Trying to Buy a wire antenna

[KX8W]

I'm trying to convince my mom to let me buy the 260 foot wire antenna from dx engineering, but she feels that it will cause the house and the trees to get stuck by lightning. Could someone direct me to some links of wire antenna assembly and mounting as well as how to ground it?

Thanks and 73s.

[WA8FOZ]

http://www.aa5tb.com/dipole.html

http://www.morsex.com/dipole/index.htm

But, best of all, get the ARRL Antenna book - any edition from the last few decades!

"buy the 260 foot wire antenna from dx engineering."I generally recommend that people BUILD wire antennas out of whatever is available. However, looking at the DXE website and thinking about the price of copper these days, the price is right. And you get feedline and insulators, too.

but she feels that it will cause the house and the trees to get stuck by lightning. No, simply no. But it could bring electricity into your shack/home, in the event of a direct strike or "splash-over." All outdoor antennas should therefore be grounded when not in use.

how to ground it?
1. Select a ground. Either ONE ground point for ALL stuff in your house; rado stuff, phone elctric, cable everything. Multiple grounds make electricity flow all over your house and do very bad things in event of a hit.

or
2. An outside ground rod for the antenna ONLY, connected when the antenna is not in use. An 8-foot rod pounded in outside the entry point for the antenna is best. Use a DPDT knife switch to ground the feedline when the antenna is not in use. Many of us "cheat" and place this inside at the entry point. An even cheaper way is to put BIG alligator clips on the end of your feedline. These are attached to your antenna tuner when you are on the air, and to the ground otherwise.

Congratulations on your choice of a tuned-feeder dipole:still the best all-band HF antenna for most settings. AND WELCOME to ham radio. May your next 49 years be as much fun as mine have been!

73,
Bill WA8FOZ

[W4VR]

I got the same warning from my wife, and I've taken three lightning hits despite all the grounding, etc.  If your mom is really paranoid about this why don't you get a piece of wire that you can reel in or take down when you're not using it or a thunderstorm is approaching.

[W6RMK]

You didn't say what your budget is like..

But if you're not budget constrained but you are time constrained( e.g. All of us with more than full time jobs, these days)

Get yourself a multi band dipole like a alpha delta dx-cc ( a three wire 10, 15, 20, 40, 80) and an auto tuner.  The auto tuner will take care of the small mismatch issues so you don't have to fool with the time consuming pruning thing.  Just string he antenna up any old way, fire your riig up, and get on the air. 

As far as lightning safety.... Get any of th transient protection devices from ICE or Polyphaser, drive a rod next to where you're bringing the coax in, hang the protector near the rod, run the coax through it, and be done with it.