Wilson 50 Ohm Lightning Protector question

[CorwinScansNM]

Hi RR Community,

I just purchased a pretty darn high rated 50 Ohm Lightning Surge Protector for my 28-Foot Outdoor Scanner receiving Antenna to help protect my LMR-400 Coax Cable & my Digital Public Safety receiving Scanner. However, it did not hit me or come to my eye soon enough before ordering it; that the Wilson 859902 Lightning Surge Protector is a (Cellular Accessory) that states on its Packaging "IMPROVES VERSATILITY OF WILSON CELLULAR BOOSTERS".

Therefore, I am now quite wondering & concerned that it may not be compatible for my specific receiving & protection needs which of course, is clearly not Cellular Antenna related at all for me on my end? Instead, my use for it being to allow me to receive in the frequency ranges of: 118.000 MHz - 900.000 MHz on my Digital Public Safety Scanner from my Outdoor Scanner Antenna while having the Wilson 859902 Lightning Surge Protector installed for Lightning Surge Protection to my Coax & Scanner.

Amazon.com

Now the real question for you all in the Radio Reference Forums Community regarding the Wilson 859902: Is or will this work for my specified use & need or should I Ship it back to Amazon & purchase one that is not a (Cellular Accessory) type Lightning Surge Protector which the Wilson 859902 sounds & appears to be?

 

[mmckenna]

Should be just fine. They are usually rated "up to" a certain frequency and power level. For what you are doing, it'll be fine.

 

[prcguy]

The Wilson is a gas plug type arrestor rated to 3GHz, so its good basically from DC which it will pass all the way to about 3GHz.

 

[CorwinScansNM]

Oh, thank God for that! I really was thinking that I was most likely going to have to file for a Return & ship it back due to it being a (Cellular Accessory) for improving (Wilson Cellular Boosters) which I was not totally aware of when I ordered it.

Thank-you guys for the info to my questions & concerns with the Wilson 859902 Lightning Surge Protector.

 

[CorwinScansNM]

Heads up? I just got an answer to my question also from the Manufacture just now. It does not sound too good on my end with using the Wilson 859902 for my specified use. Here is what they typed back to me.



weBoost Support Manufacturer
"We aren't able to recommend it for any other use outside our signal boosters. We don't make boosters down in 118 MHz since cellular frequencies don't go below 600 MHz. It might work, we just couldn't say or recommend it for that use. We manufacture all our parts for our cell signal boosters, and we can only recommend them for that use."

 

[mmckenna]

weBoost Support Manufacturer
"We aren't able to recommend it for any other use outside our signal boosters. We don't make boosters down in 118 MHz since cellular frequencies don't go below 600 MHz. It might work, we just couldn't say or recommend it for that use. We manufacture all our parts for our cell signal boosters, and we can only recommend them for that use."

I wouldn't worry about that. That's a typical canned customer service response used to deflect any liability. They only sell these for use with their products. Any other usage is going to get the same reply.

If it makes you feel better, return it and get a Polyphaser. But honestly, what you have is going to work fine. Your choice.

 

[prcguy]

The people at Wilson have no clue about this stuff. The Wilson is not made by Wilson, its a rebranded Chinese item that's sold under many different names and its good from DC to its rated frequency just like all gas tube types. I see the Wilson selling in the $50 to $75 range and you can get what appears to be an identical one from Amazon for $17.23. If you paid too much you can try and return it then get the cheaper one.

Compare the pictures in these two ads:

Wilson Lightning Surge Protectors

Lightning Surge Protectors guard amplifiers and boosted devices from power surges, buy one and protect yours with Wilson Amplifiers.

www.wilsonamplifiers.com

https://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Protector-arrestor-Coaxial-Arrester/dp/B07DCNS9CG

 

[iMONITOR]

The people at Wilson have no clue about this stuff. The Wilson is not made by Wilson, its a rebranded Chinese item that's sold under many different names and its good from DC to its rated frequency just like all gas tube types. I see the Wilson selling in the $50 to $75 range and you can get what appears to be an identical one from Amazon for $17.23. If you paid too much you can try and return it then get the cheaper one.

Compare the pictures in these two ads:

Wilson Lightning Surge Protectors

Lightning Surge Protectors guard amplifiers and boosted devices from power surges, buy one and protect yours with Wilson Amplifiers.

www.wilsonamplifiers.com

https://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Protector-arrestor-Coaxial-Arrester/dp/B07DCNS9CG

Great find Mike!

 

[paulears]

I'm amazed at the response - clearly they promote them as DC to 2GHz, so their ridiculous response was produced by a total idiot who should not be in customer services. Either that, or the products they are selling have specifications and labels organised by Hans Christian Anderson. We're really just looking at a gas bubble with two point electrodes to short the incoming voltage too ground via a plasma arc. A rather simple device and they are cleary just idiots, and have no idea about their own products. A sad fact, is that many of these gas discharge devices are actually inactive, having failed, often years before and offering no protection.

