[Elecraft] Avoiding costly lightning damage to your radios gear

[w5sum at comcast.net]

very good suggestions Wayne. I work in the Communications field and have for 
40 years. I have seen massive amounts of lightning damage, regardless of 
grounding , protection, etc etc. If you take a direct hit.. something is 
going to fry and that’s it.

I unplug antennas, power cords AND Ethernet Cables to all computers in my 
ham shack. I must confess however, I have not disconnected the USB and RS232 
lines. I sort of figure if the power cord and ethernet cables to my computer 
are disconnected, the path for the power surge is eliminated. BUT.. guess it 
would be better to be sure. And btw, yes my computers are all grounded very 
well.

thanks for the heads up

Ronnie W5SUM


-----Original Message----- 
From: Wayne Burdick
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2018 10:08 PM
To: Elecraft Reflector
Cc: KX3 at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Elecraft] Avoiding costly lightning damage to your radios gear

Every year, especially in summer, our techs see radios come in that have 
been damaged by lightning, despite the radio's protective circuitry. You can 
take steps to reduce your own risk.

1. Many of us remember to disconnect antennas when lightning is anticipated. 
But in our experience, the most common source of damage, by far, is from an 
attached computer. Computers themselves often fail due to lightning strikes. 
They can also act as conduits for surges to other gear. Just to emphasize 
this point: Customers often say "I disconnected everything but the USB cable 
to the computer...," which left the interface to their radio exposed.

Note: Only in rare cases have we seen surge damage via other I/O ports 
(accessory jack, paddle/keyer jacks, PTT IN, KEY OUT, and DC). USB and RS232 
ports are the most susceptible.

2. Some stations have an ad-hoc ground system and little or no ESD or surge 
protection. If you haven't already taken protective measures, we strongly 
recommend reading this article, which goes into some detail regarding how 
lightning finds its way in:

   http://www.arrl.org/files/file/QST/This%20Month%20in%20QST/June2017/Chusid-Morgan.pdf

At the very least, be sure your PC and other gear share a short, heavy, 
common ground.

3. As for protecting your PC, here's a good starting point:

    https://www.wikihow.com/Protect-a-PC-in-a-Thunderstorm

73,
Wayne
N6KR




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