Grounding overkill ?

[Gator596]

So I understand that it is virtually impossible to prevent damage from a direct lightning stike to a tower and antenna.
I also understand that grounding is only intended to dissipate the "lesser static charges" that are present during times of "atmospheric electrical activity" away from our radio gear.
The grounding methods indicated from many sources to eliminate the damage from static seem to be VERY thorough. So thorough in fact, that I am left wondering if the methods described will not actually "court", "tease" or otherwhise "entice" lightning to strike towers that have been so thoroughly turned into tall, conductive "lightning rods".
What am I missing here?

 

[n5ims]

A good tower ground can also help create an area of lower electrical potential near the tower (by slowly draining the electrical charge as it attempts to build into a bolt of lightning) which can cause the lightning to find a better path to the ground away from the tower.

Good grounding can prevent damage from direct lightning strikes. The tall TV and FM broadcast towers are struck several times each year and due to their design, generally have no damage to the towers, antennas, or transmitters.

 

[trap5858]

The idea is to direct or dissipate the charge to the ground. Giving it a direct pathway will reduce the risk to your equipment. Electricity seeks the most direct path to ground. Over building your ground system will help protect your equipment and your home.

 

[n0nhp]

Anecdotal, I realize, however I used to service a site that had a "sacrificial" tall well grounded tower and a second shorter tower with the antennas and equipment on it. The tall tower never showed any lightning damage but we blew up a lot of equipment attached to the shorter one. We moved everything to the well grounded tower and beefed up the grounding (it was a bald rock dome, so about 500' of copper was run to various cracks and soil pockets for ground rods). For several years after that, we had hits on the solar panel array but no evidence of anything coming in the antenna lines.
A cell company took over the site and agreed to keep the amateur gear working and I gratefully quit having to hike up that mountain.

Bruce