A-1
WaveNet Link AX Installation and Operations Manual
Appendix A
Grounding Practices and Lightning
Protection Information
General
Good grounding (“earthing”) practices, when used in telecommunications, have some direct
benefits which can help you maximize the up time of your system as well as ensure the safety
of those people working on the system. Among these benefits are:
1. Protection of personnel from electric shock and fire hazards.
2. Reduction of radiated and conducted electromagnetic susceptibility.
3. Improved system tolerance to discharge of electrostatic energy and lightning interference.
4. Minimized service interruptions and service damage.
There is no practice or formula which can completely eliminate the above risks, but we at
Wireless, Inc. believe that good grounding and bonding practices can significantly reduce the
risk of many of these hazards. We have included a bibliography at the end of this appendix which
contains several publications that are readily available and contain detailed information on
many aspects of grounding systems and their design, implementation, measurement, and
maintenance.
Please note that every telecommunication site is unique, and must be evaluated accordingly.
The following information is provided for generic reference and educational purposes only. The
grounding plans and practices for a given site should only be established and accomplished by
trained professionals, working in accordance with local practices and regulations.
Ground Connections
There should be a grounding plan designed at the outset of site design in order to provide the
best grounding procedures and to minimize ground loop currents. This should be achieved by
connecting the outer conductors of the cables through a large section copper strap to a central
grounding point and the size of the conductor should be increased as each branch path is
added. The final conductor should be connected directly to the grounding system. For a radio
site a single copper grounding rod is insufficient because its impedance is likely to be too high.
Lightning Protection
Radio sites can be particularly prone to lightning strikes by virtue of their normally exposed
locations and the presence of relatively tall antenna support structures.
It is not possible to provide and guarantee complete protection from the effects of lightning;
however, they can be significantly reduced by careful attention to grounding, protection
devices, and the layout of the site itself.
Reference should also be made to various publications, some of which are listed in the
Bibliography. Where any site owner or user is in doubt about the protection requirements for any
particular location, the appropriate authority should be consulted.
