Quote:
Originally Posted by hdtvfan44
I see a lot of surge protectors with a inbound connection for a coax cable and then an outbound connection. Do those actually work? And is it true those can create a signal loss?
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Yes they cause signal loss. How much is determined by how much extra signal power is on your cable and the frequency. Losses in the Gigahertz range tend to be quite high.
Do you really think that little part inside a box will stop what three miles of sky could not? A protector adjacent to a TV must either absorb that energy or block it. So, which manufacturer spec number claims that protection? Good luck trying to find one.
Protection is about how a surge obtains earth. Once that surge is inside, then any appliance is a perfect victim for that connection. Once inside the house, then nothing stops a surge from hunting for earth destructively via appliances. As in nothing.
If a surge is earthed BEFORE entering the building, then it need not go hunting. But that connection must be low impedance. That means a ground wire from cable to single point earth ground (not just any ground) should be less than 10 feet. No sharp wire bends. No splices. Separated from other non-grounding wires. Why is that adjacent protector (and wall receptacle) not earthed? Many reasons are in sentences in this paragraph.
If a surge is earthed before entering the building, then nothing need become a victim. But this is critically important. No protector does protection. Either a protector connects low impedance to what does protection. Or it does nothing.
Protection is defined by what absorbs hundreds of thosuands of joules. Single point earth ground is far most important, easily compromised, and is the 'art' of protection.
"Art"? Some facts, that make or break that art, were already explained. Low impedance (ie 'less than 10 feet') is one example. And not just any earth ground. It must be the single point earth ground. Earthing - not any protector - not a receptacle safety ground - should have most of your attention.