On Aug 30, 2005, at 4:18 AM, Nick Waterman wrote:
Bill Coleman wrote:
Antennas where disconnected and the house next door took the direct
hit
and blew a big chunk out of the back of the house.
Don't just disconnect your antennas - GROUND them.
Possibly would have saved your rig.
Serious?
What's more likely to be hit by lightning? A big, high-up, earthed
conductor, or a big, high-up conductor who's potential is allowed to
drift around a bit?
In fact, when scientists want to study lightning, don't they do it by
attaching earthed wires to fireworks and shooting them into
thunderclouds?
You might be right, but I'd like to understand why - it sounds like
you'd be making an almost ideal lightning target :-)
I think it's already a target, being a conductor in the sky and all,
and nothing short of taking it down will change that (the lightning
would much rather go through metal for some distance rather than air).
The question is, is it a target that is open at the bottom, very near
your rig, with lightning shooting out of it across your desk, looking
for a place to go?
Or is it a target that is grounded at the bottom, giving the lightning
someplace to go that isn't your rig?
That's how I think of it, but having said all that, I'm in a nice low
area that never ever gets struck, so I don't worry about it.
_______________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net
You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
