For lightning protection, ground conductors should be short, direct, and heavy‑gauge. Lightning is very high voltage and very high current; providing a short, straight path to the grounding rods reduces the chance the lightning current will jump to nearby conductors or create dangerous arcing. Bends and loops increase conductor length and can create points where the voltage may arc or where inductance can worsen transient behavior. Longer conductors also have higher resistance and will heat more under lightning current. Keep ground connections short, direct, and made with large wire to give the lowest impedance path to earth.

Memory aids:

• Use large wires over short distances on a direct path to the grounding rods.
• Avoid loops and sharp (right‑angle) bends — they work against a short, direct path.
• Short & direct (simple mnemonic to remember the best practice).

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Climbing an antenna tower requires taking steps to avoid falls and serious injury. The purpose of these requirements is to keep you safe: antenna towers are high, exposed structures and do not have the safety features of other equipment.

Before you climb, have sufficient training and experience in safe tower-climbing techniques so you understand hazards, safe climbing methods, and how to use safety equipment properly. While on the tower, use an appropriate tie-off or fall-arrest system attached to the tower at all times so a slip or loss of footing does not result in an uncontrolled fall. Always wear an approved climbing harness and other required personal protective equipment; uncertified or improvised gear can fail when stressed and lead to injury or death.

You should therefore be trained, tied off at all times, and wearing an approved climbing harness whenever climbing an antenna tower.

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Never climb a tower alone. Tower work presents significant fall, entanglement, and electrical hazards, and a climber can be rendered unconscious or otherwise unable to get help after even a minor accident. Having a helper or observer on the ground allows someone to call emergency services, render immediate assistance, operate safety/rescue equipment, and watch for electrical or radio-frequency hazards. For these safety reasons and because rescue from a tower often requires more than one person, a second person should always be present when climbing a tower.

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A grounded wrist strap is used when working on electronic equipment to prevent static discharge and won't protect you when you're putting up a tower. Insulating the base of a tower will not prevent lightning strikes; in fact, it would interfere with the tower's grounding system that helps direct lightning current safely to earth. The important safety precaution is to look for and stay clear of any overhead electrical wires. The tower, its guy wires, and anyone handling the tower must be kept well away from power lines. Refer to question B06 for more information on safe distances.

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Turnbuckles are tightened by turning them; vibration can cause them to rotate and gradually loosen. A safety wire is threaded through the turnbuckle and secured so the turnbuckle cannot turn, preventing loosening from vibration once the turnbuckle is set.

A safety wire does not strengthen the turnbuckle enough to hold the guy line if the turnbuckle itself breaks — the wire is too fragile for that purpose. It also does not provide a lightning ground path, nor is it used for measuring tension; its purpose is simply to keep the turnbuckle from rotating loose.

Memory aids:

• Safety wire = prevents rotation (keeps turnbuckle from backing off under vibration)
• Not for strength, grounding, or measuring

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The minimum safe distance is the amount of space needed so that if the antenna falls, no part of it can come within 10 feet of the power wires. This ensures a safety margin to prevent accidental contact or arcing to the power line. The other options do not address the possibility of the antenna falling and therefore do not guarantee a safe clearance. Note that 10 feet is a minimum; provide more distance when practical.

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The critical safety rule is to avoid climbing a crank-up tower unless it is fully retracted or mechanical safety locking devices are installed. Crank-up towers have sliding sections; climbing requires placing hands and feet between adjacent moving parts, which can pinch, crush, or even sever body parts if the tower slips. Towers should be grounded for safety, and even when retracted it’s a good idea to block the sections to prevent unintended movement.

Memory aids:

• Think of the tower as a possible guillotine — keep hands and feet out of the sliding areas.
• Always block or lock the tower when working on it, even if retracted.

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The goal of grounding a tower is to provide a short, low-resistance path to earth so lightning currents and static charges can be safely dissipated. A single short ground rod does not provide a sufficiently low-resistance path for the large currents of a lightning strike. A ferrite-core RF choke is used to suppress RF currents on small conductors and is not a grounding method for high-energy lightning currents. Tying the tower to a household cold-water pipe is unsafe because it can conduct lightning currents into plumbing that is accessible to people and into the building electrical system. The proper method is to use long (typically 8–10 foot) ground rods for each tower leg, and bond those rods to the tower and to each other so the tower has a direct, robust path to earth.

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The primary reason to avoid attaching an antenna to a utility pole is safety: the antenna could contact high-voltage power lines. Contact with power lines can cause severe injury or death, start fires, and damage equipment. Installing or maintaining an antenna on a utility pole increases the risk of accidental contact with energized wires.

While nearby power lines can induce voltages that might be heard as noise or could, in extreme cases, damage equipment, that does not mean the antenna itself would be nonfunctional — it would still be receiving or radiating RF energy, but might pick up unwanted interference. Likewise, simply mounting an antenna on a pole will not unbalance a power transformer or cause normal power fluctuations; only a direct fault or contact between the antenna (or its support) and the electrical system could create such problems.

Memory aids:

• Think "safety first" — keep antennas away from power lines to avoid contact and electrocution risk.

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Grounding conductors for lightning protection should be as short and as straight as possible. Sharp bends (including right angles) must be avoided because they increase the effective impedance of the path and can concentrate current and heat at the bend, which is undesirable during a lightning strike. Although non‑insulated wire is commonly used, it is not strictly required — metal straps or other conductors may be acceptable. Also, using common grounding points is recommended to provide a single, low‑impedance path to earth.

Memory aids:

• "Short and Direct"

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Grounding for a tower or antenna is an electrical installation issue and is governed by local electrical codes. Most local codes are based on the National Electrical Code (NEC), so in practice they will refer you to the NEC for specific grounding requirements.

Local codes can vary significantly in who inspects and approves electrical work, so you should check with your local code enforcement office to find out the exact requirements that apply in your area.

In Article 100 of the NEC, the term Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) is defined as “An organization, office, or individual responsible for enforcing the requirements of a code or standard, or for approving equipment, materials, an installation, or a procedure.” Grounding requirements fall under the AHJ’s jurisdiction.

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