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Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

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Chuck Milam, N9KY

Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

Hi All:

It looks like we took an EMP hit at home from nearby lightning just last
night. The XYL was up with the baby and said the whole house lit up
sometime after midnight. So far, it appears I've lost a TV, laser printer,
the shack PC, all the outdoor security cameras, and my internet service.

As for radio gear, my Astron VS-35M power supply was showing low voltage
output, but a power recycle corrected that. The Elecraft K3 was actually
powered off and disconnected from the antennas, but it was throwing errors
when I powered it up. I assume that was from the connection to the
computer. I did a soft reset and it seems to have recovered, but I need to
do more thorough testing. The KX3 was only connected to power and was
powered off, and it seems to be OK so far.

The other ham radios seem to be OK, except for an old 1990s-era Radio Shack
scanner that likely can't be replaced. I may crack that one open and see if
there's something obvious that can be repaired.

Any advice for what other checks I should perform on my house and equipment
(especially my K3 and KX3) to check for hidden gremlins before I start
calling the insurance companies and getting the claims process rolling?

---
Chuck Milam, N9KY
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w4sc-2

Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

Several (MANY) years ago I had a similar occurrence. A nearby strike. A desk side computer, printer, and external disk drive, that were NOT ‘plugged in’, damaged beyond economical repair by the currents induced in the interconnecting cables of the three units. The “look and smell test” gave no indication of damage.

Ben W4SC
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Buck

Re: Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

In reply to this post by Chuck Milam, N9KY

An interesting factoid - the 12v rail on the K3 finals is powered even
when you turn the radio off. Thus, a power spike on the mains could get
into the radio.

Best practice is to disconnect everything when not in use.

Buck, k4ia
Honor Roll
8BDXCC
EasyWayHamBooks.com

On 11/6/2017 10:59 AM, Chuck Milam, N9KY wrote:

> Hi All:
>
> It looks like we took an EMP hit at home from nearby lightning just last
> night. The XYL was up with the baby and said the whole house lit up
> sometime after midnight. So far, it appears I've lost a TV, laser printer,
> the shack PC, all the outdoor security cameras, and my internet service.
>
> As for radio gear, my Astron VS-35M power supply was showing low voltage
> output, but a power recycle corrected that. The Elecraft K3 was actually
> powered off and disconnected from the antennas, but it was throwing errors
> when I powered it up. I assume that was from the connection to the
> computer. I did a soft reset and it seems to have recovered, but I need to
> do more thorough testing. The KX3 was only connected to power and was
> powered off, and it seems to be OK so far.
>
> The other ham radios seem to be OK, except for an old 1990s-era Radio Shack
> scanner that likely can't be replaced. I may crack that one open and see if
> there's something obvious that can be repaired.
>
> Any advice for what other checks I should perform on my house and equipment
> (especially my K3 and KX3) to check for hidden gremlins before I start
> calling the insurance companies and getting the claims process rolling?
>
> ---
> Chuck Milam, N9KY
> [hidden email]
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
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> Message delivered to [hidden email]
>

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Bob McGraw - K4TAX

Re: Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

And that rule on disconnect everything........includes not only
antennas, but any ground path to the outside world.

Remember, all lightning protection MUST be implemented outside of the
structure. AND all driven grounds MUST be bonded together on the
outside of the structure. This is per NEC. Failure to do this last
step will produce a voltage between any 2 or more ground points due to
resistance of the earth and the current flowing through the earth from a
nearby strike. It is an I x R thing. Do the math. Even if antennas
are disconnected and equipment is off, the path of least resistance is
followed and that could be through your ground system and equipment.

73

Bob, K4TAX

On 11/6/2017 10:54 AM, Buck wrote:

