Lightning arrestor

[Trapper444]

So inline lightning arrestors that the coax screws into..installed at base of antenna ? Do they work?
Antenna is a IMax 2000
Thoughts? Experiences?

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[sonoma]

they help on a mild strike. I had one on a A99 antenna years ago and took a direct hit and it did not help. luckily I had unhooked the radio and put the coax end in a thick container. the lightning traveled all the way through every thing and burnt the carpet . lucky I was home at the time to put out the fire..this is my experiance with one.

[MDYoungblood]

I have arrestors install on all the coax's entering the house, they are installed outside and connected to my grounding rods and loop system. My other line of protection is at my radio room, all antenna connections not in use are grounded to the outside as well. Like sonoma said it is a good precaution but will not help on a direct strike. The shield (braid) of most coax installations are all ready grounded if the antenna was properly installed. The arrestor is nothing more than a spark gap devise to the center conductor, some are an air gap, others have a gas tube gap. I use them because they also help in bleeding off static buildup. When checking out the type you want to use make sure it will handle any additional wattage you plan to run.

3's

Greg

[Trapper444]

Thank you both.
Good insite........
What about this grounding kit sold for 400 cable? It looks like it requires you to splice into the cable to install it?

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[JetSetter]

I have arrestors install on all the coax's entering the house, they are installed outside and connected to my grounding rods and loop system. My other line of protection is at my radio room, all antenna connections not in use are grounded to the outside as well. Like sonoma said it is a good precaution but will not help on a direct strike. The shield (braid) of most coax installations are all ready grounded if the antenna was properly installed. The arrestor is nothing more than a spark gap devise to the center conductor, some are an air gap, others have a gas tube gap. I use them because they also help in bleeding off static buildup. When checking out the type you want to use make sure it will handle any additional wattage you plan to run.

3's

Greg

I hope you don't mind me asking. I did try to do a search on it. But what happens if my antenna does take a direct strike.

[MDYoungblood]

A direct strike will be devastating, antenna, mount, coax, and radio in worst senerio damage to the property it's attached to. Believe me, a lightning arrest or won't help with a direct strike. Might be a good idea to check with your insurance agent about what all your homeowners insurance covers and the local electrical codes on what they require as a proper grounding.

3's

Greg

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[trx680]

I have arrestors install on all the coax's entering the house, they are installed outside and connected to my grounding rods and loop system. My other line of protection is at my radio room, all antenna connections not in use are grounded to the outside as well. Like sonoma said it is a good precaution but will not help on a direct strike. The shield (braid) of most coax installations are all ready grounded if the antenna was properly installed. The arrestor is nothing more than a spark gap devise to the center conductor, some are an air gap, others have a gas tube gap. I use them because they also help in bleeding off static buildup. When checking out the type you want to use make sure it will handle any additional wattage you plan to run.

3's

Greg

What brand arrestors do you use MD?

[nosaj]

I was listening to ARRL The Doctor is In podcast the other day and the suggestion was to put you anteena on a switch on the input and the selector side on is your rig and the other goes to a dummy load. This was also suggested to my by another Ham who has successfully used it for years and no lost radios.
If your a ham ARRL also offers Shack insurance.
nosaj
N1EBC

[MDYoungblood]

I have arrestors install on all the coax's entering the house, they are installed outside and connected to my grounding rods and loop system. My other line of protection is at my radio room, all antenna connections not in use are grounded to the outside as well. Like sonoma said it is a good precaution but will not help on a direct strike. The shield (braid) of most coax installations are all ready grounded if the antenna was properly installed. The arrestor is nothing more than a spark gap devise to the center conductor, some are an air gap, others have a gas tube gap. I use them because they also help in bleeding off static buildup. When checking out the type you want to use make sure it will handle any additional wattage you plan to run.

3's

Greg

What brand arrestors do you use MD?

I like this type,

I do check to see what voltage the gas tube is, 350v tube is good to 300w, 600v tube will handle 1K, right now I have 4 in a 6" square water tight box with the SO239 coming out the bottom for antenna connections. The switch in the house grounds all unused antennas and when a storm in close the switch can ground all antennas.

