Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Ref: NEC 810.15, 810.20, 810.21Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
Does the negative of the coaxial cable have to be grounded?
Which method is best for preventing lightening strikes?
** Yep.Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
Does the negative of the coaxial cable have to be grounded?
Which method is best for preventing lightening strikes?
actually, grounding it will attract near by strikes, but what ever..On Sun, 2 Jun 2013 02:05:29 -0400, "Humbled Survivor"
noreply@noreply.com> wrote:
Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
Does the negative of the coaxial cable have to be grounded?
Which method is best for preventing lightening strikes?
Ref: NEC 810.15, 810.20, 810.21
Both the antenna mast and the signal lead-in (via a listed antenna
discharge unit) should be grounded IAW the above sections.
Nothing prevents lightning strikes but the effects can be mitigated.
But the provisions of the NEC are not to protect from direct lightningRich Webb wrote:
On Sun, 2 Jun 2013 02:05:29 -0400, "Humbled Survivor"
noreply@noreply.com> wrote:
Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
Does the negative of the coaxial cable have to be grounded?
Which method is best for preventing lightening strikes?
Ref: NEC 810.15, 810.20, 810.21
Both the antenna mast and the signal lead-in (via a listed antenna
discharge unit) should be grounded IAW the above sections.
Not according to what I read.Nothing prevents lightning strikes but the effects can be mitigated.
actually, grounding it will attract near by strikes, but what ever..
Hams with high antennas routinely protect from direct strikes to theirTHe emf pulse of a strike directly on a grounded mast will more than
likely cook the front end of what ever is connected to it and maybe
even jump around a bit.
better read between the lines..On 6/2/2013 7:39 AM, Jamie wrote:
Rich Webb wrote:
On Sun, 2 Jun 2013 02:05:29 -0400, "Humbled Survivor"
noreply@noreply.com> wrote:
Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
Does the negative of the coaxial cable have to be grounded?
Which method is best for preventing lightening strikes?
Ref: NEC 810.15, 810.20, 810.21
Both the antenna mast and the signal lead-in (via a listed antenna
discharge unit) should be grounded IAW the above sections.
But the provisions of the NEC are not to protect from direct lightning
strikes to an antenna - much more elaborate protection is required. They
can provide protection from other surge sources, like near strikes.
For best protection the ground from antenna line entry protectors must
connect with a short wire to the power earthing system. You want to
minimize the voltage between power and antenna wires.
Nothing prevents lightning strikes but the effects can be mitigated.
actually, grounding it will attract near by strikes, but what ever..
Not according to what I read.
THe emf pulse of a strike directly on a grounded mast will more than
likely cook the front end of what ever is connected to it and maybe
even jump around a bit.
Hams with high antennas routinely protect from direct strikes to their
antennas. The rest of us are not likely to install the protection hams
install. But most of us do not have antennas as exposed as some ham
antennas.
I am a HAM, so if you're getting your information from there, then you
"Humbled Survivor"
Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
** Yep.
The pole needs to be linked to metal plumbing with a heavy gauge copper
wire.
Does the negative of the coaxial cable have to be grounded?
** If it is isolated by a "balun", then yep - it a good idea too.
Which method is best for preventing lightening strikes?
** Can I suggest you make your peace with god right now ??
... Phil
Roger all of the above.On 6/2/2013 7:39 AM, Jamie wrote:
Rich Webb wrote:
On Sun, 2 Jun 2013 02:05:29 -0400, "Humbled Survivor"
noreply@noreply.com> wrote:
Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
Does the negative of the coaxial cable have to be grounded?
Which method is best for preventing lightening strikes?
Ref: NEC 810.15, 810.20, 810.21
Both the antenna mast and the signal lead-in (via a listed antenna
discharge unit) should be grounded IAW the above sections.
But the provisions of the NEC are not to protect from direct lightning
strikes to an antenna - much more elaborate protection is required. They
can provide protection from other surge sources, like near strikes.
For best protection the ground from antenna line entry protectors must
connect with a short wire to the power earthing system. You want to
minimize the voltage between power and antenna wires.
If you get a 100,000 ampere lightning strike directly to anythingOn Sun, 02 Jun 2013 09:15:06 -0600, bud-- <remove.budn...@isp.com
wrote:
On 6/2/2013 7:39 AM, Jamie wrote:
Rich Webb wrote:
On Sun, 2 Jun 2013 02:05:29 -0400, "Humbled Survivor"
nore...@noreply.com> wrote:
Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
Does the negative of the coaxial cable have to be grounded?
Which method is best for preventing lightening strikes?
Ref: NEC 810.15, 810.20, 810.21
Both the antenna mast and the signal lead-in (via a listed antenna
discharge unit) should be grounded IAW the above sections.
But the provisions of the NEC are not to protect from direct lightning
strikes to an antenna - much more elaborate protection is required. They
can provide protection from other surge sources, like near strikes.
For best protection the ground from antenna line entry protectors must
connect with a short wire to the power earthing system. You want to
minimize the voltage between power and antenna wires.
