some useful info in this post, but shows lack of facts.  For example, 
it is well known and documented that lightning can strike from cloud to ground 
and vice versa.       My station has been damaged by lightning several times.  
The worst damage was in May, 2019, when a large bolt struck my 150 foot tower.  
This was witnessed by my daughter and her husband who were outside at the time. 
 The station furniture in the shack was being moved at that time and there were 
no antennas connected.  However, all units were plugged into power and 
connected to computers.  ALL computers and transceivers were destroyed, and the 
linear amplifiers were damaged in the power supply section.  There were several 
signs of lightning flashover at sig

Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

[JP Pritchard via BVARC]

Great post, Douglas. Glad to see you here.

JP, k5JPP

> On 05/26/2021 9:46 PM Douglas Kimpel via BVARC  wrote:
>  
>  
> 
>  05/20/2013
>  See website for details on how to get QSLs and Certificates.
> 
>  May 20-May 26, 2300Z-2200Z, W9IMS, Indianapolis, IN. Indianapolis Motor 
> Speedway Amateur Radio Club. 21.350 14.245 7.240 3.840. Certificate & QSL. 
> IMS ARC, PO Box 30954, Indianapolis, IN 46230. http://w9ims.org/
> 
>   
>  
>  
> Douglas Kimpel
> Chief Engineer 
> KKHT, KNTH
> Houston, Texas
> 713-206-2146 Cell
> 713-260-6129 Office
>  
> 
> -
> From: BVARC  on behalf of Douglas Kimpel via 
> BVARC 
> Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 9:18 PM
> To: BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 
> Cc: Douglas Kimpel 
> Subject: Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention
>  
> Hey All, 
>  
> I'm new to the club!  Lightening report from a long time ago!
>  
> I was able to make a good 80/160-meter dipole with the help of my former 
> father-in-law WF5W (Silent Key) back in 2001. We were able to put the antenna 
> 60 feet into the trees and it was fantastic!  Had a storm come in while I was 
> doing some early weekend chores.
> The power shut down briefly and at the same time I heard the thunderclap! 
>  
> Lightning struck the east pine tree of the antenna span! The Lightening 
> did a good job of removing the tree's bark it then jumped over the nylon rope 
> and destroyed the ceramic insulator, vaporized 3 feet of the antenna copper, 
> and destroyed the home-made coil ( I think I have the burned coil still, 
> Looking). 
>  
> The main strike was on the Pine tree, but a feeder strike found my phone 
> line and house ground at the same time. 
>  
> Lost the following!  
>  
> One great antenna and its mounting point! 
> All land line phones and an answering machine! 
> One brand knew refrigerator! 
>  
> MY Ten Tec Omni D survived as I had disconnected the feed line just 
> before the storm and place the cable in a ceramic coffee cup.  The PL259 did 
> not survive the strike at the ceramic coffee cup end and at the ballast! 
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
> Douglas Kimpel
> Chief Engineer 
> KKHT, KNTH
> Houston, Texas
> 713-206-2146 Cell
> 713-260-6129 Office
>  
> 
>     -------------
> From: BVARC  on behalf of Ron Bosch via BVARC 
> 
> Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 7:46 PM
> To: BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 
> Cc: Ron Bosch 
> Subject: Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention
>  
> Keith,
> Did you also lose your TV's and other electronics?  Did you lose any 
> transceivers not connected to your mains?  The fact is that a lightning 
> strike on or very near your house is going to impress current on any antenna 
> system, or analogue thereof, in the near field, and the amount of energy 
> carried by that antenna system is directly proportional to wire length to 
> that antenna or antenna analogue.  The largest antenna analogue in our houses 
> is the wiring system of the house itself, and a residential ground, while 
> being a good short path, is not usually very efficient compared to the ground 
> system of a commercial building or a broadcast tower.  That being said, the 
> odds of taking such a hit are small by ground area and reduced exponentially 
> by the relative heights of the surroundings.  The object lesson being that if 
> you have the highest thing in large square footage connected electrically to 
> your equipment, you are increasing your odds of a strike significantly.  
> Unfortunately, the best thing for getting a great signal on radio is the 
> worst thing to do for protecting yourself from lightning strikes, which makes 
> perfect sense if you realize that we are in the hobby of taking a small 
> powered sine wave electrical signal from the atmosphere and responding to it 
> using a slightly higher powered electrical sine wave :-)  The folks of us 
> that do that most efficiently are the most likely to be the victims of the 
> fact that the system is, by definition, very good at attracting a tens 
> billion times higher potential static DC capacitive discharge.
>  
> Ron
> KE4DRF
> 
> On Wed, May 26, 2021 at 7:16 PM Keith Dutson via BVARC < bvarc@bvarc.org 
> mailto:bvarc@bvarc.org > wrote:
> 
> > >  
> > Some useful info in this post, but shows lack of facts.  For 
> > exampl

Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

[Douglas Kimpel via BVARC]

05/20/2013

See website for details on how to get QSLs and Certificates.

May 20-May 26, 2300Z-2200Z, W9IMS, Indianapolis, IN. Indianapolis Motor 
Speedway Amateur Radio Club. 21.350 14.245 7.240 3.840. Certificate & QSL. IMS 
ARC, PO Box 30954, Indianapolis, IN 46230. w9ims.org<http://w9ims.org/>



Douglas Kimpel

Chief Engineer

KKHT, KNTH

Houston, Texas

713-206-2146 Cell

713-260-6129 Office


From: BVARC  on behalf of Douglas Kimpel via BVARC 

Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 9:18 PM
To: BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 
Cc: Douglas Kimpel 
Subject: Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

Hey All,

I'm new to the club!  Lightening report from a long time ago!

I was able to make a good 80/160-meter dipole with the help of my former 
father-in-law WF5W (Silent Key) back in 2001. We were able to put the antenna 
60 feet into the trees and it was fantastic!  Had a storm come in while I was 
doing some early weekend chores.
The power shut down briefly and at the same time I heard the thunderclap!

Lightning struck the east pine tree of the antenna span! The Lightening did a 
good job of removing the tree's bark it then jumped over the nylon rope and 
destroyed the ceramic insulator, vaporized 3 feet of the antenna copper, and 
destroyed the home-made coil ( I think I have the burned coil still, Looking).

The main strike was on the Pine tree, but a feeder strike found my phone line 
and house ground at the same time.

Lost the following!

One great antenna and its mounting point!
All land line phones and an answering machine!
One brand knew refrigerator!

MY Ten Tec Omni D survived as I had disconnected the feed line just before the 
storm and place the cable in a ceramic coffee cup.  The PL259 did not survive 
the strike at the ceramic coffee cup end and at the ballast!






Douglas Kimpel

Chief Engineer

KKHT, KNTH

Houston, Texas

713-206-2146 Cell

713-260-6129 Office


From: BVARC  on behalf of Ron Bosch via BVARC 

Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 7:46 PM
To: BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 
Cc: Ron Bosch 
Subject: Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

Keith,
Did you also lose your TV's and other electronics?  Did you lose any 
transceivers not connected to your mains?  The fact is that a lightning strike 
on or very near your house is going to impress current on any antenna system, 
or analogue thereof, in the near field, and the amount of energy carried by 
that antenna system is directly proportional to wire length to that antenna or 
antenna analogue.  The largest antenna analogue in our houses is the wiring 
system of the house itself, and a residential ground, while being a good short 
path, is not usually very efficient compared to the ground system of a 
commercial building or a broadcast tower.  That being said, the odds of taking 
such a hit are small by ground area and reduced exponentially by the relative 
heights of the surroundings.  The object lesson being that if you have the 
highest thing in large square footage connected electrically to your equipment, 
you are increasing your odds of a strike significantly.  Unfortunately, the 
best thing for getting a great signal on radio is the worst thing to do for 
protecting yourself from lightning strikes, which makes perfect sense if you 
realize that we are in the hobby of taking a small powered sine wave electrical 
signal from the atmosphere and responding to it using a slightly higher powered 
electrical sine wave :-)  The folks of us that do that most efficiently are the 
most likely to be the victims of the fact that the system is, by definition, 
very good at attracting a tens billion times higher potential static DC 
capacitive discharge.

