Eric,

If a sighted ham waits till he sees flashes of lightening before
disconnecting, he has waited too long.
I'm not sure I agree 100 percent with the posts saying you have nothing to
worry about with a small antenna close to the ground.   Don't forget that a
close by hit on a  tree, utility pole, neighbors house, etc.  will  put a
surge into surrounding objects, like your antenna.  This surge won't turn
your rig into a smoking pile of junk, but can blow out the front end of your
receiver.

Be smart and disconnect when not in use.  Perhaps spend 50 bucks on  a coax
suppressor from  Alpha Delta, ICE, or Polyphaser for a  little peace of
mind.

You can stay connected for 20  years and  never have a problem, or you can
get your rig fried a week from  next  Tuesday.   Figure your odds and take
your chances.

Have fun, Steve KW3A



----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Patterson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 12:00 AM
Subject: Re: Do you know when to disconnect your antenna?


> I have a VHF/UHF radio.  My antenna is connected to a metal pipe, which is
> mounted to my deck rail.  It is only about 37 inches off the ground and
the
> transmission line runs around the corner of my deck into the bedroom of my
> apartment.  According to the local operator who helped me set this
equipment
> up, my antenna is low enough that I should not have to worry about a
> lightening strike.  I live in Beaverton, Oregon, which is a suburb of the
> Portland area.  While we don't get a lot of lightening, I heard some
reports
> about possible thunder showers.  Should I still be concerned?  Thanks
again.
>
> Eric
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Blind-Hams For blind ham radio operators
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Colin McDonald
> Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 8:24 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Do you know when to disconnect your antenna?
>
>
> yeh that is a good point, on HF gear especially, you can hear the static
> crashes start to increase in intensity when there is lightening in the
area.
> You should be able to hear it on VHF as well if you have a substantial
> outdoor antenna which i am guessing you must if you are worried about
> lightening strikes.
> Make sure you have at least an 8 foot ground rod in and all your radio
> equipment and antenna well grounded to that ground rod.
> If you live in an area with allot of lightening possibilities perhaps do
> some research online regarding lightening arresters and lightening damage
> preventatives.
> 73
> Colin, VA6BKX
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Miller" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 8:04 PM
> Subject: Re: Do you know when to disconnect your antenna?
>
>
> > I just wait for thunder,  otherwise, I hope some one tells me there's
> > lightning, or you can hear the crashes in the radio if it's on.
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Eric Patterson" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 9:21 PM
> > Subject: Do you know when to disconnect your antenna?
> >
> >
> > Hi all, I have an interesting question for the group:
> >         If you can't see streaks of lightening, how do you know when it
is
> > necessary to disconnect your antenna?  Sometimes, you can hear the
thunder
> > and you would disconnect the antenna when you hear it.  However, if
there
> is
> > a lightening strike and you don't hear anything, how do you know when
your
> > antenna should be disconnected?  Thanks in advance.
> >
> > Eric
> >
>
>
>