 

[iMONITOR]

I'm amazed at the response - clearly they promote them as DC to 2GHz, so their ridiculous response was produced by a total idiot who should not be in customer services. Either that, or the products they are selling have specifications and labels organised by Hans Christian Anderson. We're really just looking at a gas bubble with two point electrodes to short the incoming voltage too ground via a plasma arc. A rather simple device and they are cleary just idiots, and have no idea about their own products. A sad fact, is that many of these gas discharge devices are actually inactive, having failed, often years before and offering no protection.

Frequency limitations may come into play with cheaper ones due to connector loss at very high frequencies. That fact that they are using Type N connectors instead of PL-359/SO-239 as an example. These devices often have replaceable fuse cartridges available as do the ones being discussed here. In any even none of them will save your equipment from a direct lightning strike.

 

[paulears]

Indeed, so even odder to suggest ham band operation will somehow be worse than the performance at 2 gigs! Bizarre customer service.

 

[CorwinScansNM]

The people at Wilson have no clue about this stuff. The Wilson is not made by Wilson, its a rebranded Chinese item that's sold under many different names and its good from DC to its rated frequency just like all gas tube types. I see the Wilson selling in the $50 to $75 range and you can get what appears to be an identical one from Amazon for $17.23. If you paid too much you can try and return it then get the cheaper one.

Compare the pictures in these two ads:

Wilson Lightning Surge Protectors

Lightning Surge Protectors guard amplifiers and boosted devices from power surges, buy one and protect yours with Wilson Amplifiers.

www.wilsonamplifiers.com

https://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Protector-arrestor-Coaxial-Arrester/dp/B07DCNS9CG

Ohh, wow on that. Pretty lame that is. Ouch! Thanks for the heads up on that. Good reporting & skill there prcguy.

I am going to ship it back anyway just to be safe with my receiving needs & for sure now that I know that I way overpaid for it not knowing or seeing that other one that is nearly 75% less than what I paid...

I am considering this one for my receiving & protection needs which is under $25.

https://www.amazon.com/Proxicast-Coaxial-Lightning-Arrester-N-Female/dp/B01IFV7QXY/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=B01IFV7QXY&qid=1609278109&sr=8-1

 

[prcguy]

For receive only in the VHF/UHF range I might shop for a Polyphaser designed for receive only or for very low power. That will bypass EMP at a lower level than a high power transmit type. I buy a lot of Polyphaser stuff on Ebay surplus at a discount. As long as its new in box it should be good like this one. Polyphaser DT-NFF Type N F/F Bulkhead Coaxial RF Surge Protector, DC - 3GHz | eBay

Ohh, wow on that. Pretty lame that is. Ouch! Thanks for the heads up on that. Good reporting & skill there prcguy.

I am going to ship it back anyway just to be safe with my receiving needs & for sure now that I know that I way overpaid for it not knowing or seeing that other one that is nearly 75% less than what I paid...

I am considering this one for my receiving & protection needs which is under $25.

https://www.amazon.com/Proxicast-Coaxial-Lightning-Arrester-N-Female/dp/B01IFV7QXY/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=B01IFV7QXY&qid=1609278109&sr=8-1

 

[paulears]

I have to say I'm not totally sold on the effectiveness of these products. I first came across the gas discharge protectors in the 80s and there was one on every feeder cable on a tower I started to visit regularly, but looking at lightning hits when doing some research later revealed that every time a tower or TV or radio antenna actually took a hit, everything got destroyed. Looking at the direct strikes, I doubt any of these cheap devices will do much, but they probably help when the conditions have high electrostatic levels locally. If you ever get a chance to use one of these meters connected to an antenna during a storm, the voltage readings are amazingly high - and a strike locally could induce a fair amount of voltage, but probably little current in grounded metalwork in the area. Perhaps enough for the gas to convert and do their job. Real strikes mean lots of amps. I've never been a disconnect person - I connect and forget and I've never used one of these devices on my kit? Borrowed time maybe? I don't know.

 

[prcguy]

A radio site has to be designed literally from the ground up to survive direct lightning hits. You can't lightning proof your house or your business after the fact, its nearly impossible. I see Polyphaser protectors on coax lines survive multiple direct hits but its the huge tower and 7/8 hardline bonded to the tower at multiple points and massive tower and building grounding to a buried ground ring around the shelter that's doing all the work. There is probably not much left on the coax center conductor after all that big stuff has shunted the strike to ground and everything was at the same ground potential during the strike.

I have to say I'm not totally sold on the effectiveness of these products. I first came across the gas discharge protectors in the 80s and there was one on every feeder cable on a tower I started to visit regularly, but looking at lightning hits when doing some research later revealed that every time a tower or TV or radio antenna actually took a hit, everything got destroyed. Looking at the direct strikes, I doubt any of these cheap devices will do much, but they probably help when the conditions have high electrostatic levels locally. If you ever get a chance to use one of these meters connected to an antenna during a storm, the voltage readings are amazingly high - and a strike locally could induce a fair amount of voltage, but probably little current in grounded metalwork in the area. Perhaps enough for the gas to convert and do their job. Real strikes mean lots of amps. I've never been a disconnect person - I connect and forget and I've never used one of these devices on my kit? Borrowed time maybe? I don't know.