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Ken's avatar

I'm quite familiar with ground currents. From 1976 to 1996 I was an electronic technician in central Florida, the lightning capital of the US.

I saw numerous cases of damage to TV tuners and other components due to the way they were grounding the cable systems at the time.

The incoming power may be grounded at one end of the house and the cable at the opposite end may be 40 or 50 ft away. It was determined that such a situation could cause a potential as much as several thousand volts between the two grounds as a result of a ground strike nearby. In some cases the cable companies were being held liable for damage until they changed the location of their ground. As a result, all cable and tv antenna systems were required to be grounded at the same point as the incoming power ground.

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Kevin H.'s avatar

We spend a lot of time dry camping. Could you comment on the efficacy of insulating pads when our trailer isn’t hooked up to a pedestal? We have a metal-skinned trailer. It seems that the odds of a nearby lightning strike are much higher than a direct hit.

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