boy921 said:
Correct me if I'm wrong here but if the dishes, cables, and switches are properly grounded as per required CODE, can't static/high voltage/electric current, still travel through the core/center wire because of the space/gap between the shielding and the core wire? How much current or wattage can we put into the cable, switch, etc. that is properly grounded and would cause damage? Even if the static is great enough, if traveling along the core wire, can't it manage to get past the grounds and cause damage? I was under the impression that grounding is a preventive to reduce static build-up which increases the potential for lightening strikes? To me it seems like comparing apples to oranges.
Exactly! The ONLY point of grounding a dish & cables is to PREVENT static build-up.
The electricians (the basic problem with this whole thing) want to think that the ground is preventing house current from nailing whoever is touching the wire.
OK, yeah, IF the receiver has a MAJOR internal meltdown, and is putting AC on the satellite input instead of the 18+VDC @ around 500ma, it'll keep you from getting a buzz. But look at the center conductor of an RG-6. Tell me how much current it can carry. Answer: maybe an amp. Much more than that and it'll fry like a fuse, solving the problem anyway. SO, if you put house current on the coax, it ain't gonna stay there long.
A side effect of a decent ground is IF you take a lightning hit, the grounding MIGHT "encourage" the strike to (mostly) stay outside - but don't count on it.
If you get any kind of current actually on the wire, it's coming inside - frying anything in it's path, as mentioned above. A ground block ahead of the switch is NOT going to help.
Think of it this way, if you try to push 3000psi down a garden hose, you're gonna have water EVERYWHERE. Well, before others jump on me, I know that voltage is electrical "pressure", not current, but the analogy holds.
Maybe I should say that if you try to stuff 3000 gallons of water down a garden hose in a fraction of a second. Either way - it's a mess.
