Featured Threat Type – Lightning Protection for Radio and Communication Lines

Although probably our best-known type of solution, we wanted to take the opportunity to start off 2017 by highlighting Lightning Protection for coaxial RF applications.  Fundamentally, the purpose of these devices is to provide high-performance Lightning & Surge Protection for Radio and Electronic Systems and their Users.  This can be as simple as protecting a radio itself, or as complex as providing protection to the entire platform or system the protection is being installed upon.

Simplified Diagram Showing Typical Wireless Communications Installation – Potential Arrestor Placement Areas are A, B, and C.

You can see the common areas where protection is installed called out as A, B, and C in the diagram above.  This is an over-simplification and does not exactly represent most actual installations, but it does a good job representing the various ways and reasons that a coaxial cable can be installed outside and therefore represent a potential ingress path for Transient Lightning Energy.

Lightning damage is a leading cause of radio damage in many locations and systems around the world.  Anywhere a coaxial cable or radio antenna is run outside in an exposed location, there is a potential need for an arrestor/protector on the line as well.

While we do specialize in coaxial connectorized solutions where RF Energy must be passed during normal usage, we also do have many years of experience in designing and consulting on all sorts of Surge Protection devices… From Lightning Arrestors for AC, DC, or Serial/Comms lines, to providing multi-faceted protection that is as effective against Static/ESD and HEMP/NEMP energy as it is against standard Lightning transients.

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Lightning – Threat Type Page

Coaxial Lightning Arrestors – Product Family Page

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