Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: [Repeaters] LDF5-50a
Charles Scott wrote: Probably a lot of other things that need to be considered, but the main thing is that you want to protect your equipment. The single point ground approach will do that. Actually the main thing you're protecting in a home installation is your HOUSE - the equipment is secondary. Keep lightning outside and single-point ground to get everything to rise and fall at the same potential. Having seen the amount of damage done to internal wiring by a lightning strike that hit my dad's house directly on a DSS dish that entered the house through the coax (before the coax vaporized into black oily smudge all over the living room ceiling and walls) was impressive. And expensive to repair. Much of the 1st floor wiring had to be replaced after megger tests showed that the cables and outlets were simply cooked. The sonic damage to concrete and brick in the driveway was also impressive. (Brick pavers blown completely out of the side of the driveway concrete and lying in the driveway in little pieces.) Two neighbors with broken basement windows also. Cheap surge-supressors actually saved certain equipment, and burnt themselves in the process. I was surprised by that one. I figured most of the cheapies aren't worth it, but they actually sacrificed themselves to do the job. And from the looks of it, the leader is all that hit the DSS dish -- the return stroke (the big'un) went around the yard via metal edging, spot-welding it together into one long strip, and split up the center and killed a 30' tree on the way back up. Of course the path could have been the other direction -- from the tree through the edging to the house, but it's pretty much impossible to tell. Pretty wild to poke at the edging and see the welds where the electricity jumped the gaps between the pieces. The DSS receiver made a cool rattle-toy from all the components blown off the board too! I forgot to ask him if we could open it up and take a look before he tossed it... oops. Would have made for some interesting photos. The VCR, TV, and everything on that first circuit behind the DSS reciever was toast. The wall where the coax entered from ouside was blackened and the wall plate the coax used to pass through was lying on the floor. He wasn't home at the time of the strike. It could have easily set his house on fire with no one home. Nate Duehr, [EMAIL PROTECTED] - WY0X Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: [Repeaters] LDF5-50a
Paul Holm wrote: Just curious if the dish had been installed with the accepted safety measures for such installations: grounding block at entrance point with heavy wire from the dish to grounding block to a ground rod? Paul Paul, No. It was not. Nate Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: [Repeaters] LDF5-50a
Just curious if the dish had been installed with the accepted safety measures for such installations: grounding block at entrance point with heavy wire from the dish to grounding block to a ground rod? Paul - Original Message - From: Nate Duehr [EMAIL PROTECTED] Having seen the amount of damage done to internal wiring by a lightning strike that hit my dad's house directly on a DSS dish that entered the house through the coax Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: [Repeaters] LDF5-50a
On Jan 18, 2005, at 3:24, Nate Duehr wrote: He wasn't home at the time of the strike. It could have easily set his house on fire with no one home. Are you suggesting it could NOT have set fire to the house had he BEEN home? :) Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[Repeater-Builder] Re: [Repeaters] LDF5-50a
Rick: You didn't say what kind of tower. I'm assuming this is a Ham type tower at your house, but you might want to say so if it's otherwise. Keep in mind that lightning protection is not individual things you do, it's an overall approach you take. If you haven't already, you should read up on Single Point Grounds and live by that approach. As to your question, I don't think you need to get an official gounding kit for your transmission line. Simply cut a strap of copper flashing (handy stuff to have around), wrap it around the line where the outer insulation has been removed and clamp it tightly by running a bolt through the ends. Attach a heavy and very short low inductance cable at that point and ground it to the tower, preferably where one of the main tower ground and the same place the ground strap to the single point ground is terminated. Of course cover the area of the transmission line where the strap is well to protect it from the elements. Having said that, however, if this is a home tower installation, you probably don't need the ground kit at the bottom of the tower, nor at the top as long as it's a very short run from the tower to the single point ground (and of course the transmission line is terminated at the ground panel anyway), and the gound path from the single point ground is right back out to the tower. You probably don't need it at the top either (and I'm assuming this Sinclair