Rotator

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radioshane

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I have a AR 303 antenna rotator and and to power it it has to be 230 ac volts I'm just wuried that the electric cable if there's lightning in the air it could go through the cable
 

a417

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appropriately fused and grounded, and it's no more dangerous than an outdoor lamp. Be sure to follow local building codes / electrical codes and you will be fine.
 

n5ims

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AS-xx-SP
http://www.aesham.com/lightning-protection/polyphaser-is-rct/

Use of one of those products to protect your rotor (just like a coax lightning protection unit) should be done. Make sure that the unit you purchase will protect the number of wires your rotator requires and handles the necessary voltages. One thing to be aware of though, although your rotor control box may use typical house current (115 VAC or 230 VAC), the rotor is actually powered by the control box and generally uses a much lower voltage. Your rotator's manual should provide the necessary details. This is done so the control wires can be smaller and not require special boxes or conduit to run them up the tower in.
 
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WA0CBW

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"Earthing" an antenna or rotor usually means connecting a ground wire (#6) from the body of the rotor to a ground rod. If the rotor is mounted on a metal mast then the metal mast should be connected to the ground rod. Here in the US the National Electrical Code requires that ALL grounds be connected together.
Other countries may have different requirements.
BB
 

radioshane

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WA0CBW why have you put a link to a surge protector on my email inbox?
Is it that you suggest buying that?
 

radioshane

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Wouldn't it be a job grounding it to the yagi if it rotates wouldn't the grounding wire get tangled up?
 

WA0CBW

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'radioshane' -- didn't know I put a link to anything. Not sure what that is about. The 'grounding wire" connects to the mast (the vertical thing the antenna is connected to). If the mast goes from the antenna to the ground the earthing wire would be at the base of the mast at the ground. If the antenna is mounted say on a tripod on the roof then the grounding wire would be from the tripod to the ground and connected to the ground rod.
BB
 

jwt873

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A direct lightning hit will send high voltage down the rotor cable. This will fry the rotor controller. It might even set your house on fire.... But, direct lighting hits are rare.

What you really need to be worried about is -nearby- lightning strikes. They won't do much as far as your rotor cables go, but the pulse from a nearby strike that gets picked up by your antenna can send a large jolt down your coax and damage your receiver.

Your receiver is FAR more sensitive to nearby lightning strikes than your rotor controller which can take these in stride.

Your main concern should be some means of surge protection on the coax. I would install something like this Amazon.com: Coaxial Lightning Antenna Surge Protector for Amateur, Ham, CB & Two-Way Radio - LP-350: Electronics

I have protectors, but despite that in the summer months, I normally disconnect my coax cables from my equipment when not in use.
 

radioshane

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the other link the other chap sent was of a outside surcharge protector so you think a cox surcharge would be fine that would be easier for me as it would be done inside
What about just doing the ground rod idea ?
 

jwt873

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Definitely ground the mast holding the antenna... The surge protector should be installed at the point before the coax comes in to the house.
 

majoco

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Are you sure the motor of the rotator actually runs on the 240v mains power? Most of them use low voltage DC fed from the control box. I would hesitate to hang a large-ish yagi onto a brick chimney anyway. An electrical supply shop will sell you a ground rod and clip, usually a steel rod copper plated. They are usually about 1.8m long and 15mm diameter. A surge protector may survive a nearby lightning strike but nothing will protect you against a direct hit.
If you want to see a real lightning protector go to you local church that has a steeple and inspect the solid copper bar running from the top to ground - sometimes more than one. The bar will be 50mm x 25mm and even bigger - that's assuming it hasn't been stolen!
 
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