Roger all of the above.
Re-reading the OP's question, he may have been asking if he could
ground the mast to the premise ground and bond the signal downlead
discharge gizmo to the mast's ground wire.
\ /
\ /---.
|| |
m || | R
a || | F
s || |
t || |
|| |
,-++---[ ] discharge unit
| || |
| `---------RF--
|
| grounding wire
__|+___
|| premise ground rod
||- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
And hams with high antennas are very likely to have good protection frombud-- wrote:
On 6/2/2013 7:39 AM, Jamie wrote:
Rich Webb wrote:
On Sun, 2 Jun 2013 02:05:29 -0400, "Humbled Survivor"
noreply@noreply.com> wrote:
Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
Does the negative of the coaxial cable have to be grounded?
Which method is best for preventing lightening strikes?
Ref: NEC 810.15, 810.20, 810.21
Both the antenna mast and the signal lead-in (via a listed antenna
discharge unit) should be grounded IAW the above sections.
But the provisions of the NEC are not to protect from direct lightning
strikes to an antenna - much more elaborate protection is required.
They can provide protection from other surge sources, like near strikes.
For best protection the ground from antenna line entry protectors must
connect with a short wire to the power earthing system. You want to
minimize the voltage between power and antenna wires.
Nothing prevents lightning strikes but the effects can be mitigated.
actually, grounding it will attract near by strikes, but what ever..
Not according to what I read.
THe emf pulse of a strike directly on a grounded mast will more than
likely cook the front end of what ever is connected to it and maybe
even jump around a bit.
Hams with high antennas routinely protect from direct strikes to their
antennas. The rest of us are not likely to install the protection hams
install. But most of us do not have antennas as exposed as some ham
antennas.
I am a HAM, so if you're getting your information from there, then you
better read between the lines..
Ham radio towers get hit many times in a season, they are not immune
from it.
The provisions in the NEC, which Rich referred to, are not intended toNEC guide lines is there to protect people and that means the structures
people live or work in. THey don't give a rats ass about
antennas and devices connected to them, getting destroyed, they encourage
it. That way the lightning will be drawn away from the structure in hopes
that any thing conducting to ground, your antenna and mast, will steer
it away.
The NEC *requires* a metal water service pipe (minimum 10 feet long inPhil Allison wrote:
"Humbled Survivor"
Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
** Yep.
The pole needs to be linked to metal plumbing with a heavy gauge copper
wire.
Does the negative of the coaxial cable have to be grounded?
** If it is isolated by a "balun", then yep - it a good idea too.
Which method is best for preventing lightening strikes?
** Can I suggest you make your peace with god right now ??
... Phil
It's illegal to use a pipe for ground in the US. The joints corrode,
and are high resistance to ground after years of use. You had to
install a bonding jumper around a water meter, years ago when it was
legal.
Gas service pipe is not allowed to be used as an earthing electrode bySome fools have used the wrong pipe for natural gas, then another
fool assumed they were water lines and used them for a ground. The
results were explosive and sometimes fatal.
length of your house, and from the main service panel to the groundIf you get a 100,000 ampere lightning strike directly to anything
other than a metal building, the V=IR (voltage = current x resistance)
drop is going to raise the voltage of everything tied together many
many volts. All you can do is try to keep everything at the same
(elevated) voltage to avoid killing people/animals. This is done by
tying everything to the same local internal "ground".
This is a fantasy, unless you have 1/4 " x 3" bus bars running the
On 6/2/2013 12:40 PM, Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Phil Allison wrote:
"Humbled Survivor"
Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
** Yep.
The pole needs to be linked to metal plumbing with a heavy gauge copper
wire.
Does the negative of the coaxial cable have to be grounded?
** If it is isolated by a "balun", then yep - it a good idea too.
Which method is best for preventing lightening strikes?
** Can I suggest you make your peace with god right now ??
... Phil
It's illegal to use a pipe for ground in the US. The joints corrode,
and are high resistance to ground after years of use. You had to
install a bonding jumper around a water meter, years ago when it was
legal.
The NEC *requires* a metal water service pipe (minimum 10 feet long in
the earth) be used as an earthing electrode, just like it has since time
began. Connection now has to be withing 5 feet of the entrance to the
house, and meters still have to have a bond around. Because plastic
water service pipe is becoming more common a "supplemental" electrode is
now also required. A metal municipal water system is the best earthing
electrode that is available at a house.
Some fools have used the wrong pipe for natural gas, then another
fool assumed they were water lines and used them for a ground. The
results were explosive and sometimes fatal.
Gas service pipe is not allowed to be used as an earthing electrode by
the NEC. But gas pipe is grounded by branch circuits, like at gas furnace.
CSST (corrugated stainless steel tubing) is becoming real common for
interior gas pipe because it is so easy to use. It is easy to use
because the wall is so thin. There have been many fires from arcing
between the thin pipe and nearby grounded surfaces. I believe all the
manufacturers now require the pipe be bonded to the house earthing
system in a way that results in the gas supply pipe being an earthing
electrode. 'Properly' bonded CSST has also caused fires. A
recommendation by an electrical inspector is for electricians to not do
the bonding, then they will not be named in the lawsuit.
