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Grounding & Materials
We have discussed the lightning event, how sites get damaged, and how to direct this damaging energy to earth ground.
There are many opinions about how to ground equipment inside the equipment room. Two options are presented here.
Proper lightning protection for a ham radio station can involve more variables than any other type of radio site.
Wood or fiberglass support structures are not a good idea. They are an insulator.
One of the basic ideas in developing a protection strategy is not allowing stray energy to flow through the equipment. There are several ways to accomplish this.
The purpose of any coax protector is to equalize the center conductor potential with the shield potential to minimize current flow through the equipment input.
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is an intense electromagnetic field that can instantly overload electrical circuits and damage microelectronics, electrical control and communications systems
Combining consists of summing multiple channels together to feed onto a common cable. Low frequencies and higher frequencies will in time reach a peak voltage together of the same polarity.
The sudden release of gamma rays (high energy rays) in a nuclear explosion will cause almost instant ionization (the removal of electrons from atoms) of the atmospheric gases that surround the detonation.
Outdoor Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Security Cameras can be a prime target for lightning. They are usually mounted on a building or other vantage point such as a metal o r wood pole.