Ron
KE4DRF

On Wed, May 26, 2021 at 7:16 PM Keith Dutson via BVARC 
mailto:bvarc@bvarc.org>> wrote:
Some useful info in this post, but shows lack of facts.  For example, it is 
well known and documented that lightning can strike from cloud to ground and 
vice versa.

My station has been damaged by lightning several times.  The worst damage was 
in May, 2019, when a large bolt struck my 150 foot tower.  This was witnessed 
by my daughter and her husband who were outside at the time.  The station 
furniture in the shack was being moved at that time and there were no antennas 
connected.  However, all units were plugged into power and connected to 
computers.  ALL computers and transceivers were destroyed, and the linear 
amplifiers were damaged in the power supply section.  There were several signs 
of lightning flashover at signal and power connections.  I was standing in the 
shack at the time of the strike, and there was no sound, but it felt like the 
time in military basic combat training where I felt the concussion of dynamite 
blasts.

Now I have relay controlled disconnect of power and antennas for all stations.  
The disconnect grounds antennas and rigs.

I did collect insurance.  The cla

Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

[Douglas Kimpel via BVARC]

Hey All,

I'm new to the club!  Lightening report from a long time ago!

I was able to make a good 80/160-meter dipole with the help of my former 
father-in-law WF5W (Silent Key) back in 2001. We were able to put the antenna 
60 feet into the trees and it was fantastic!  Had a storm come in while I was 
doing some early weekend chores.
The power shut down briefly and at the same time I heard the thunderclap!

Lightning struck the east pine tree of the antenna span! The Lightening did a 
good job of removing the tree's bark it then jumped over the nylon rope and 
destroyed the ceramic insulator, vaporized 3 feet of the antenna copper, and 
destroyed the home-made coil ( I think I have the burned coil still, Looking).

The main strike was on the Pine tree, but a feeder strike found my phone line 
and house ground at the same time.

Lost the following!

One great antenna and its mounting point!
All land line phones and an answering machine!
One brand knew refrigerator!

MY Ten Tec Omni D survived as I had disconnected the feed line just before the 
storm and place the cable in a ceramic coffee cup.  The PL259 did not survive 
the strike at the ceramic coffee cup end and at the ballast!






Douglas Kimpel

Chief Engineer

KKHT, KNTH

Houston, Texas

713-206-2146 Cell

713-260-6129 Office


From: BVARC  on behalf of Ron Bosch via BVARC 

Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 7:46 PM
To: BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 
Cc: Ron Bosch 
Subject: Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

Keith,
Did you also lose your TV's and other electronics?  Did you lose any 
transceivers not connected to your mains?  The fact is that a lightning strike 
on or very near your house is going to impress current on any antenna system, 
or analogue thereof, in the near field, and the amount of energy carried by 
that antenna system is directly proportional to wire length to that antenna or 
antenna analogue.  The largest antenna analogue in our houses is the wiring 
system of the house itself, and a residential ground, while being a good short 
path, is not usually very efficient compared to the ground system of a 
commercial building or a broadcast tower.  That being said, the odds of taking 
such a hit are small by ground area and reduced exponentially by the relative 
heights of the surroundings.  The object lesson being that if you have the 
highest thing in large square footage connected electrically to your equipment, 
you are increasing your odds of a strike significantly.  Unfortunately, the 
best thing for getting a great signal on radio is the worst thing to do for 
protecting yourself from lightning strikes, which makes perfect sense if you 
realize that we are in the hobby of taking a small powered sine wave electrical 
signal from the atmosphere and responding to it using a slightly higher powered 
electrical sine wave :-)  The folks of us that do that most efficiently are the 
most likely to be the victims of the fact that the system is, by definition, 
very good at attracting a tens billion times higher potential static DC 
capacitive discharge.

Ron
KE4DRF

On Wed, May 26, 2021 at 7:16 PM Keith Dutson via BVARC 
mailto:bvarc@bvarc.org>> wrote:
Some useful info in this post, but shows lack of facts.  For example, it is 
well known and documented that lightning can strike from cloud to ground and 
vice versa.