antenna has grounded elements), unless your transmission line is taking some significantly different route than the way the antenna itself is mounted. If the support for the antenna isn't much higher than the top element you might want to put some kind of short mast up from there to try to keep lightling from hitting the antenna elements. Probably a lot of other things that need to be considered, but the main thing is that you want to protect your equipment. The single point ground approach will do that. Chuck On Sat, 15 Jan 2005, Rick - VA3RZS/Charlotte - VA3CMR wrote: Hello group I am looking for some grounding kits for the LDF5-50A 7/8 Andrews Heliax I have one allready installed at the top of the coax and was told I should have one at the bottom also .. any comments on this ? I want to protect my Ant and repeater system the best I can .. the ant is a sinclair 4 bay (cant remember the model off hand) this ant is sid monted on the top of the tower ( 2 bays above the tower) Thanks for any and all help on this .. I am also running another line up the tower and need the kit for that also .. Also for LDF4-50A wich is 1/2 inch again thanks verry much .. Rick Rick Szajkowski VA3 RZS Charlotte Darby VA3 CMR Node Owners of IRLP Node 2120 Lakefield Ont Canada Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[Repeater-Builder] Re: [Repeaters] LDF5-50a
the tower is a trylon yes this system is at my house I just want to make sure this equipment is protected as best I can as for the AC MOST of the equipment runs through a UPS ... the only thing that does not is the PA .. I will look into something for the AC line .. Thank you verry much for all your answers Rick On 16 Jan 2005 at 8:45, Charles Scott wrote: Rick: You didn't say what kind of tower. I'm assuming this is a Ham type tower at your house, but you might want to say so if it's otherwise. Keep in mind that lightning protection is not individual things you do, it's an overall approach you take. If you haven't already, you should read up on Single Point Grounds and live by that approach. As to your question, I don't think you need to get an official gounding kit for your transmission line. Simply cut a strap of copper flashing (handy stuff to have around), wrap it around the line where the outer insulation has been removed and clamp it tightly by running a bolt through the ends. Attach a heavy and very short low inductance cable at that point and ground it to the tower, preferably where one of the main tower ground and the same place the ground strap to the single point ground is terminated. Of course cover the area of the transmission line where the strap is well to protect it from the elements. Having said that, however, if this is a home tower installation, you probably don't need the ground kit at the bottom of the tower, nor at the top as long as it's a very short run from the tower to the single point ground (and of course the transmission line is terminated at the ground panel anyway), and the gound path from the single point ground is right back out to the tower. You probably don't need it at the top either (and I'm assuming this Sinclair antenna has grounded elements), unless your transmission line is taking some significantly different route than the way the antenna itself is mounted. If the support for the antenna isn't much higher than the top element you might want to put some kind of short mast up from there to try to keep lightling from hitting the antenna elements. Probably a lot of other things that need to be considered, but the main thing is that you want to protect your equipment. The single point ground approach will do that. Chuck On Sat, 15 Jan 2005, Rick - VA3RZS/Charlotte - VA3CMR wrote: Hello group I am looking for some grounding kits for the LDF5-50A 7/8 Andrews Heliax I have one allready installed at the top of the coax and was told I should have one at the bottom also .. any comments on this ? I want to protect my Ant and repeater system the best I can .. the ant is a sinclair 4 bay (cant remember the model off hand) this ant is sid monted on the top of the tower ( 2 bays above the tower) Thanks for any and all help on this .. I am also running another line up the tower and need the kit for that also .. Also for LDF4-50A wich is 1/2 inch again thanks verry much .. Rick Rick Szajkowski VA3 RZS Charlotte Darby VA3 CMR Node Owners of IRLP Node 2120 Lakefield Ont Canada The popular, friendly and calm repeater mailing list. If you have questions or comments about this mailing list, please contact Ray Vaughan, KD4BBM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please pass the word about this list to every repeater owner or operator you know. We learn from each other, so the more, the better. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeaters/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. Rick Szajkowski VA3 RZS Charlotte Darby VA3 CMR Node Owners of IRLP Node 2120 Lakefield Ont Canada -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.6.13 - Release Date: 1/16/2005 Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
