TO: ALL WOOD COUNTY ARES MEMBERS (OFFICIAL)
ALL ARES AND NON-ARES AMATEURS ANYWHERE (INFORMATION)
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM ARRL DISTRICT 3
EMERGENCY COORDINATOR WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INC.
WOOD COUNTY ARES BULLETIN NR 19.25 DATE: June 23, 2019
SUBJECT: SECURING YOUR ANTENNA COAX
Now that Spring and Summer are here, so is the time for lightening. To protect your radio equipment, and possibly your home, you should disconnect the antenna from your radios when they are not in use. The best way to secure the coax, or transmission line, is to connect it to a grounding system to discharge any static that may build up or lightening that may hit the antenna.
If you're unable to ground the coax, be sure to place the end of the coax in a secure place in case there is a lightening hit or a near lightning strike. The antenna can generate a very high voltage even from a near lightening strike, without even hitting the antenna. Any time the antenna generates a high voltage it can produce a spark across the connector of the transmission line. This spark, if in the right place, could start a fire.
Let's say you just disconnect the coax and let it drop. If the end of the coax would just happen to be near any papers or any flammable material, they could be ignited. If you're unable to connect the transmission line to a grounding system, then place the end of the line in a glass jar or something that would prevent a spark from starting a fire.
Ken Harris WA8LLM
WCEC
Wood County WV