Lightning protection on the stevens point--Wisconsin rapids intercity telephone cable

Abstract

It has been a common assumption that buried telephone cables are practically free from the destructive effects of lightning, particularly intercity cables which have no intermediate terminals or connections to local subscriber installations along the route of the buried section. Such cables in some areas, however, have been found to be relatively vulnerable to damage from lightning strokes occurring along the route of cables. To avoid such damage various methods have been employed. One method has been to plow shield wires in the ground above the location of the cables. Whether or not such protection is provided is customarily based on balancing the cost of such measures against the expectancy of lightning strokes per year along the respective route, and the anticipated cost of repairs and interruptions entailed. This paper describes a situation where the anticipated troubles did not appear to warrant the cost of the initial installation of shield wires, but later experience indicated the need for some remedial measures. The measure adopted consisted of the installations of full-count carbon gap protection at various intervals along the cable route.