Most often it is the electronics within a home, such as personal computers, Internet modems, stereo or home theater systems and televisions that are most susceptible to damage when systems are not interconnected. The lack of a proper bonded connection between systems such as electrical and telephone wiring have caused or contributed to appliance and equipment damage, ignited fires and caused personal injury.
Sailboats are floating lightning rods, sitting in water which is an excellent conductor of electricity. Although you may reduce the odds of your boat being struck in a marina, surrounded by other masts, do you really want to take a chance. In a direct strike, lightning follows the path of least resistance to the best ground, blowing out fiberglass around watertight seals. Owners often find they have a boat with extensive electrical damage, sitting on the bottom from the leaks that were caused by the exit path of the strike.
Sprites, elves and blue jets are electrical phenomena occurring in the upper atmosphere, above certain thunderstorms. While it is possible to view these events with the naked eye, the conditions must be near perfect, since they last only fractions of a second and occur at very high altitudes. Although these fascinating events are interesting to contemplate, it is lightning that remains the real threat here on earth.
Protecting your valuable electronics from electrical surges and lightning strikes begins with the understanding that your remotely operated components are never really “off”, even when you think you turned them “off”.
Ham radio operators need to understand just what does it mean to have their radio and antennas be properly grounded? This article explores the question of what makes a proper ground, what components need to be grounded properly and what steps need to be taken to protect equipment against lightning strikes.
At the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) conference, Storm representatives kept getting comments from tower installation professionals, stating they had a serious need for grounding bars with expanded capacity, which could accommodate more cable terminations. Storm Copper prides itself on is the ability to respond to special needs or requests from customers. Very shortly after the conference, Storm introduced a new grounding bar and optional kit that is well on its way to raising the industry standard from what has been historically a 4” bar.
In support of an earlier post, where I stated that men are more likely to be struck by lightning, especially golfers, I offer the following.
On the 25th of October, a golfer who was enjoying his weekly round of golf with friends at the Tanah Merah Country Club near Singapore got an unexpected handicap as he [...]
By Frank Ross
If you are here because you have questions about protecting your home or business from lightning strikes, and are wondering if it is a good investment, consider that damage to electrical components and appliances is only one aspect of the dangers of lightning. Fire caused by lightning is far more devastating, and the [...]
Electricity maintenance crews worked throughout the night to restore power to homes in Queensland, Australia following a fast-moving storm that produced heavy lightning strikes and blacked out about 22,000 homes and businesses.
During a storm that authorities called a “weak and localized” event, two young boys and the mother of one were seriously injured recently when lightning struck a soccer field in Brampton, Ont. One witness described it as a “fireball.” The trio were struck on a soccer field at Centennial Park, near Queen Street East and [...]
