Automatic Antenna Relay for Lightning Protection
No Station Should Be Without One
There you are, driving along and minding your own business while chatting on 2 meters. Then you spot lightning ahead. Your thoughts immediately turn to your HF ham station (mine is in Photo A). “Did I remember to disconnect the antenna from my rig?” “Should I turn back or continue on?”
Well, if you had constructed and installed an automatic antenna relay, your rig would be safe. I built just such a device for that very reason for use on coaxial cables. A DPDT relay connects my linear amplifier to a five-position antenna switch when the rig is on. When off, the amplifier’s RF center conductor is