3's

Greg

[Bluerunner]

I use a shorted 1/4 wave stub with the short connected to a ground rod.
It puts the shield and center conductor at a DC short to ground.
The dead short is invisible to the CB frequencies, but anything else goes to ground.
Such a stub is only good for a single band antenna.
The bandwidth is good enough for the CB band.
The best you can hope for with anything is to bleed off static charges or maybe a little whisker from a nearby strike which may happen more often than a direct hit.
Another advantage to a shorted stub is that it can help clean up harmonics too.

[rudy]

I had direct strike to a Shakespeare big stick mounted on a 40' tower.

The antenna was blown apart. We found fiberglass on a roof two houses away.

The tower rested against my gutters with rubber hoses covering 2 legs of the tower. The hoses were charred.

My radio room was in the basement at the time. My CB was not connected to the antenna. Neither were my 2 scanners or my shortwave receiver.

All of them were on top of my gun safe. There was a black spot on the top of my safe.

The safe was plugged into a power strip on the floor. The surge protector on the power strip blew out. The red plastic lens cover was imbedded in the ceiling above the safe.

None of my radios worked. Insurance paid for all of them. I told a ham operator at work about the incident. He looked at the radios and told me that there were 'circuit breakers' in each of them. They all worked the next day.

The insurance company told me that I should be thankful that I had the tower. It diverted a lightning strike that would have hit the roof right over my son's bedroom!

I was outside during the storm. It was raining cats and dogs. I had just jumped over the chain-link fence next to the tower. I was three steps away from a puddle of water at the base of my tower when the strike occurred. I didn't hear the strike, but I was blinded by the light for a second. A neighbor saw it and said it took me 2 steps to go 40 feet to the front door. I don't remember running.

[Lost Ram]

The best protection is to have your mast away from your house or shack. If weather is coming remove the coax from the house connection and put it far away from buildings. This is the best way to avoid a direct hit. Lightning arrestors help with LIGHT static or LIGHT stray non direct hits. These gadgets as MDY mentioned dont work on hits/strikes, its does not see these gadgets at all. LIghtning will travel on all wires and metal it finds, inches or feet away. A static dissipater is best for static or stray hits. You can discuss this matter for DAYS if wanted. If you ever see a direct hit you will understand how its not going to care about your safety gadgets or efforts you make to redirect its non discriminate force of disaster.

[nk14zp]

A tip to all that unscrew the coax. Unscrew the mic too. It's a good reminder to not use the radio.

[MDYoungblood]

I use a shorted 1/4 wave stub with the short connected to a ground rod.
It puts the shield and center conductor at a DC short to ground.
The dead short is invisible to the CB frequencies, but anything else goes to ground.
Such a stub is only good for a single band antenna.
The bandwidth is good enough for the CB band.
The best you can hope for with anything is to bleed off static charges or maybe a little whisker from a nearby strike which may happen more often than a direct hit.
Another advantage to a shorted stub is that it can help clean up harmonics too.

This is the best way but I use my antennas for several frequencies (bands) so I can't use it.

3's

Greg

[MDYoungblood]

The best protection is to have your mast away from your house or shack. If weather is coming remove the coax from the house connection and put it far away from buildings. This is the best way to avoid a direct hit. Lightning arrestors help with LIGHT static or LIGHT stray non direct hits. These gadgets as MDY mentioned dont work on hits/strikes, its does not see these gadgets at all. LIghtning will travel on all wires and metal it finds, inches or feet away. A static dissipater is best for static or stray hits. You can discuss this matter for DAYS if wanted. If you ever see a direct hit you will understand how its not going to care about your safety gadgets or efforts you make to redirect its non discriminate force of disaster.

You are totally right, nothing will save you in the event of a direct strike.
If you look at some of my posts about grounding I stipulate that it is not to save your equipment or house but to cover yourself with the insurance company that is going to ask was this installation done to your local electrical code.
The "gadgets" I use do dissipate a static charge and probably saved my equipment from a local strike 2 years ago, (200ft away) with only 1 of the 4 tubes breaking, that antenna was disconnected on the radio side of the arrestor at the time, the other 3 antennas were connected to ground by the coaxial switch (Alpha Delta -4). This happened not by a direct strike but possible a spur (arc) from the strike. BTW, the strike took out a 60ft street lamp and several hundred feet of buried feeder wiring.

