lighting and antennas

[firefyter]

What happened would have happened reguardless of your pickle jar. Its not a matter of opinion, its science.

[pipsqueek]

"it's science".....and what law of science are you basing your opinion on...the law of lightning and "pickle" jars. I'm convinced that in that nano-second of the strike the "heavy old milk bottle" bought me some time and protection.
Some of the strike may have went out the way of the groung lead I provided. Then there was the energy spent to melt the bottom of the glass. Get you a propane torch, sit there and see how long it takes to melt the thing yourself (not an easy task). All this may have lessened the amount of energy spilling into the shack, and I'll take any available protection I can get.
The fact that I wasn't picking glass up for a long time punches a l'il hole in your supposition.
Look, a lightning hit isn't an exacting science. There are variables all around. Some are killed by the energy given off by a near hit, some people have been hit directly and walked away. Some hits can devestate a house, other hits can't shatter a milk bottle. You can stick to your voodo science, I'll take the added protection that the glass affords.
Pips

[firefyter]

That's fine, you have your opinion even if it is wrong. Ask your engineer friend about it and he will laugh at you. Maybe we should buy pickle jars for all RF transmitting stations out there. Keep your coax in a jar and your head in the sand I'm not going to lose any sleep over it

[lonesome 500]

it acts as an over volted incandesant [sp?] bulb........boom

ask the old timers who has exploded multiple glass jars this way

glass turned tp shrapnel

[firefyter]

BTW....it takes about 2500 degrees to melt glass and the average lightning bolt is 50000 degrees. You do the math or is that "voodoo" also

[pipsqueek]

"keep your head in the sand".......please get your head out of.....well, I won't go there. Just try to read all parts of the posts and comprehend them. I had stated that I now have a very elaborate ground field and system along with other static discharging methods to defray the possibility of strikes
and to minimize the effects of one if it does occur.
I will take any added protection I can get and if the "pickle" jar (again, please reread and try to get the facts straight) offers in the least any added protection (which I have experienced first hand)
, I will take it.

[firefyter]

I will take any added protection I can get and if the "pickle" jar (again, please reread and try to get the facts straight) offers in the least any added protection (which I have experienced first hand)
, I will take it.

Pickle jar, milk jug, whatever......It offers NO protection from a lightning strike. Facts are Facts

[Texas Mobil 219]

Two things i found about direct hits of lightning. One a mini van. All it did was damage the antenna.

And two and Airplane In Fight. And didnt come crashing to the ground.

If nothing can take a direct hit. (I know this from my old rig.) Than why did this two out of many make it. Exspecialy the plan. You would think it would come crashing to the ground.

[pipsqueek]

Yes indeed .....not an exact science, is it. A strike had left every black sheep in a field unscaythed and killed every white one???? Go figure. As I had pointed out some folks walk away from a strike, some aren't so fortunate. There are strikes and there are STRIKES.

[firefyter]

Two things i found about direct hits of lightning. One a mini van. All it did was damage the antenna.

And two and Airplane In Fight. And didnt come crashing to the ground.

If nothing can take a direct hit. (I know this from my old rig.) Than why did this two out of many make it. Expecialy the plan. You would think it would come crashing to the ground.

You are comparing apples to oranges.....Airplanes get hit all the time in flight.
A mobile is insulated from the ground(much like an airplane)

A base setup is NOT insulated from the ground and thats why lightning often damages equipment. Strikes are unavoidable but damaged equiptment is not. A properly setup and installed grounding system(Which does NOT include glass jars)will most likely save your radios and such. Your antenna may not be so lucky.

[pipsqueek]

Hey , I was answering TM219's comment. You still continue to be-little my way of doing things. Ya know what .....you don't have to do it if ya don't like it. But don't put down my way of doing things.
You remind me of my brother-in-law....he likes Pepsi so he contends that Coke is no good and that anyone who likes Coke is off their nut.
Go blow your putdown comments out your a--

[firefyter]

They are not putdown comments. They are scientific facts. Do a little research. A good place to start is with a couple fellas you may have heard of.....Thomas Edison and Benjiman Franklin. They seem to know a thing or two on electricity.

[lonesome 500]

sheez......

comparing a strike to a plane......or rubber/air insulated.......is like apples to enemas

the strike is single charge ... +OR- .......the damage happens where they meet = G.R.O.U.N.D.

