Hi,
I have (or had, I guess) a GPS antenna on a tower that took a lightning
hit yesterday.
You can tell it's going to be a bad day when you walk into your shop,
and smell burnt electronics. Still have to troubleshoot exactly what got
hit, but the GPSDO was flashing no GPS signal, the 5V supply for the
antenna to the GPS splitter was dead, the data logging computer had
rebooted and the data logging computer monitor was dead. Other network
hardware was dead also.
This is a bit surprising since the tower itself is grounded with 4
ground rods and bonded to a 150 foot deep well casing near by. The
antenna is on the end of 250 ft run of RG6. The GPS antenna cable shield
has a grounding block bonded to two ground rods driven down below the
basement foundation where it enters the house. I'm guessing the surge
ran the coax into the splitter, then through everything connected to it,
despite the grounding block.
So, I'm wondering if there are better surge protectors for lightning
protection? Maybe something that actually protect the center conductor
also? Hopefully something that will pass GPS signal reasonably and let
DC power through. If so, can you recommend some starting points? Other
suggestions also welcome.
Also, If you are considering upgrading your own lightning protection,
hopefully this will be some inspiration to get started. As I said
earlier, it's a bad day when you smell burnt electronics in the shop.
Thanks,
Dan
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