On the contrary, most of the stuff that was disconnected was 
unaffected.  If I hadn't had the rotor control box plugged into the strip 
with the computer, the strip with the computer on it probably would have 
survived as well.  The real problem was insufficient grounding on the 
antenna systems.  But, my point is that even if your antennas aren't high, 
they can still be lightning targets because the same thing that makes an 
antenna a good radiator also makes it an attractive lightning target.

I suspect that with proper grounding the flashing problem wouldn't have 
been a problem.  Ultimately, it looks like lightning found its path to 
ground through my telephone system.  Ultimately, I'd like to build 
something like I had at my first location--a weatherized outdoor box where 
I could ground everything and disconnect all of the coax cables going into 
the shack.  Apart from the Kenwood TS130S, which was grounded, the damage 
from the first lightning hit was far more limited than it was from the 
second strike which tells me that the disconnect everything and ground all 
of the antennas is the right approach for minimizing property loss.

Even in the second strike, the most costly part of the damage was the 
destruction of the rotator and the coaxial cable, which would have been 
destroyed in any case.  The only thing that would save that stuff is if you 
could prevent the lightning strike in the first place, which is impossible 
to head off 100% of the time.  If you had deep enough pockets to put in a 
commercial grade installation in the fashion that the broadcasters do, you 
could probably drastically reduce the scope and likelihood of damage 
occurring, but even broadcast transmitters get fried once in awhile.

