Gerowen Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I saw a science professor talking about how lightning rods actually reduce the chance of a lightning strike because they allow electrons on the ground to bleed off into the air over time, instead of forcing them to build up and build up until there's enough of a difference between the air and the ground to cause a lightning strike. Here's my question. Since my CB radio antenna is grounded to a 6 foot steel roofing bolt (think rebar for a coal mine), does it serve a similar function and therefore reduce my chances of being struck by lightning? Is a CB antenna, if properly grounded, actually a tool by which you can "reduce" your chances of a lightning strike? The antenna itself is on a pole on my back porch, which raises the highest tip of the antenna to about 41 feet high. That's still much lower than the surrounding trees and mountains, and it's more than easy to unhook the antenna line from my radio and drop it in a glass jar, but if my chances of being struck are actually reduced by properly grounding the antenna, then I'll just leave it hooked up and save wear and tear on the connector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Can be a complex topic. Many of the lightning and EMP mitigations used in amateur radio should work just as well for a fixed CB rig. This American Radio Relay Leagie (ARRL) page has links to articles that may be of interest, http://www.arrl.org/lightning-protection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts