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Introduction

Proper lightning protection is an important aspect of designing a safe amateur radio station.  Recently, many amateurs have become concerned about possible damage from EMP, or Electromagnetic Pulse.  Fortunately, EMP protection has been studied by Dennis Bodson, W4PWF, and effective mitigation strategies published in QST.

Additional information on this subject and related topics can be found in back issues of QST and the following:

The ARRL Antenna Book

The ARRL has an extensive catalog of books and materials related to Amateur Radio.

Articles

Note: Some of the following articles are in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files. To view and print these files, you'll need a copy of Adobe's Acrobat Reader program. (Version 3.0 or later required). More information here.

• Lightning Protection for the Amateur Radio Station -- Part 1 (656,619 bytes, PDF file)
  QST June 2002, pp. 56-59
  A three part series that develops a plan for protection the amateur station.
• Lightning Protection for the Amateur Radio Station -- Part 2 (214,744 bytes, PDF file)
  QST July 2002, pp. 48-52
  Resources: Manufacturers and suppliers of lightning protection products
• Lightning Protection for the Amateur Radio Station -- Part 3 (137,486 bytes, PDF file)
  
• Lab Notes - Lightning Protection - Part 1 (229,376 bytes, PDF file)
  QST October 1994, pp. 81-82
• Lab Notes - Lightning Protection - Part 2 (262,144 bytes, PDF file)
  QST December 1994. pp. 45-46
• Electromagnetic Pulse and the Radio Amateur - Part 1 (1,114,112 bytes, PDF file)
  QST August 1986, pp. 15-20, 36
  Will your station survive the effects of lightning strikes ........
• Electromagnetic Pulse and the Radio Amateur - Part 2 (163,840 bytes, PDF file)
  QST September 1986, pp. 22-26
  ...testing EMP/transient-protection devices
• Electromagnetic Pulse and the Radio Amateur - Part 3 (509,824 bytes, PDF file)
  QST October 1986, pp. 38-41
  ...protectors are connected to Amateur Radio equipment and retested.
• Electromagnetic Pulse and the Radio Amateur - Part 4 (589,824 bytes, PDF file)
  QST November 1986, pp. 30-34
  What can be done to protect an Amateur radio station from lightning......
  Feedback: QST February 1987, p. 43
  Feedback: QST April 1987, p. 59

Note:

Contact information for suppliers mentioned in the above articles should first be confirmed using TIS Address Database Search.

Bibliography (Members Only)

ARRL Periodicals Index Search - This database contains the QST index from 1915 to the present and the QEX index from 1981 to the present. For QST issues from 1970 to the present, and some selected articles back to 1922 (when construction articles featuring tubes began in earnest), identifying keywords have been added to the technical articles. By entering keywords (ANTENNA) or combinations of keywords (CONSTRUCTION ANTENNA VERTICAL HF) into the Title words: field, you may create dynamic bibliographies.
Technical article KEYWORD list. Hints for more successful searching

Suggested keywords for more articles like the ones on this page are: LIGHTNING

Web Links

• Welcome To PolyPhaser On-Line
  Leading the communications industry in RF lightning protection and grounding solutions.
  Ham Radio Station Protection
  A thorough discussion of Ham Radio Station Techniques.
• Why You Need Lightning Protection
• Lightning Protection Specifications
• Lightning Protection Institute
  The Lightning Protection Institute (LPI) presents the following information designed to provide you with a basic understanding of lightning, the severity of lightning strikes, lightning protection systems, and the educational efforts of the LPI.
• National Lightning Safety Institute
• FAQ: Sources of EMC and Safety Compliance Information

• Mike Holt has a free tutorial on NEC Article 810 – Radio and Television Equipment. Warning, this is a 10 MB PDF that requires an Acrobat reader.

Article Reprints:

You can get a photocopy of any ARRL published article for $3 ($5 for nonmembers) for each article requested. Contact the ARRL Technical Department (reprints@arrl.org ), 1-860-594-0390, Noon to 5PM, Tuesday through Friday, if you wish to get photocopies.

This information was prepared as a membership service by the American Radio Relay League, Inc., Technical Information Service, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111 (860) 594-0214. Email: tis@arrl.org (Internet). ARRL HQ is glad to provide this information on the Web free of charge as a service to League members and affiliated clubs.

If you have any questions concerning the reproduction or distribution of this material, please contact:

TIS Coordinator
American Radio Relay League
225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111
Tel: 860-594-0214 Fax: 860-594-0259
(email: tis@arrl.org)