73, de Lou K2LKK



At 11:04 AM 10/22/2006 -0600, you wrote:
>I think a common thread here in both of these stories is that most of the
>electrical appliances weren't properly grounded.
>When you disconnect all the equipment from the house hold wiring, it takes
>away the AC ground, and unless you have every peace of equipment in your
>house tied to your RF grounding system, the lightening energy will have no
>where to go once it gets into the shack.
>Its probably better to leave everything connected to the AC wiring, but
>disconect and ground all coaxes coming in.
>Including roter cables as well.
>Good practice would be to have a bulk head with connecters on it that goes
>straight to a good grounding system that all the coaxes can be connected to,
>in order to prevent arking within switches and so on.
>Even all that sometimes doesn't help though.
>73
>Colin, V A6BKX
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Louis Kim Kline" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2006 9:57 AM
>Subject: Re: Verticals High Up
>
>
> > Hi Phil.
> >
> > Unfortunately,
> > there aren't any guarantees when it comes to lightning.  I have had direct
> > lightning strikes on my amateur radio station twice.  The first time,
> > lightning hit my mast with my 70 cm Quagi at 45 ft.  Surprisingly, the
> > antenna survived, although the antenna rotator was totaled.  I also
>damaged
> > a Kenwood TS130S, which was disconnected but lost a voltage regulator and
>a
> > microphone driver transistor anyway.
> >
> > The second time I got hit was just last year when I took a hit on my
> > G5RV.  Strangely, it wasn't my highest antenna, being only 25 ft. in the
> > air.  Both my GAP Titan and the VHF/UHF antennas are higher.  The one set
> > of VHF/UHF beams caught one fork, but the Tri-band Comet on the mast that
> > supports one end of the G5RV was untouched, and the GAP which should have
> > been an ideal target was also untouched.  Go figure.
> >
> > The second strike was more costly in monetary terms, as I had another
> > totaled rotator, most of my coax had to be replaced, a couple of antennas
> > had to be replaced, and a GE Super Radio 2 that just happened to be in the
> > shack got fried.  Surprisingly, none of the amateur radio transceivers or
> > receivers were damaged.  However, I had a surge protector that exploded,
> > and all of the plugs were welded into the power strip that the rotor
> > control box was plugged into.  There were flash marks on the case of the
> > computer that was also plugged into that strip, and the telephone and DSL
> > filter in the ham shack were fried.  Miraculously, when I put a new cord
>on
> > the computer, it booted up and I've never had a problem with it since the
> > strike.  Apparently all of the energy stayed on the surface of the case.
> >
> > The point is that the power strip that got blasted was unplugged from the
> > wall.  The coax cables were all disconnected.  The radios were all
> > unplugged and disconnected.  And my antennas are no higher than your R7,
> > and I still took a hit.  It's one of the risks you live with.  My advice
>is
> > to put good lightning protection on the antennas with good grounding and
> > realize that even houses with no antennas on them sometimes get hit.  It's
> > not a very safe world that we live in.
> >
> > Thankfully, in your story and mine, no one was seriously injured or
>killed,
> > and as for the monetary damage, that's what they have insurance for.
> >
> > 73, de Lou K2LKK
> >
> >
> > At 11:05 PM 10/21/2006 -0600, you wrote:
> > >I sent this to the wrong list first.
> > >
> > >
> > > > Several years ago, after fiddling around with two 18AVQ verticals on
>my
> > > > roof, separated by 60 feet and fed broadside, I gave up.  I discovered
>to
> > > > two dad blamed verticals were not mechanically identical.  I
>discovered
> > >this
> > > > by taking them down, putting them side by side, and starting from the
> > > > bottom, feeling my way inch by inch up the tubing.  I discovered they
>were
> > > > slightly made differently.  I did get them to work but I could never
>get
> > > > them to match at 3800 where I wanted them.  So, I figured, well,
>shoot, I
> > > > don't have any rotating antennas on top of, at that time, my 55 foot
>tower
> > > > so pick the best of the two verticals, and put it up there.  I cuts 17
> > > > radials, each, 65 feet or longer, got the vertical on top of the
>tower,
> > > > which I discovered I needed help doing so a friend helped, and started
> > > > stringing the wires out and tying them to trees, fence posts, the
>house,
> > >and
> > > > every thing I could find.  It was August the first that day.  I fired
>up
> > >on
> > > > 75 meters that night and the antenna, at 55 feet, with that much wire
> > >under
> > > > it, was a canon.  Hot dog!  I can't wait until the band builds up for
>the
> > > > winter DX season.  Two weeks later, a friend came over, he isn't a
>ham,
> > >and
> > > > worked on my computer.  We were standing in the very room I am in
>right
> > >now.
> > > > My antenna was disconnected, all my antennas were grounded, and as we
> > > > talked, my friend, who was born in Colorado said, Man, I've never seen
>a
> > > > lightning storm like this before.  It was a dry lightning storm.  I
>could
> > > > hear thunder rolling off the mountains but it was still far off.  The
> > > > lightning wasn't, far off, that is.  There is a question in this story
>so
> > > > keep reading.  I'm leaning against my metal desk talking to my friend.
>My
> > > > grounding switch with the antennas all switched to ground, was three
>feet
> > > > away.  Suddenly, my ears popped and switched off.  I thought I had
>heard a
> > > > small pop in the room.  My ears rang but I could hear enough to talk
>and
> > > > communicate.  The man's wife had just walked into my office to see if
>we
> > > > were about done when she saw the flash over on the coax switch but she
> > >also
> > > > said she saw a flash of light behind my equipment.  Wonderful.  She
> > >reached
> > > > over and grabbed my arm and said, Get away from there.  Every breaker
>in
> > >my
> > > > breaker box had tripped.  My ground rod is about 5 feet from the
>breaker
> > > > box.  It hit my 18AVQ at 55 feet, blew the top three feet off, which
>was
> > >the
> > > > 80 meter coil and whip sections, and from the energy build up in the
>room,
> > > > popped a couple of diodes in my ten tec transceiver.  It also burned
>up
> > >one
> > > > telephone and a few light bulbs throughout the house.  The coax
>connectors
> > > > at either end of the RG8 running to the vertical were burn black.  So,
>I
> > >now
> > > > have the R7 and normally use it on my roof at about 15 feet.  I have,
> > >bolted
> > > > to the back of my home, a 50 foot tower that had a two meter and 70
> > > > centimeter 26 foot diamond antenna.  We have high winds in January and
> > > > February but this last season, was ridiculous.  That dumb 400 dollar
>two
> > > > meter 70 CM antenna didn't survive.  Makes me mad.  So, I both a
>shorter
> > > > diamond dual bander and put it on the roof for safe keeping.  So my
> > >question
> > > > is, I know this was an unusual storm but I am a little gun shy now
>about
> > > > putting my R7 up on my 50 foot tower.  I've talked with guys with R7
> > > > verticals on 40 foot towers and shoot, all our repeaters around Denver
>are
> > > > on 9 and 10 and 11 thousand foot mountains.  So I keep trying to talk
> > >myself
> > > > into putting the vertical on this tower.  What do you think?  I like
>the
> > > > idea because of not having to string radials all over the property.
>What
> > >I
> > > > am more afraid of is that the vertical won't take the wind more than
>it
> > >will
> > > > be hit by lightning.
> > > >
> > > > Phil.
> > > > K0NX
> >
> > Louis Kim Kline
> > A.R.S. K2LKK
> > Home e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
> > Work e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
> > Work Telephone:  (585) 697-5753

Louis Kim Kline
A.R.S. K2LKK
Home e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
Work e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
Work Telephone:  (585) 697-5753