[Elecraft] [K3] Be Careful in Lightning Season

[Pete Smith]

About a year ago, when I first got my K3, U1 on the KIO3 board fried 
during a lightning storm, even though all my antennas and control cables 
were disconnected.  Apparently the damage was caused by EMP on the 
serial cable.  Anyway, $110 later I added a surge protector between the 
radio and the cable, and swapped the cable for a USB-to-serial adapter, 
thinking it might reduce the chance of future damage.  As suggested by 
Elecraft, I also started disconnecting from the RS-232 port when a 
lightning storm was expected.

Well, last Wednesday night I was awakened by thunder and lightning, went 
back to sleep, and in the morning discovered that I had *not* 
disconnected the serial cable.  In fact, I'd also left the antenna on my 
QS1R - horrors!  The QS1R was OK, as it turned out, but the EMP fried 
both my USB-to-Serial adapter and the KIO3 - probably U1 again, 
according to Elecraft, which is sending me the IC so that I can attempt 
a repair myself.  Excellent support, as usual.

It does seem, though, that the RS-232 port on the K3 is highly 
vulnerable - in some 15 years of using radios with serial ports, I had 
never before disconnected the serial cables, and never had any damage, 
even when my tower took a direct hit.  I have heard that Elecraft is 
working on a ruggedized version of the KIO3, and wonder - when might it 
be ready, and will it be a user-performable mod?

-- 
73, Pete N4ZR

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