3's

Greg

[MDYoungblood]

I had direct strike to a Shakespeare big stick mounted on a 40' tower.

The antenna was blown apart. We found fiberglass on a roof two houses away.

The tower rested against my gutters with rubber hoses covering 2 legs of the tower. The hoses were charred.

My radio room was in the basement at the time. My CB was not connected to the antenna. Neither were my 2 scanners or my shortwave receiver.

All of them were on top of my gun safe. There was a black spot on the top of my safe.

The safe was plugged into a power strip on the floor. The surge protector on the power strip blew out. The red plastic lens cover was imbedded in the ceiling above the safe.

None of my radios worked. Insurance paid for all of them. I told a ham operator at work about the incident. He looked at the radios and told me that there were 'circuit breakers' in each of them. They all worked the next day.

The insurance company told me that I should be thankful that I had the tower. It diverted a lightning strike that would have hit the roof right over my son's bedroom!

I was outside during the storm. It was raining cats and dogs. I had just jumped over the chain-link fence next to the tower. I was three steps away from a puddle of water at the base of my tower when the strike occurred. I didn't hear the strike, but I was blinded by the light for a second. A neighbor saw it and said it took me 2 steps to go 40 feet to the front door. I don't remember running.

You were very lucky, I'd be buying lottery tickets after that.
I learned a lot about my radio stuff and insurance companies my first go round with Mother Nature in 1978 when I did have a direct strike. Took out my Moonraker 4 , CDE Ham IV rotor, top of a Rohn 25G tower, the mounting bracket to the eave, and the car (1974 Plymouth "Cuda) sitting under all this which also had a CB inside. Inside, the radios were saved because it was all disconnected but my bench had a burn mark from a disconnected coax all the way across it to a receptacle plate screw, the spark/arc traveled about 8ft. 20 minutes before that I was sitting at the bench shooting skip. The early warning severe weather system back then was looking out a window, lol.
Anyway, my homeowners insurance covered everything (was all done to code and by permits) but the damage to the bench, my agent cringed when he had to "Total" the car.

3's

Greg

[The DB]

I think these videos will help explain the goals of lightening protection with antennas. Essentially you want the antenna to become a lightening rod...






The DB

[trx680]

I think these videos will help explain the goals of lightening protection with antennas. Essentially you want the antenna to become a lightening rod...






The DB

watched those videos. I'm looking at more now. Interesting!!
but I see there are some that don't believe.
http://stormhighway.com/lightning_rods_discharge_thunderstorm_cloud_myth.php

[trx680]

I think these videos will help explain the goals of lightening protection with antennas. Essentially you want the antenna to become a lightening rod...






The DB

This is what we need
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjg7LsSZ1tI

[jessejamesdallas]

watched those videos. I'm looking at more now. Interesting!!
but I see there are some that don't believe.
http://stormhighway.com/lightning_rods_discharge_thunderstorm_cloud_myth.php

I tend to lean more towards what this guy said than the other videos... although I'm sure lightning rods can't hurt, IMO if Mother Nature want's to fry your stuff with a bolt of lightning, there's not much you can do to stop her...Just need to make sure your Home Owners Insurance is up to date...

[The DB]

I am curious how they get the opposite polarity on the tip of said device. If its just a separate piece of metal above and isolated from the lightening rod (or whatever is below), I'm sorry but it doesn't work that way. Further, $25,000 to $37,500? At that pricing I would not assume that it is simply a passive hunk of metal... Can you afford such a device to go on the tip of your sub $500 antenna, and can the antenna support its weight?

Further, the claims they are making are clearly demonstrated in the videos I have posted, even without such a device, so take that for what it is worth.

In the end, its your antenna system, do what you want. A proper lightening protection system both lessens the chances of a lightening strike, and if one should happen protects the equipment in your shack as well, even if it was transmitting at the time of the strike. I recommend doing actual research on this, and whatever it is you do I also suggest not taking shortcuts. A lot more than just your radio equipment can be affected by this.


The DB