LIGHTINING STRIKES.

[Stellasarat]

Has anyone ever had a lightning strike on an anantenna of any type? Be it a tv antenna, Ham or cb and if so was it grounded or not? Maybe you know someone or have seen one that was stuck. What was the outcome? What can happen to an antenna and or equipment that's hooked up to the antenna? A house across the street from mine was struck. The corner of the home was blown apart. I was home at the time, it was the loudest explosion I ever heard . A two foot hole exposed there kitchen to sun light. For a short time thay kinda hinted around that it was my sigm That somehow caused the lightning to strike there house. After a brief talk with them I made them understand that in no uncertain terms that if thay didn't stop spreading rumors a fist would be stricking there sons jaw, thay retracted there request for $5000 to repair the missing part of there home.

 

[Oatmeal]

In the late 70's when I still lived at the old home place I had a super penetrator antenna which was 1500ft back on top of a mountain, and the antenna was 70ft in the top of a tree...and I had 2 separate ground wires , both was 10ga wire, coming from the bottom U bolt, down the tree to a ground rod that was 6ft in the ground, and it was a solid copper rod...

A thunder storm came through and the lighting hit the antenna, split the bottom section of the center section of the antenna, and the 4 radials where they bolted onto the center part, it split the first piece of the aluminum....burnt up the coax going up to the antenna, fried 500ft of the wire going down the mountain from the top, at the bottom burnt the coax....at the time I used to take the coax loose and put it in a jar, well the lighting broke the jar, and lite up the room......don't think this was a direct hit, but its had to hit close to my antenna to do all this..

At the time this happened, the radio, amps was all ok..

I did fix the antenna and put it back up, but not in the same place....

And now a days, I don't put the coax in a jar anymore either...

 

[The DB]

If you set the antenna up and ground it properly it will actually have the effect of lessening the chances of a lightening strike. Note, this does not completely eliminate the chance, it just lessens it. That being said, I'm not sure how your antenna was set up so I cannot comment directly on that.

I've seen a strike 100 feet away from an aluminum antenna vaporize the antenna. Its more than just the bolt that causes damage.

More than likely they were just trying to find someone to blame, or try and sue. Its how people in general are now days, they always try and blame someone else for their problems.


The DB

 

[TonyV225]

Ive seen more damage come from "Sideflashes" of lightning than "Direct' hits but after seeing the sideflash damage one should get an idea what a direct hit does and causes

 

[222DBFL]

Wow, that's sums it up well as far as the blame game goes Oatmeal. It's like someone backing into you and getting out of the car and saying it's your fault lol. Nobody wants to MAN UP these days and take responsibility for their actions. The DB is definitely right, many these days love to PLAY the blame game. Not how I was raised. Back to the topic. Like said, a properly grounded antenna and coax, along with the use of a good surge arrestor will go a long way to Saving your antenna. Best soliton when a big storm rolls through is to just unplug your coax from equipment. JMO. Better safe than sorry.

 

[43Echo695]

Any forum members had complications with home insurance companies after damage caused by lightning strikes to antennas?

Should one disclose they have a potential lightning rod above their QTH?

73's

 

[Shockwave]

Knowing the insurance companies have a full staff employed just for the purpose of squirming their way out of paying legitimate claims, I think I'd remove any trace of the antenna before I called the claim in. Even then they have a good chance of claiming it was an act of god or anything they can come up with to limit their liability. Then if you win they'll just drop you next year or raise your rates to compensate for the payout. Today insurance is only good for a catastrophic loss. Anything minor and you're better off just paying for it up front or they'll get you for twice as much in the long run.

 

[space cowboy]

not me, but I found this video while researching my lightning arrestor.
S9v Ham Radio Antenna VS. Lightning Strike - YouTube

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

Knowing the insurance companies have a full staff employed just for the purpose of squirming their way out of paying legitimate claims, I think I'd remove any trace of the antenna before I called the claim in. Even then they have a good chance of claiming it was an act of god or anything they can come up with to limit their liability. Then if you win they'll just drop you next year or raise your rates to compensate for the payout. Today insurance is only good for a catastrophic loss. Anything minor and you're better off just paying for it up front or they'll get you for twice as much in the long run.

