IMO that 10 ga wire will act like a fuse in the event of a strike. I am surprised the NEC allows such a small wire. Up here EVERYTHING requires a minimum of 6 ga wire for grounding. Even your satellite dish has to be grounded with 6 ga.
Mostly right...Except for allowing the lightning from making a direct path - this would just allow it to pass thru too many other paths/things (like your house - perhaps) instead of going straight to ground. If it is going to come down near you - because the Earth potential charge is great enough - you can't stop it. Which would you rather have? Better grounded antennas have a better chance of survival if they pass the current - rather than resisting it. I don't think any of us can afford to do it the way broadcast stations do it. I could b wrong about the method/cost .this is just my opinion ...... and i have no problem being corrected if im wrong since im here to learn ...
it seems to me ........ that since metal is a excellent conductor that if the ground is charged to attract lightning that having a metal pole sticking high up out of it and having the antenna sticking up even higher (and grounded to earth) carries that charge up even higher and then concentrates it to a small point at the tip of the antenna making it essentially a lightning rod . my thinking is that insulating/isolating the mast from ground contact and the antenna from mast and ground contact reduces the likely hood of them attracting lightning . and as i said i disconnect the coax in the house if im away long or notice bad weather coming in .
this is just my opinion ...... and i have no problem being corrected if im wrong since im here to learn ...
it seems to me ........ that since metal is a excellent conductor that if the ground is charged to attract lightning that having a metal pole sticking high up out of it and having the antenna sticking up even higher (and grounded to earth) carries that charge up even higher and then concentrates it to a small point at the tip of the antenna making it essentially a lightning rod . my thinking is that insulating/isolating the mast from ground contact and the antenna from mast and ground contact reduces the likely hood of them attracting lightning . and as i said i disconnect the coax in the house if im away long or notice bad weather coming in .
The whole idea behind the 10ga wire isn't to discharge energy from a strike, but to dissipate and prevent the STATIC CHARGE (caused by wind friction) from building up on the antenna...that is what caused the lightning to be attracted to a particular thing. Being "insulated" from the ground makes that charge stay on the antenna, and not dissipate to somewhere else.
As previously noted, 6ga wire will not handle the current from a lightning strike. I believe the reason 6ga wire is specified for electric panels and such is the fact your *could* have as much current as you have service electric passing though it in a direct short...in other words 200A in most cases. Its not really there to protect from lightning strikes. There's no high amperage "electrical" connection to your antenna, therefore; you don't need the heavier wire to carry a lot of amperage away in the case of a direct short.
Ground the antenna isn't to survive a direct strike, but merely dissipate energy build up to HELP prevent the strike from occurring. As we all know, lightning is unpredictable.
And don't get me wrong, this is just what I have read on the net over the last day or so...and this is how I understand things.
I a little late to this tread..... lightening arrestor AR-10 from claysradioshop.com it can be used for both Mobil and base, however the base application is allot like ppl are describing here. Go to the site and check it out in accessories section. For $ 5.95 it may be some really cheap insurance.....
ROADTRAIN
CK Im with ya here I am a true believer that if its your day to take that one in a millon chances of a hit then its your day and theres nothing a person can do because its gonna happen your taking the hit reguardless what you do and unless you spend what broadcast stations do with the same effectivness then all a person can do is what I do disconnect and get the coax the hell out of the house.
I deal with the "nec " at work and it can mis-lead you. The nec recomendations are the very least required to do the job, not the max.
Forget about a direct hit, thats usually a total loss. As stated by "the jerk" grounding and bonding is to disipate the static charge from your tower and to try and direct a hit to ground without going through your equipment.