Dave, You need more than one ground rod for a lightning ground unless you are going to completely disconnect everything from the shack.
73 Gary K4FMX > > I appreciate all the email on this subject. > > Interestingly, when lightning rods were placed on barns all over this > country, I cannot recall any barn in our region ever catching on fire > because of a lightning strike. I am sure that it did happen in other > regions, particularly, in the Midwest/ The installation was to run a > very > large conductor cable from the lightning rod to the ground. There were > generally two rods on either end of the roof. I would theorize that a > lightning strike should be directed to a ground rod placed a few feet from > the tower rather than to travel under the base of the tower as some have > suggested. I am going to ground the tower at the three legs with a copper > strap and then to a ground rod about 3 feet from the tower. > > Also, the Empire State Building and other skyscrapers get struck many > times > during a thunder storm and I wonder if anyone knows if the lightning > travels > through the superstructure or through cables/straps to the base of the > building and through ground rods. > > Thanks > > Dave, W3ST > Publisher of the Collins Journal > Secretary to the Collins Radio Association > www.collinsra.com - the CRA Website > Now with PayPal > CRA Nets: 3805 Khz every Monday at 8 PM EST > and 14255 every Saturday at 12 Noon EST > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Gary Schafer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "'Stevan A. White'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "'Discussion of AM Radio'" > <amradio@mailman.qth.net>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, June 12, 2006 10:10 PM > Subject: [Boatanchors] RE: [AMRadio] Tower Construction > > > > Be careful when giving this advice. > > A UFER ground is a good SUPLEMENTAL ground in a tower base but it should > > not > > be the only ground. A large area like a floor of a building provides > more > > surface for the lightning to dissipate. A tower concrete foundation may > > not > > be large enough by itself and there is the possibility of poor > connections > > inside so that the concrete crack from a lightning strike if it is the > > only > > ground connection. It is always recommended that ground rods be attached > > to > > each tower leg in addition. > > > > 73 > > Gary K4FMX > >