There are insurance investigators. Years ago I was pushing for more green stuff from a lady's insurance company after she had pulled out in front of me in a tank/Lincoln Towncar. My wonderful new '88 Mazda MX-6 was totaled(wished they has airbags back then). I dropped the medical part of the lawsuit after the insurance company told me that a person that I had passed previous to the accident told them that I passed them at a high rate of speed. I did get a brand new replacement MX-6 out of it though. The car dealership couldn't figure out why the insurance company would allow me to replace it with a new one instead of used one.
There are eyes everywhere and something costly as a house would mean that an insurance investigator would go around asking people questions about you and your home.

 

[sp5it]

Has anyone ever had a lightning strike on an anantenna of any type?

A friend of mine antenna was stroked by a lightning once. Antron 99 on 8m pipe standing on a house. Antenna was completely destroyed as well as almost all electric devices in house. Even hairdyer.

My tower was hit once with direct strike. No causalities. All feeders were outside, tower is well grounded.
Mike

 

[Stellasarat]

I don't understand why items not directly hooked up to the antenna, that was struck such as, a hair dryer would get fryed. I'm not totally surprised as I know lightening has enough jiggawatts to blast a delorian back to the future.

 

[sp5it]

Lightning hit TV antenna in Poland. Cable was going through window frame:
http://obrazki.elektroda.pl/2768097100_1364923959.jpg
http://obrazki.elektroda.pl/9462609600_1364924052.jpg
Energy went through telecommunication cable and destroyed almost all electronic devices in 500m range.

Diamond x510. Lightning destroyed PC computer and router:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8gy65L9O97cQkg3Qk5BX1V4UE0/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8gy65L9O97cN0toNXJkSjk3b3M/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8gy65L9O97cR29BWV83UTM1bW8/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8gy65L9O97cQjk3R3AtNlFuMjg/edit?usp=sharing

That is car hit to CB antenna by a lightning on freeway in Poland: cbradio.pl - Forum dyskusyjne: Antena i dach po uderzeniu pioruna
Even battery dies. Driver alive.
Mike

 

[The DB]

I don't understand why items not directly hooked up to the antenna, that was struck such as, a hair dryer would get fryed.

When lightening strikes, it is more than just the bolt that causes damage.

Have you ever made a magnet by coiling wire around a nail and attaching that to a battery? What is happening there is a magnetic field, which is around wire, is effectively added by the coil and focused in the nail. That field exists with the current in lightening as well, except that the current in lightening creating the field is on orders of magnitude higher, making a much stronger version of the field that covers a much larger area. This field induces currents in other Conductors around it, much like a transformer works. Power lines, to phone and cable lines, or any wire of any kind can then lead the induced current, in the form of a surge, into you or your neighbors house and cause damage that way.


The DB

 

[Once Bitten]

Knowing the insurance companies have a full staff employed just for the purpose of squirming their way out of paying legitimate claims, I think I'd remove any trace of the antenna before I called the claim in. Even then they have a good chance of claiming it was an act of god or anything they can come up with to limit their liability. Then if you win they'll just drop you next year or raise your rates to compensate for the payout. Today insurance is only good for a catastrophic loss. Anything minor and you're better off just paying for it up front or they'll get you for twice as much in the long run.

Insurance is for " having" , not for "using".
In other words, have as much insurance as you need, just don't use it.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I don't understand why items not directly hooked up to the antenna, that was struck such as, a hair dryer would get fryed. I'm not totally surprised as I know lightening has enough jiggawatts to blast a delorian back to the future.

It's called EMP or Electro-Magnetic Pulse. It is a HUGE surge of energy that penetrates electronic gear and destroys the transistor junctions in solid state gear. Since it has an electrical component, as it moves out from the epicenter it induces an electrical current in any conductor exactly like a generator produces electricity by passing a conductor thru an electrical field. this induced electrical current is what destroys equipment as well.