got the part# and source for enclosure?
i am surprised that no one has answered this question. i know that there was at least two people who installed a THII in an outdoor box and used the internal auto atu with a 102" steel whip instead of the outdoor manual atu.
I keep my TH TX in the house.
I did have a Metzo transmitter in a small traffic signal box one time. Check with your local government Traffic Signal Department. They may have some surplus equipment boxes.
There are lots of weatherproof boxes available on e-bay. Ideally, you can get one with holes predrilled on the bottom and with silicon caps to temporarily seal them - these allow you to run audio/power to the box, and let water from condensation (or at worst, leakage) to drain. Then you would only have to drill one hole in the top for the antenna mount. Generally, these boxes come with mast clamps and extensions on the top and bottom to allow you to mount it.
I held my Decade inside a box with velcro, which works well. I can't remember the name of the box I used, but I believe I purchased it from L-Com. Get the smallest one that will fit your Talking House and it should be less than $50, maybe even a lot less.
metal or heavy gauge fiberglass?
I am also curious about the difference between metal and fiberglass in the outdoor situation.
Of course the metal would shield out any RFI from getting into the box, but would the metal box become a lightning target?
Would fiberglass add a layer of protection against lightning getting direct to the transmitter?
"Of course the metal would shield out any RFI from getting into the box, but would the metal box become a lightning target?"
Anything conductive sticking up in the air is subject to being hit by lightning, even dry lightning.
"Would fiberglass add a layer of protection against lightning getting direct to the transmitter?"
NO. Lightning will take the shortest path to ground Arc-over will occur and zap out everything in that box if there is no preventive steps to re-direct that strike to ground. A good example of such preventive steps is the spark gap component on the output of the AMT5k, Rangemaster and Procaster.
Most TX's will be equipped with a spark gap built in and inline between the antenna output and ground, which will shunt most of that strike to ground, but usually not without doing some damage somewhere, be it blowing up a part or two, or decorating the PC board with a nice black arc burn.
RFB
Local big box home improvement stores here stock ABS enclosures which could be suitable.
As for lightning, it is not true that electricity follows only the path of least resistance...it follows all available paths including power and audio lines which enter the building. Outdoor installations must have provision to protect the building and its inhabitants from lightning.
Neil
"As for lightning, it is not true that electricity follows only the path of least resistance...it follows all available paths including power and audio lines which enter the building. Outdoor installations must have provision to protect the building and its inhabitants from lightning."
Which is exactly why there are steps taken to maximize that least resistance path, out at the tower/antenna and is why I also mentioned about "arc over".
None of it totally prevents total protection against a several million volt and amp lightning bolt. Without any of those steps to maximize the least resistance path, there would be far more arc overs occurring and far more damage done.
RFB
Yes, this is a goal for lightning protection but it doesn't stop there. A tower grounded at the base to ground rods will shunt a considerable amount of energy to these rods but if separated from the building ground large potential differences are produced between the two grounds, reportedly thousands of volts per meter for a large strike.
Though grounded at the tower, leads to the building can rise to high voltages above the building ground. This is why attention must be paid to the protection at the point of entry for such leads. Though no one posting here has said otherwise grounding only the tower is not all that is required.
Here, all my antenna coaxes are shield grounded at the point of entry to the house at the electrical panel ground lead which leads directly to the ground stake. There was a direct hit to a tree about 12 feet from this point of entry which was large enough to literally explode half the tree producing shards over a wide area as well as plasma lightning. Only items connected to the phone line were damaged so it appears the telco surge suppression was not designed for a nearby direct hit.
Some recommend disconnecting antennas during a storm but that is the last thing I am going to do. I don't want one hand on the radio and the other on the coax when lightning strikes else it very well could be the last thing I do. I just stay away from the radios during storms.
Neil
No one mentioned it because it is assumed that at least 90 percent of folks here already know about grounding issues, especially those participating in this discussion..so repeating something already known, or what already should be known would be irrelevant.
All one needs to do if they are not aware of this is simply look at their own utility drop. There certainly is not just one single ground and only at the meter. There is one at the pole and at the drop.
Even with that, a strike can still find its way in. Point is, if there are enough least resistance paths along the way, most of that strike is going to shunt right into ground instead of all of it being directed into your shack or house or hand.
I will say this. I have seen many setups where grounding was left to the wayside and some time later, regretted. Those who do disconnect from their antennas and even unplug from the AC are ahead of the game. A lightning strike does not have to be a direct hit to cause damage. A lightning strike can knock out stuff from a half mile distance from high level EMF especially with today's far more sensitive electronics. It is not like the good ol days where tubes could survive that kind of thing.
Had a ham friend once who thought like you did, why bother, waste of time. One day he found out the hard way and had far more to worry about than just radios.
RFB
It is still raining this morning, but all day yesterday there was lightning in the area and KDX usually waits until the strikes are close enough to produce loud thunder, then we sign off, mostly to protect the computer hard-drive, which I understand can be damaged if the power is withdrawn during operation.
But most of the equipment remains attached to to AC power lines, and the computer to the incoming cable.
Two transmitters are attached to a long ground wire which is laid on the surface of the ground for about 200-feet. Alligator clips allow disconnection.
But the Wintennas remain attached, namely metal window-frame antennas facing the outdoors and certainly in peril of a direct hit.
I unplug the transmitters from the AC, thinking that if lightning has no path to ground through the indoor wiring..... but my understanding of what would happen trails off and I wonder...
If lightning hits a metal window-frame that is ungrounded, what happens next?
.so repeating something already known, or what already should be known would be irrelevant.
There are readers who are new to the forum and the hobby who may not know what some of us believe to be common knowledge. I see no harm in being repetitious on certain topics, especially those pertaining to safety.
All one needs to do if they are not aware of this is simply look at their own utility drop.
People with technical training and experience can look at such things and reasonably understand what is involved, but those without this benefit would gain little or no understanding by simply looking at things. Not everyone sees the world through technical eyes.
I will say this. I have seen many setups where grounding was left to the wayside and some time later, regretted.
No doubt that this is true which is a rationale to occasionally remind ourselves of the basics of lightning protection.
What has been posted here on this subject is basic and should remind readers to seek more information.
If lightning hits a metal window-frame that is ungrounded, what happens next?
With a direct hit the lightning will arc to seek ground. I would not unground my equipment while the antenna is attached because even with a nearby hit the chassis voltages can raise to high and dangerous levels. I prefer to leave my equipment plugged in and grounded through the power outlets. This is my preference and is not necessarily a recommendation since every situation is different.
Neil
First, I'm confused by the two forms of the word "coarse" and "course." Ah, I probably should use..... course.
For equipment safety, would it be the best of all to 100% disconnect transmitters from AC lines, grounds, AND antennas?
Here's a creative thought: what about a sensing circuit designed to respond both to audio at the high deciBel level of nearby thunder, AND to the out-burst of static on an open AM frequency, and trigger a total disconnect?
One could always let the sensing circuit be the scapegoat which would give its life to save the transmitter.
An old trick for "early warning" of severe weather was to tune your ANALOG TV to channel 2 (or some other unused lower channel.)
Static discharges (lightning) from quite a way off would then easily become visible as horizontal streaks across the screen.
When the screen becomes mostly black (or was it white?), run for cover!
Of course for the Radio Enthusiast, I suppose you could monitor a clear spot on the AM band and listen for the static. The high tech application would be to run the audio into a "noise" detector that would set off an alarm.