Sounds like your ground potential between tower ground and electrical ground might is not optimal. Make sure that the tower ground is also correctly and properly grounded to the electrical ground. Seems your electronic might be shunt between the two grounds so each time tower get a hit your equipment gets fried.
/ Eje -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Scottie Arnett Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 9:03 PM To: WISPA General List Subject: Re: [WISPA] Direct Lightning Strikes Whats the majority think the equipment damage from lightning comes from...electric surge or coupling on the Ethernet? Will running on battery or solar lessen your chances of equipment damage that much more that it is worth the cost? I am in the same boat as these guys and have one location hit 5 times in the last two years that caused major damage(talking SMOKED AP's), more than that if you just include power supplies and switches. I was thinking of grounding the crap out of this location, but it looks like David did that and it did not help much. Scottie ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: David Hulsebus <[email protected]> Reply-To: WISPA General List <[email protected]> Date: Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:09:58 -0400 >I looked at a Transtector unit a few weeks ago. It's an isolation >transformer that sits outdoors between the entrance panel and our >internal electrical system. It was roughly $1K for the unit. Kind of >wish I would have bought it now. We are the end of the line on the power >grid and have 1-3 days of outages multiple times a year, that's the real >reason for the battery solution; that and we are tired of generators. > >Your right though. Most cell and radio towers I visit have just that, an >isolation transformer at the entrance panel. > >Thanks, Dave > >[email protected] wrote: >> Since it sounds like this came in on the AC, how about a surge protector >> on incoming AC line? We've had sites where the power company's grounding >> is so bad we've lost power supply surge protectors in just about every >> storm that comes through the area...until we put surge protection at the >> breaker box. Now all is good. >> >> Cameron >> >> >>> Don't feel too left Chuck out we lost a tower site in the same storm. >>> Second time in seven years a total loss. Both times we've lost our gear >>> it has come via the electrical side. Our tower gets hit by a strike or >>> two almost every storm and we never have issues. This time it literaly >>> blew the entrance panel off the side of the building and outlets off the >>> walls of the building. Cracked one of the APC batterty units, every >>> ethernet surge suppressor and every grounded POE injectors were blown >>> apart. Interesting that our four coax arrestors were okay, but the gear >>> was cooked. Most of the cat5 ends included. Had spare gear on the >>> tower plugged in at the radios but dangling in the building, we fired it >>> up and were in operation within a few minutes. Took another 16 hours to >>> get all of the damage cleaned up. >>> >>> We have on that site forty-five 3/4" ground rods in two concentric >>> circles around the tower and building none more than eight feet apart; >>> all interconnected with #2 bare stranded wire and cad welded. Inside the >>> building - a halo ring and 3 1/2" copper strapping, the list goes on and >>> on for what we have done to minimize issues. We spent nearly 5K on >>> grounding and still lost it all. >>> >>> We are moving to total battery power next week. I am looking for >>> something I can use to isolate a smart charger from the power company >>> when we see storms in the area, I expect we will have enough battery for >>> a minimum 3 days runtime. Some type of relay that we can control >>> remotely I would guess. >>> >>> If it makes you feel any better Verizon Wireless took total loses on >>> four towers between Cincinnati and Louisville Tuesday as well. >>> >>> Dave Hulsebus >>> Portative Technologies, LLC >>> >>> Chuck Hogg wrote: >>> >>>> Has anyone been able to withstand a direct lightning strike? We had a >>>> tower get hit last night, and some of our equipment lost Ethernet ports >>>> (RB/433AH), and we lost 3 canopy APs, but that is all (considering what >>>> is all up there only 2/3rds was blown). Our Trango AP survived and a >>>> RB/433AH survived. Even Nextel had their guys out there, but they just >>>> had to reset alarms it appears as nothing was "fried" on their end. I >>>> wish I had to just reset alarms. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> So tell me, what do you do ? I'm tired of dumping a few grand during big >>>> lightning storms. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> I do the basics, Ethernet surge suppression up top and on the bottom, >>>> Polyphasers, ground out to the ground bars, ground out the cat5 cable, >>>> and no omni's. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Regards, >>>> >>>> Chuck Hogg >>>> >>>> Shelby Broadband >>>> 502-722-9292 >>>> [email protected] >>>> >>>> http://www.shelbybb.com >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- >>>> WISPA Wants You! Join today! >>>> http://signup.wispa.org/ >>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- >>>> >>>> WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] >>>> >>>> Subscribe/Unsubscribe: >>>> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless >>>> >>>> Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ >>>> >>>> >>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- >>> WISPA Wants You! 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