Unbelievable.

[Doctnj]

This is what it looks like when you rent a hammer drill for the weekend and then turns out you can shove it in the ground bare handed with a couple light taps with an actual hammer. Can not explain it

[AdmiralCochrane]

The only thing better is clearing the mulch and finding a rod already attached to your house; no its not the electric service ground, that's on the other side of the house. I just pulled my grounds to it and clamped it on.  I might drive the second rod in and attach it anyway.

[Doctnj]

49 minutes ago, AdmiralCochrane said:

The only thing better is clearing the mulch and finding a rod already attached to your house; no its not the electric service ground, that's on the other side of the house. I just pulled my grounds to it and clamped it on.  I might drive the second rod in and attach it anyway.

I put in a pool years back and took hours to pound in a rod. This one is around the corner but 8' up from foundation in basement.  The ground rod for pool was just started at the depth in the soil.  The dirt on side of house is dirt taken from basement and used to fill in.  So maybe not as much rock.  If you don't haul in dirt, the back yard will resemble a gravel road. 

I guess an up shot on this is this will make the third ground rod tied in to our house. However I have lost two HD projectors and two receivers and 7 channel amplifier.  An on top of it all, all utilities are underground.  HDMI ports a very susceptible surges. Now it's become part of my prestorm routine to unplug everything to protect everything in the movie mostly

[AdmiralCochrane]

My house has 2 old wells still connected to the grounding.  The foundling rod is probably early cable TV ground, my electric service has its original in the basement rod and a newer outdoor rod.   I still lost a power supply buffer board in an HF rig last summer in a strike 60 ft from the house. The neighbors lost 2 TV's and 2 window shakers. .  Now I have a Rig Runner power supply block that I disconnect everything from when not in use.  

[SkylinesSuck]

Do antennas attract more lightening than normal?  I understand the physics and technicals of it, but from practical experience, does it happen a lot?  I properly ground everything, but I am very inclined to leave everything plugged in and not worry about it. I have a lot more expensive equipment than my GMRS radios plugged in and I have never decided it was worth it to go unplug everything before a potential lightning storm.  I'm more worried about safety than anything else.

I wonder if home owners insurance covers lightning strikes.

[kidphc]

This is what it looks like when you rent a hammer drill for the weekend and then turns out you can shove it in the ground bare handed with a couple light taps with an actual hammer. Can not explain it

Sorry. Rather that then cussing pounding it and wishing you had the hammer drill right? Might as well pound some more in, not.

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[Doctnj]

I would have actually bet my life I would not have been able to do that and really expected it to take a while with the rotory hammer. 

 

I do have another question along the same line "grounding". I have a bar to mount the surgery protector on but can't seem to find a clamp as a pass through clamp that will mount on the bar. 

The holes are 1" centers or 3/4" center depending on the direction of mounting.  

I pretty sure one that I saw was a square with a single mounting bolt and a screw to clamp down on wire.  

Im sure there is a metric ton of talk about grounding.  I'm just first trying to source the clamp I saw. 

Thanks again 

[kidphc]

Is this what you are talking about?

https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-ucgc-z

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[mbrun]

Do antennas attract more lightening than normal?  I understand the physics and technicals of it, but from practical experience, does it happen a lot?  I properly ground everything, but I am very inclined to leave everything plugged in and not worry about it. I have a lot more expensive equipment than my GMRS radios plugged in and I have never decided it was worth it to go unplug everything before a potential lightning storm.  I'm more worried about safety than anything else.
I wonder if home owners insurance covers lightning strikes.

My understanding is no, generally speaking. Your antenna is no more likely to take a direct hit than you, a tree or some other structure in your vicinity. Your antenna becomes just another of millions of potential other targets in the area. Perhaps if you were mounting it substantially above (say 5 times and more) above the average elevation of other structures in your area you might find a statistically greater chance of a direct hit.

This past year I watched a science episode where they spent time on this subject. Super tall structures (think spire on top of a tall downtown tower, or a 1000’ tall broadcast TV antenna tower) reportedly do have a statistically significant increase in likelihood of a direct strike. My recollection of the research reported is that in areas that are already prone to lighting strikes, the area including and immediately around the area of highest average elevation (manmade or natural) was more prone to get hit than the lower average area 2 miles or more away. For example, the area including and immediately surrounding a mountain will take more direct hits than the flat area 2 miles or more a way from the mountain, and similarly with metro areas with loads of skyscrapers.

I have heard (but have not researched to confirm) that some insurance companies do not cover damage to electronics any longer unless the house is properly grounded per the code and either has a whole-house surge suppressor or the individual products damaged where connected to local surge suppressors at the time of incident. I also understand that where an antenna is involved, the antenna also needs to have been property grounded per code also.


Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

[kidphc]

I have heard (but have not researched to confirm) that some insurance companies...


Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

Speaking of insurance, I need to find out what waivers I need for my mobile radios in my truck.

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[gf66]

22 hours ago, SkylinesSuck said:

Do antennas attract more lightening than normal?  I understand the physics and technicals of it, but from practical experience, does it happen a lot?  I properly ground everything, but I am very inclined to leave everything plugged in and not worry about it. I have a lot more expensive equipment than my GMRS radios plugged in and I have never decided it was worth it to go unplug everything before a potential lightning storm.  I'm more worried about safety than anything else.

I wonder if home owners insurance covers lightning strikes.

if lighting does strike, i'd bet it grabs a hold of the lighting rod/antenna  before anything else. Shot an arrow in an oak tree about 20' up, lighting struck, happened to pick that tree out of hundreds around it and blew that arrow out. It has never stuck that tree again. Always best to disconnect, but I'm not sure lighting won't just jump and still fry everything.

If you can't pound a rod in it can be buried horizontally. 

[JohnE]

a little light reading

https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/Lands_ROW_Motorola_R56_2005_manual.pdf

note: this is from 05 , there have been updates

[Doctnj]

I went with this clamp.  The other one I saw was back when I was looking at other folks installs.  Now can't find the web site.  I think this will be just as good. Clamp it down on bus bar and run ground wire through and down to being welded on rod. 

[n4gix]

It is more likely that damage could be caused from a 'near strike' than from a 'direct strike' on your antenna(s). That's where 'lighting protectors' and a properly bonded system just may actually protect your gear!

[gf66]

13 minutes ago, Doctnj said:

I went with this clamp.  The other one I saw was back when I was looking at other folks installs.  Now can't find the web site.  I think this will be just as good. Clamp it down on bus bar and run ground wire through and down to being welded on rod. 

old faithful. I do like those clamps kidphc linked

[widnerkj]

old faithful. I do like those clamps kidphc linked

I mean, if you feel crazy, and know a substation electrician, you could barter to do a “cad-weld” but that’s likely overkill. Greybar electrical supply will usually have the lugs, clamps and such.