Reply from the author........

Thank you for reading and commenting on the article. It is interesting to see the full range of response in just these three replies.

In some applications and industries, full antenna lightning protection is the norm.

However, there are many applications where prevailing more lax practices can sometimes be either "There is no defense against lightning...just get ready to fix things", or "I just have a small antenna, that is much lower that the tallest or overhead grounded metal structure, so lightning won't hit (damage) it."

This 1996 article was written in the emerging days of 802.11 (WiFi), as one example of the proliferation of smaller (higher frequency) outdoor antennas. This article shows that an antenna can receive significant transients, even if not directly struck. The 802.11 application has again proven the susceptibility and protectibility of antenna lead-ins, when subjected to the thousands of damaging transients during the installed lifetime (even if sometimes limited to 5k to 10kV by internal cable breakdown).

The most appropriate conclusions from this article should be: 1. Outdoor antennas, even if shielded from likely direct strikes, face thousands of indirect transient pulses. 2. Threat levels are somewhat predictable and within the capability of protection devices and good installation practices. 3. High availability or critical outdoor communication antennas and cables need protection.

Thanks again,

George M. Kauffman NexTek, Inc. Westford, MA