Mystery Parking Garage Antenna?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Uncle_Meat

Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2009
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
I am trying to figure out what the small antenna-looking devices in my work's parking garage are. They are about 12" tall and spaced 4'-6' apart all along the top level of the parking garage. They are labelled: "Thompson Air Terminal 31h3".

Lightning protection? Receivers?
 

knightrider

Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2004
Messages
105
Reaction score
0
Location
Central Texas
I did a couple of searches on the name you supplied. BING gave absolutely no results, so much for that. Google did give a reference to your message, but not for the company or item. Maybe you can get more information, and that will help. I have seen what I think is the same as you make reference to. I've seen them on various roof levels on hospitals. They are all connected by a braided cable, and with that I would think they are either lightening protection, or some sort of static discharge devices. Growing up in Indiana in the 50's and 60's, many of the houses, barns, and other older buildings had lightening arrestors. They were a large metal staff mounted to the peak of the roof, and had braided cable running to a ground. Each one had a seperate cable and ground. I cannot say how effective they really were, but our house and barn were never hit by lightening.
 

prcguy

Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2006
Messages
18,110
Reaction score
13,863
Location
So Cal - Richardson, TX - Tewksbury, MA
An "air terminal" is a lightning rod, you should find a very large diameter copper wire running from these to ground somewhere. Some rods are all copper/bronze color and some may have the last several inches nickel plated.
prcguy
 

DieselFF918

Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
149
Reaction score
2
Location
West Milton, OH
From what I can find, those are lightning rods made by Thompson Lightning Protection.

As for the 31H3, I cannot find anything on that, I am thinking that is the model number of those rods, which maybe out of date or has been changed, which would account for not being able to find any information.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top