Where do you suggest mounting discharge units such as the Diamond CA-23RS
- on the mast between the antenna and preamps? and grounded to the mast which is well grounded? - on the mast below the preamps and before the feedline enters your house/shack etc? - at the radio in the house or shack? - grounded to your service panel ground cable or grounded to the outside where your tower is grounded to something like I use - a copper rod driven 5 or 6 feet into moist salty soil.
Knock on wood - I've never had an issue with static discharge that emanated from the antenna that has effected any radio or other equipment. Antennas and mast/tower are well grounded to earth outside my house and not to any inside cold water pipe. I ground my radio chassis ground lug to a copper cable run to my electrical panel's ground cable. All the 120 VAC is 3 wire and grounded to the same electrical panel grounding.
I support there could be a potential between the service panel ground and the ground for my mast, but, I've never bothered to check this.
I am slightly amused that these units are referred to by the various manufactures as lighting protection or surge suppressors. Lighting runs down the outside of a conductor. However, I can see an antenna building up a charge with wind or if my neighbour got a direct hit by lightning I house probably get some residual EMP. I suppose the discharge created by shuffling across a carpet in socks with low humidity and touching a wall switch could be call lighting of a few orders of magnitude less than what is commonly understood a lightning.
Am I over thinking all this grounding and static discharge stuff and unnecessarily worrying about which ground to use. If I get a direct hit with lightning, all bets are off.
Thanks all...
73, Alan VE4YZ EN19kw AMSAT LM 2352