How do you prevent damage from a
lightning event if everything is not referenced to one ground
(earthing point)?
The potential difference between the two, or more, earth points
can be very substantial.
This potential difference is what causes the damage.
Glenn
On 11/16/2024 5:41 AM, Mike EI9FEB
wrote:
In UK the "house" ground is usually connected "earth" and
connected to neutral at the substation (transformer for the
locality). In Ireland there is supposed to be a 1.5m approx
galvanised earth spike near the meter box or grid input and the
neutral and earth are bonded there. That's quieter.
Maybe 50 years ago people might have used the water pipe as an
RF earth, but that might be plastic. You're not supposed to use
any utility pipes, central heating pipes etc as a radio Earth.
Don't connect your own Earth spike to the mains supply Earth.
They need isolated, especially on the UK system as large
currents might flow. The exception might be if your neutral and
earth are bonded at the meter box and go to a nearby earth spike
and there is no utility company earth.
Every non-loop aerial has a "counterpoise" even if you can't
see it. A vertical needs either to be driven at earth level, or
have 1/4 wave or more radials or counterpoise, or a sleeve that
is earthed only at drive point with an internal diameter ratio
with coax outer diameter to give the 50 or 75 Ohms. An unfolded,
non-loop, dipole obviously has a "counterpoise".
The end fed Zepp (so called because used on the Zeppelins as a
radio aerial) doesn't seem to have a counterpoise, but has
really, on the modern version the feed line is the counterpoise.
Similarly the over hyped G5RV is only a proper dipole at one
narrow band, otherwise the feed cable is the aerial (and partly
counterpoise) and then the counterpoise is really the shack
earth.
The thing to avoid is an exactly half-wave radiator or
counterpoise as that has a very high impedance.
--
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Glenn Little ARRL Technical Specialist QCWA LM 28417
Amateur Callsign: WB4UIV wb4uiv@... AMSAT LM 2178
QTH: Goose Creek, SC USA (EM92xx) USSVI, FRA, NRA-LM ARRL TAPR
"It is not the class of license that the Amateur holds but the class
of the Amateur that holds the license"