Antenna Safety. Post #246
In the excitement of designing, building, and erecting my "homebrew" wire antennas, I've often neglected to consider important safety issues which could affect the location of my antenna and perhaps save my life. A few years ago, I erected a vertical antenna which gave me excellent service until a lightning strike turned my work of art into a mess of shattered fiberglass, pvc pipe, wire fragments, charred coaxial cable, and a severely damaged ego. Fortunately, I had disconnected the feed line from my shack and had it connected to a ground rod. Ever since that lucky escape from Mother Nature, I've had a firm respect for the weather and "Murphy's Law" (whatever will go bad will fail at the most inconvenient time). Over the course of my amateur radio "career", I've followed a few basic guidelines to erecting antennas, whether they be commercially bought or built from my own resources. PLAN AHEAD I know this sounds pretty basic, but ...