Protecting the
SeaSonde from Lightning and
Other Electrical Surges
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
The occurrence of lightning striking SeaSonde antennas is extremely low.
However, the statistics vary geographically and even a small risk exists
at any coastal HF radar location. Some may ask, "what can be done
to prevent the
antenna from being struck by lightning". Unfortunately there are
no devices that can prevent a strike on the antennas without disrupting
their normal performance. There might be some very sophisticated antenna
protection system that may not negatively affect the antennas, but
these expensive designs cost more than the price of entire SeaSonde
unit and still can offer no guarantees.
All SeaSondes are equipped with some lightning protection built
into the transmitter chassis and the receive antenna (shown below).
The purpose of these devices is to minimize the effects of a lightning
strike upon the more expensive parts of SeaSonde electronics if an
antenna is hit.
 Click
image to enlarge
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The SeaSonde Extended Lightning Protection
Kit, CODAR Product Code LT-E1, (shown below) is an optional secondary
lightning protection package set in a small weatherproof housing
(mountable either indoors or outdoors) intended to provide one
additional layer of electronics protection. It uses the same
gas discharge tube method on all transmit and receive cables
connected to the electronics. It is not a guarantee against damage
but is another technology that may help protect the electronics
chassis (if either antenna or antenna cables take a direct hit).
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CODAR Product Code LT-E1
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| CODAR Product Code UPS1500 |
Power coming to SeaSonde should be buffered via an Uninterruptable
Power Supply (UPS) Power Conditioning Unit (CODAR Product
Code UPS1500). A UPS connecting the SeaSonde unit to its power
source (e.g. wall plug) will provide a layer of protection to
electronics against power surges that come from power line. They
also allow for continued quality performance through power fluctuations
(sometimes referred to as "brownouts"). UPS devices
are small investments with big rewards.
Consult CODAR Support Team for additional details on protection technology
and how these may be best utilized inside your SeaSonde network.
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