[Elecraft] Lightning Strikes

[Larry Cahoon]

>and answering devices.  Moral of this one: Make sure you have a really 
>good surge suppressor on your  incoming telephone/
>modem line; better yet, when lightning is near, not only disconnect your 
>valuable equipment and ground everything, but also disconnect your 
>telephone line from the nearest wall plug.  Saves lots of

Disconnect, disconnect, disconnect.  With the power a direct hit there is 
no way anything like a one or two inch gap is going to do anything but 
provide a very short distance for the strike to just jump over.

When I took a hit ten years or so ago nothing on a surge protector 
survived.  And mine was not even a direct hit.  At TV plugged into the same 
outlet as an item on a surge protector survived just fine.  The phones, 
washer, dryer, fridge survived.  But the computer on a surge protector did 
not.  The radio gear - well it was disconnected at the time.  During the 
summer everything is disconnect before I head out to work - I've had too 
many thunderstorms come by when the weather man said no rain today.

73 de Larry.........WD3P
http://www.wd3p.net/