My station has been damaged by lightning several times.  The worst damage was 
in May, 2019, when a large bolt struck my 150 foot tower.  This was witnessed 
by my daughter and her husband who were outside at the time.  The station 
furniture in the shack was being moved at that time and there were no antennas 
connected.  However, all units were plugged into power and connected to 
computers.  ALL computers and transceivers were destroyed, and the linear 
amplifiers were damaged in the power supply section.  There were several signs 
of lightning flashover at signal and power connections.  I was standing in the 
shack at the time of the strike, and there was no sound, but it felt like the 
time in military basic combat training where I felt the concussion of dynamite 
blasts.

Now I have relay controlled disconnect of power and antennas for all stations.  
The disconnect grounds antennas and rigs.

I did collect insurance.  The claim was for about $25,000, and I got about 
$22,000 after deductible.

73, Keith NM5G

On Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 09:40:06 AM CDT, Will Gray via BVARC 
mailto:bvarc@bvarc.org>> wrote:


There are lots of books on the subject and plenty of examples visible around 
major electrical installations of how to prevent damage by lightning.  
Lightning occurs when there is a large charge difference present, normally 
caused by rain carrying electrons from clouds to ground.  If there is no path 
to deplete the charge and when the charge is great enough, the electrons go 
back to the more positively charged area of the clouds above.  The stri

Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

[Ron Bosch via BVARC]

Keith,
Did you also lose your TV's and other electronics?  Did you lose any
transceivers not connected to your mains?  The fact is that a lightning
strike on or very near your house is going to impress current on any
antenna system, or analogue thereof, in the near field, and the amount of
energy carried by that antenna system is directly proportional to wire
length to that antenna or antenna analogue.  The largest antenna analogue
in our houses is the wiring system of the house itself, and a residential
ground, while being a good short path, is not usually very efficient
compared to the ground system of a commercial building or a broadcast
tower.  That being said, the odds of taking such a hit are small by ground
area and reduced exponentially by the relative heights of the
surroundings.  The object lesson being that if you have the highest thing
in large square footage connected electrically to your equipment, you are
increasing your odds of a strike significantly.  Unfortunately, the best
thing for getting a great signal on radio is the worst thing to do for
protecting yourself from lightning strikes, which makes perfect sense if
you realize that we are in the hobby of taking a small powered sine wave
electrical signal from the atmosphere and responding to it using a slightly
higher powered electrical sine wave :-)  The folks of us that do that most
efficiently are the most likely to be the victims of the fact that the
system is, by definition, very good at attracting a tens billion times
higher potential static DC capacitive discharge.

Ron
KE4DRF

On Wed, May 26, 2021 at 7:16 PM Keith Dutson via BVARC 
wrote:

> Some useful info in this post, but shows lack of facts.  For example, it
> is well known and documented that lightning can strike from cloud to ground
> and vice versa.
>
> My station has been damaged by lightning several times.  The worst damage
> was in May, 2019, when a large bolt struck my 150 foot tower.  This was
> witnessed by my daughter and her husband who were outside at the time.  The
> station furniture in the shack was being moved at that time and there were
> no antennas connected.  However, all units were plugged into power and
> connected to computers.  ALL computers and transceivers were destroyed, and
> the linear amplifiers were damaged in the power supply section.  There were
> several signs of lightning flashover at signal and power connections.  I
> was standing in the shack at the time of the strike, and there was no
> sound, but it felt like the time in military basic combat training where
> I felt the concussion of dynamite blasts.
>
> Now I have relay controlled disconnect of power and antennas for all
> stations.  The disconnect grounds antennas and rigs.
>
> I did collect insurance.  The claim was for about $25,000, and I got about
> $22,000 after deductible.
>
> 73, Keith NM5G
>
> On Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 09:40:06 AM CDT, Will Gray via BVARC <
> bvarc@bvarc.org> wrote:
>
>
> There are lots of books on the subject and plenty of examples
> visible around major electrical installations of how to prevent damage by
> lightning.  Lightning occurs when there is a large charge difference
> present, normally caused by rain carrying electrons from clouds to ground.
> If there is no path to deplete the charge and when the charge is great
> enough, the electrons go back to the more positively charged area of the
> clouds above.  The strike is from ground to cloud.  The use of several
> ground rods tied together and connected to power grounds, water pipes, gas
> pipes, and the antenna system tends to deplete the charge to the earth,
> preventing the strike.  Unplug, disconnect and ground your equipment.
> During an electrical storm stay away from doors, windows and chimneys.  Get
> in your vehicle and close the doors.
>
> Safety!
> Will Gray, KB7QL
>
> 
> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
>
> BVARC mailing list
> BVARC@bvarc.org
> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
> Publicly available archives are available here: 
> https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/
>
> 
> Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
>
> BVARC mailing list
> BVARC@bvarc.org
> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
> Publicly available archives are available here:
> https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/
>

Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club

BVARC mailing list
BVARC@bvarc.org
http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
Publicly available archives are available here: 
https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/ 

Re: [BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

[Keith Dutson via BVARC]

 Some useful info in this post, but shows lack of facts.  For example, it is 
well known and documented that lightning can strike from cloud to ground and 
vice versa.
My station has been damaged by lightning several times.  The worst damage was 
in May, 2019, when a large bolt struck my 150 foot tower.  This was witnessed 
by my daughter and her husband who were outside at the time.  The station 
furniture in the shack was being moved at that time and there were no antennas 
connected.  However, all units were plugged into power and connected to 
computers.  ALL computers and transceivers were destroyed, and the linear 
amplifiers were damaged in the power supply section.  There were several signs 
of lightning flashover at signal and power connections.  I was standing in the 
shack at the time of the strike, and there was no sound, but it felt like the 
time in military basic combat training where I felt the concussion of dynamite 
blasts.
Now I have relay controlled disconnect of power and antennas for all stations.  
The disconnect grounds antennas and rigs.
I did collect insurance.  The claim was for about $25,000, and I got about 
$22,000 after deductible.
73, Keith NM5G
On Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 09:40:06 AM CDT, Will Gray via BVARC 
 wrote:  
 
 There are lots of books on the subject and plenty of examples visible around 
major electrical installations of how to prevent damage by lightning.  
Lightning occurs when there is a large charge difference present, normally 
caused by rain carrying electrons from clouds to ground.  If there is no path 
to deplete the charge and when the charge is great enough, the electrons go 
back to the more positively charged area of the clouds above.  The strike is 
from ground to cloud.  The use of several ground rods tied together and 
connected to power grounds, water pipes, gas pipes, and the antenna system 
tends to deplete the charge to the earth, preventing the strike.  Unplug, 
disconnect and ground your equipment.  During an electrical storm stay away 
from doors, windows and chimneys.  Get in your vehicle and close the doors.
Safety!Will Gray, KB7QL


Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club

BVARC mailing list
BVARC@bvarc.org
http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
Publicly available archives are available here: 
https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/ 
  
Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club

BVARC mailing list
BVARC@bvarc.org
http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
Publicly available archives are available here: 
https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/ 

[BVARC] Lightning Strike Prevention

[Will Gray via BVARC]

There are lots of books on the subject and plenty of examples
visible around major electrical installations of how to prevent damage by
lightning.  Lightning occurs when there is a large charge difference
present, normally caused by rain carrying electrons from clouds to ground.
If there is no path to deplete the charge and when the charge is great
enough, the electrons go back to the more positively charged area of the
clouds above.  The strike is from ground to cloud.  The use of several
ground rods tied together and connected to power grounds, water pipes, gas
pipes, and the antenna system tends to deplete the charge to the earth,
preventing the strike.  Unplug, disconnect and ground your equipment.
During an electrical storm stay away from doors, windows and chimneys.  Get
in your vehicle and close the doors.

Safety!
Will Gray, KB7QL

Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club

BVARC mailing list
BVARC@bvarc.org
http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
Publicly available archives are available here: 
https://www.mail-archive.com/bvarc@bvarc.org/