Is surge protection for lnb to multiswitch worth it or needed?

[daro2096]

Is it really needed in the UK? Talking about those earthing bars with F connector surge protectors things that the wire from the LNB plugs into and out to the multiswitch. What is your advice those who have installed one. See picture. Should I save my money and not bother? It isn't like we get much thunder here anyway.

 

[Terryl]

If you're in lightning country it's best to use a true lightning protection device called a "Gas Discharge Tube device" inline with the down leads from the LNB's connections.

All a standard ground block used on most satellite, cable and TV antenna installs does is ground the coax shield, they do not protect the centre conductor.

If that is a gas discharge type protection device then yes you should use one if you have the possibility of getting a hit. If you have just the one coax coming down from the LNB then you only need the one, but if you have more then the one coax then one protector for each coax lead in should be used.

Now, if you do take a hit all the equipment above the protection device will be fried, and if the hit is large enough then there is a possibility that anything close by will be fried by an EMP pulse, not much can be done about that.

Now if you do get something like that device in your photo then I would use at least a #10 or #8 copper ground wire to a real earth ground,(2 metre ground rod) if you attach to a metal water pipe or the house electrical ground then you stand a chance of getting some stray stuff inside the house, it's best to have the lightning ground separate from the household ground.

 

[daro2096]

If you're in lightning country it's best to use a true lightning protection device called a "Gas Discharge Tube device" inline with the down leads from the LNB's connections.

All a standard ground block used on most satellite, cable and TV antenna installs does is ground the coax shield, they do not protect the centre conductor.

If that is a gas discharge type protection device then yes you should use one if you have the possibility of getting a hit. If you have just the one coax coming down from the LNB then you only need the one, but if you have more then the one coax then one protector for each coax lead in should be used.

Now, if you do take a hit all the equipment above the protection device will be fried, and if the hit is large enough then there is a possibility that anything close by will be fried by an EMP pulse, not much can be done about that.

Now if you do get something like that device in your photo then I would use at least a #10 or #8 copper ground wire to a real earth ground,(2 metre ground rod) if you attach to a metal water pipe or the house electrical ground then you stand a chance of getting some stray stuff inside the house, it's best to have the lightning ground separate from the household ground.

We only get about 2 or 3 big thunder storms here a year usually. This year we only had 1 brief bad thunder storm. Not sure it is worth the 80 quid. That picture is from an German eBay auction. The description is in German so I have no idea. Currently have a mini dish installed. It has never been hit by lightening. I will probably not bother. In fact of all the dishes I have had installed over the last 26 years not one of them has ever been hit by lightening, not one.

 

[Terryl]

This choice is up to you.

I would at least ground the coax shield with a standard ground block,(just before it goes into the house/building, but make sure it's rated for satellite TV signals, or you could get some unwanted signal loss.

The correct one will have a different coloured centre insulator then the ones for CATV and TV work, those are white on the centre insulator, some of the high frequency ones are blue or red.

And of the thousands of dish's and antennas I've installed over the decades I have had reported back to me maybe several hundred strikes, some direct, some close by, the damage to equipment varied, but it may not be the actual lightning that does the damage, but the EMP involved with the strike, this can wipe out most modern electronics without a direct hit or connection.

 

[jeallen01]

If, in the UK, you are in a fairly built-up area, then, IMHO, it's likely that there will be steel-framed highrise buildings (office blocks, blocks of flats, industrial buildings, etc.) that would "attract" the relatively few lightning strikes that we normally get.

That said, I grounded all the dishes 20m down the garden to the 2x scaffolding poles that support the ground-mounted Gibby and the TD110, and, hopefully, that would divert any "high-current" pulses directly to "ground" before they actually get to the house - but the EMP from them would probably still "take out" any electronic kit within hundreds of metres, regardless of whether you have fitted GDT's or similar devices, or not .

Thus, you "pays your money and takes your choice" .

PS: to anyone who doesn't know the acronym "EMP", it stands for "ElectroMagnetic Pulse" - the VERY high radiated wideband Radio Interference pulse from lightning strikes (and nuclear explosions!) that has been shown to "fry" electronic circuits in all sorts of kit (bring back basic diesel engines with absolutely NO electrical circuits, 'cause that's probably the only form of motor that would continue to work after an EMP)

 

[Terryl]

EMP is why I still have my tube sets.

 

[Channel Hopper]

PS: to anyone who doesn't know the acronym "EMP", it stands for "ElectroMagnetic Pulse" - the VERY high radiated wideband Radio Interference pulse from lightning strikes (and nuclear explosions!) that has been shown to "fry" electronic circuits in all sorts of kit (bring back basic diesel engines with absolutely NO electrical circuits, 'cause that's probably the only form of motor that would continue to work after an EMP)

Most motorcycles from the 70's , and cars from the 60's will have points and a distributor.

Good luck finding a diesel vehicle with a hand crank, the next nuclear winter will impact on where to get a car battery that fits under the bonnet.

 

[Channel Hopper]

A few designs that could return to prominence.

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Or are Stirling engines the way to go ?