My node (rocket M2), located at the top of a mast on top of a tower, has failed. I suspect lightning. The cost of renting a man lift to get up there is so high that is practical to just replace everything up there, and try to provide better protection. The Ubiquiti protectors help only the ethernet side of things, not the antenna
side. Should I install sma lightning arrestors between the rocket and the antennas? I believe the rocket is inside a rocket shield.
Bob W8ERD
side. Should I install sma lightning arrestors between the rocket and the antennas? I believe the rocket is inside a rocket shield.
Bob W8ERD
It's probably overkill to install lightning suppression between the Rocket and antenna, and will only add more insertion loss. The radio is strapped onto the antenna anyway. Definitely ground your radio and antenna mounts to the tower (at least #6 AWG to each) and protect the cables where they enter the shelter with something like this.
R-56 STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR COMMUNICATION SITES is great summer reading material on site design best practices. Newer versions exist and are available from /\/\ on CD for a fee.
Lightning has to cross the distance from the cloud base to the ground (typically 1000 feet to more than a mile) and the stroke creates ESD from audio through gamma ray frequencies. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrestrial_gamma-ray_flash) Sort of like the spark-gap transmitters used by the OMs back in the early days of Amateur Radio, only a whole lot stronger 8)
Are you using shielded Ethernet cabling to your node and is the equipment properly grounded as pointed out by the other gentlemen?
My only other thought is this.... is your node the top most point on the tower? Is it the best target for the lightening? Can you make someone else' equipment a better target?
Cheers,
Mark