GPS Lightning Protection and Antenna Placement

The first consideration for GPS antenna placement is a clear view of the sky, preferably 360 degrees. In the usual installation, the GPS antenna is located low and close to the equipment building roof. If an outdoor cabinet, the antenna is mounted on the cabinet or very low on the adjacent monopole/tower. A direct lightning hit to the above mounted antenna is unlikely. Mounting on an equipment building roof or cabinet is the safest place since the potential rise on the outside of either of these structures would be more or less equal with the potential on the inside. The PolyPhaser protector is there to equalize the differential in potential that occurs between center conductor and shield of the coax cable on its way from the antenna to the receiver.