Jon, Please note that I said you can "try", I didn't say you "could"hrhof...@sbcglobal.net wrote:
If you get a 100,000 ampere lightning strike directly to anything
other than a metal building, the V=IR (voltage = current x resistance)
drop is going to raise the voltage of everything tied together many
many volts. All you can do is try to keep everything at the same
(elevated) voltage to avoid killing people/animals. This is done by
tying everything to the same local internal "ground".
This is a fantasy, unless you have 1/4 " x 3" bus bars running the
length of your house, and from the main service panel to the ground
field, which would be maybe half an acre of bare welding cable
buried in the earth.
Otherwise, you simply can't get a low enough impedance to keep
the IR drop anywhere within reason. And, the induced voltages across
various points such as plumbing and plugged-in appliances can
be lethal. (later part of your post seems to agree with this.)
So, mostly, you want to try to conduct lightning strike currents
away from the building, not THROUGH the building. So, what I have
is a ground rod driven directly under the antenna, and connected
to the mast via 4 gauge cable. If the lightning current goes through
the house, it can easily set it on fire.
Jon
Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
** AFAIK - the main reason TV antennas are required to be grounded is
NOT
because of possible acts by a mighty and vengeful god.
The simple reason is that the antenna may become live AC supply voltage
and
so make the TV set (and anything attached to it) inside the premises into
a
lethal shock hazard.
This could be because an overhead power cable has detached in a strong
wind
or because of an automobile accident etc.
ALTERNATIVELY - the antenna may become live due to a faulty equipment
or
wiring inside the premises and so present a lethal hazard to any poor
damn
fool who is game enough to get up on the roof for any reason.
Grounding the damn antenna any which way you can is essential.
.... Phil
Other reasons are to earth static charges from the wind and control surges
induced by near strikes.
The way it is done is all wires - power, cable, phone, antenna, dish -hrhofann@sbcglobal.net wrote:
If you get a 100,000 ampere lightning strike directly to anything
other than a metal building, the V=IR (voltage = current x resistance)
drop is going to raise the voltage of everything tied together many
many volts. All you can do is try to keep everything at the same
(elevated) voltage to avoid killing people/animals. This is done by
tying everything to the same local internal "ground".
This is a fantasy, unless you have 1/4 " x 3" bus bars running the
length of your house, and from the main service panel to the ground
field, which would be maybe half an acre of bare welding cable
buried in the earth.
Suppose you have a power system earthed by a single ground rod. TheOtherwise, you simply can't get a low enough impedance to keep
the IR drop anywhere within reason. And, the induced voltages across
various points such as plumbing and plugged-in appliances can
be lethal. (later part of your post seems to agree with this.)
So, mostly, you want to try to conduct lightning strike currents
away from the building, not THROUGH the building. So, what I have
is a ground rod driven directly under the antenna, and connected
to the mast via 4 gauge cable. If the lightning current goes through
the house, it can easily set it on fire.
Jon
Other reasons are to earth static charges from the wind and control"bud--"
Can I ground out my outdoor FM antenna from the pole?
** AFAIK - the main reason TV antennas are required to be grounded is NOT
because of possible acts by a mighty and vengeful god.
The simple reason is that the antenna may become live AC supply voltage and
so make the TV set (and anything attached to it) inside the premises into a
lethal shock hazard.
This could be because an overhead power cable has detached in a strong wind
or because of an automobile accident etc.
ALTERNATIVELY - the antenna may become live due to a faulty equipment or
wiring inside the premises and so present a lethal hazard to any poor damn
fool who is game enough to get up on the roof for any reason.
Grounding the damn antenna any which way you can is essential.
.... Phil
the house, including the wall outlets and Romex in the walls. I haveThe way it is done is all wires - power, cable, phone, antenna, dish -
enter at about same location. Entry protectors for the signal wires
connect with a short wire to the power earthing system.
Well, if you do this, you probably end up destroying everything in
It is, essentially, how hams protect high antennas that are likely tobud-- wrote:
The way it is done is all wires - power, cable, phone, antenna, dish -
enter at about same location. Entry protectors for the signal wires
connect with a short wire to the power earthing system.
Well, if you do this, you probably end up destroying everything in
the house, including the wall outlets and Romex in the walls. I have
heard of people having this happen, where all the Romex was just
empty plastic tubes with burn holes every couple inches where the
copper vapor escaped. All the wall outlets were blown out of the
wall boxes and reduces to fragments. Having to run new Romex inside
all the interior walls runs something like $50K now.
If you want to protect from a direct lightning strike install lightningMy idea, which doesn't meet code, is to try to draw the main currents
AWAY from the rest of the house and possibly preserve some of the
appliances. Whatever is connected to the antenna will be complete
toast either way, but isolation may help some of the appliances
survive.
Jon