Knowledge

[firefyter]

Knowledge

Evidently some arent that interested in having it lonesome. Its readily available in a google search

[DOMINATOR]

Lightning follows no rules.
You can protect yourself but a direct hit will cook what it makes contact with. A hit 1 mile away will probably cook or damage your equipment. Disconnect your coax. Properly ground your system and antennas. I use ICE lightning arrestors directly grounded to building rod. These even ground the center not just the the shield. Even with those I disconnect coax when not in use. Take no chances, don't skimp on grounding and pray you dont get smoked.

Greg

[pipsqueek]

Franklin!!! Ya gotta be kidding, right? Uhhhh yea, I've heard of him. Patriot, superior statesman, postmaster general, inventor of the 100 dollar bill and avid cb enthusiast. Let's see ya want people to look up what he's accomplished with protecting radio stations from lightning strikes....wow.
Or maybe he did that on the side commercially for a larger venue. It would have to have been one of the older station, WOR, WHN perhaps. What a joke. Yea he did the key thing. Hardly gives him the authority to write the thesis on lightning protection.
While others have offered suggestions and firsthand experience here, all you have done is berate them while spouting jems like "facts is facts, science is science, and lightning is hot".

Go fly a kite.

[firefyter]

Sorry I got under your skin. I just don't want people using your logic and putting their coax in a pickle jar it offers NO protection from lightning as you say. I hope by ticking you off that I've made my point and no one else will believe your nonsense. I have tried to help educate you on lightning protection but you refuse. I have not berated you, only told you facts that you refuse to believe. Do some research for yourself

[firefyter]

BTW Pipsqueak.....you really need to do some research on subjects you think you know about. You can't possibly be that stupid. Franklin invented probably the most important piece of lightning protection equipment in history. Like I told you several times before. Inform yourself before debating something you have no knowledge in.

[721HACKSAW]

Please try and be civil, no sense resorting to name calling. I am an electrician, been in the trade for over 25 years. I have done housewiring, high voltage line work, and now do industrial control cicuitry. I have worked with many good, knowledgable electricians for many years and we never, ever used any kind of glass jars as insulators. This is an old wives tale. Lightning knocks whole trees down, destroys metal, wood, concrete ect.. Why on earth would a glass jar provide any more protection? Do you ever see a glass jar on any of your electrical companys trucks? Unplug the coax and keep those insurance premiums paid!

[lonesome 500]

exactly............

but glass was once used in electrical transmission line insulators....ie power poles

this started way back in the DC days of telograph

once it was found to be inefective at higher voltages.....they were changed to a ceramic

not for voltages of lightening

[pipsqueek]

As stated earlier the jar did help somewhat in a lightning incident I had years ago. This is why I still incorporate it as a last ditch bit of protection with a more elaborate setup(based on guess-who's lightning rod design).What happened, happened. I related the facts. Yea it gets under my skin when I'm basically being called a liar.
Get's worse when the **Censored** calls me stupid in his last post. At least I'm smart enough to read and understand all parts of others' post, and not pick and choose the parts the dumbell wants to make his arguments.

[firefyter]

I'm not trying to make you look like an idiot, you have done a fine job of that yourself. You saying Franklin had nothing to do with lightning protection was a prime example af how unimformed you are

[pipsqueek]

Didn't you see the reference to "guess whos' lightning rod design" when talking about my system. Let me give you a hint there schmekie....uhh ...Franklin.
Please learn to read between the lines. There are none so blind as those who won't see.
I tried to break the tension with a humorous retort ( the $100bill thing, the WOR,WHN thing, the go fly a kite ((a poor Franklin joke)) ) while still trying to make my point.
Apparently it didn't make a difference to your miserable, humorless outlook.
So look you can have the last word after this. I'm sure you'll come back with more shouts of idiot, stupid, unimformed and such. People like you usually do.
If we cross threads on this site please don't engage me with any comments, and I won't with you. I'm done with you.

[firefyter]

You can't see where you are going when you back peddle Pipsqueak, and one usually winds up digging themselves out of a hole..........

[Ballixxe]

Got struck by lightning back in '97...my A-99 looked like a wicker chair that had a stick of dynamite under the seat.
Lost a TV, VCR, garage door opener, and doorbell.
But...
My Uniden Grant was repaired and is still in working order.
I think the only thing that saved the radio was the fact that the freak counter was first in line.