Lightning Protection & Grounding

This topic generates lots of interest and discussion each time it appears in our morning QSOs. Today we enjoyed some excellent discussion by W8NSA on the related concept of a ground window to ensure equal ground potential for all components that are exposed to lightning-related surges.  KB4XX found this 3-page article about the ground window concept.


Jim's Bell System experience with central office grounding provides him with a clear understanding of how to apply the concepts to ham radio as well as commercial installations. We look forward to his contributions to future discussions of this subject.


I'm including below some links to previously collected articles on the overall subject. These may help to refresh your knowledge of the subject and to support future on-air discussions.

• Lightning Protection for the Radio Amateur -- an archived copy of the 3-part series from QST.
• Special Publications from Industrial Communications Engineers. This provides links to several relevant publications.
• Selecting and Installing Lightning Protection Devices -- lots of product specifics and installation details.
• Dodging Thor's Hammer -- an article by KT9OM

Back in 2008 we discussed the subject, too, as evidenced by this earlier blog posting. Its link to the QST articles is no longer valid, but they are available from the link noted above.

Let me know if there are other references you'd like to add. Comments are welcome, but are being moderated to exclude spam, so they may not be posted right away.

John