> An interesting factoid - the 12v rail on the K3 finals is powered even
> when you turn the radio off. Thus, a power spike on the mains could
> get into the radio.
>
> Best practice is to disconnect everything when not in use.
>
> Buck, k4ia
> Honor Roll
> 8BDXCC
> EasyWayHamBooks.com
>
> On 11/6/2017 10:59 AM, Chuck Milam, N9KY wrote:
>> Hi All:
>>
>> It looks like we took an EMP hit at home from nearby lightning just last
>> night. The XYL was up with the baby and said the whole house lit up
>> sometime after midnight. So far, it appears I've lost a TV, laser
>> printer,
>> the shack PC, all the outdoor security cameras, and my internet service.
>>
>> As for radio gear, my Astron VS-35M power supply was showing low voltage
>> output, but a power recycle corrected that. The Elecraft K3 was actually
>> powered off and disconnected from the antennas, but it was throwing
>> errors
>> when I powered it up. I assume that was from the connection to the
>> computer. I did a soft reset and it seems to have recovered, but I
>> need to
>> do more thorough testing. The KX3 was only connected to power and was
>> powered off, and it seems to be OK so far.
>>
>> The other ham radios seem to be OK, except for an old 1990s-era Radio
>> Shack
>> scanner that likely can't be replaced. I may crack that one open and
>> see if
>> there's something obvious that can be repaired.
>>
>> Any advice for what other checks I should perform on my house and
>> equipment
>> (especially my K3 and KX3) to check for hidden gremlins before I start
>> calling the insurance companies and getting the claims process rolling?
>>
>> ---
>> Chuck Milam, N9KY
>> [hidden email]
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>> Message delivered to [hidden email]
>>
> ______________________________________________________________
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>

Jim Brown-10

Re: Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

In reply to this post by Buck

On 11/6/2017 8:54 AM, Buck wrote:
> Best practice is to disconnect everything when not in use.

NO, best practice is proper bonding of all equipment, AND to avoid the
use of shunt-mode (MOV) surge protectors to protect equipment. Study
N0AX's new ARRL book on the topic, or download and study the slides for
my talk on the subject. http://k9yc.com/GroundingAndAudio.pdf

73, Jim K9YC

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K9MA

Re: Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

In reply to this post by Buck

On 11/6/2017 10:54, Buck wrote:
> Best practice is to disconnect everything when not in use.

I agree. While good bonding and protection devices can help, a large
enough or close enough strike can still damage equipment.

I set up my station with a panel at which all antennas and control
cables from outside can be disconnected with two connectors. That panel
is in the basement shack, and well grounded and bonded to the station
ground. It would be better to have that disconnect outside, away from
the house, but I'd never operate in the winter if I had to go outside
every time I wanted to connect the antennas. I would put it outside if
I lived in Florida.

In addition, all station power comes in on two conveniently placed
outlets, one for 120 and one for 240. I also disconnect both of those
when I'm not operating and/or there are thunderstorms around. (Only the
clock is left connected, and it's expendable.) I also disconnect the
ethernet cable to the computer. With everything disconnected, the
equipment is grounded, but otherwise isolated. There is no direct path
by which current could flow through any of the equipment. While some
current could certainly be induced in the interconnecting cables, they
are fairly short.

While I'm fairly sure this protects the equipment well, I know there are
no guarantees. (That's what insurance is for.) My primary concern is
minimizing the chance that a lightning strike will start a fire which,
at best, would be a major inconvenience. As far as safety, I stay well
away from the radio when there's lightning about.

73,

Scott K9MA

--
Scott K9MA

[hidden email]

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Wes Stewart-2

Re: Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

In reply to this post by Jim Brown-10

OK, I'll bite: Why not?

On 11/6/2017 10:22 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
> ... AND to avoid the use of shunt-mode (MOV) surge protectors to protect
> equipment.
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Jim Brown-10

Re: Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

On 11/6/2017 1:17 PM, Wes Stewart wrote:
> OK, I'll bite: Why not?

See the Power and Grounding stuff on my website.

73, Jim

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Bill Frantz

Re: Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

In reply to this post by Wes Stewart-2

I haven't looked at Jim's web site recently enough to remember
his reasons, but here is mine.

We had a shunt mode MOV "protected" power strip at our family
house in New Hampshire. My cousin was using a high power vacuum
while painting. The power strip started smoking and he quickly
threw it outside where it stopped smoking after a while. When I
looked at it, the plastic had be partially melted and there was
a significant danger that it could have started a fire if my
cousin hadn't acted.

It turned out that the electrical system lost its master neutral
connection between the service entrance and the pole. The vac
dragged down the voltage on its leg so most of the 240 volts was
across the power strip's leg. This voltage was enough to pop the
MOV. Since the fault wasn't a voltage spike, the MOV overheated
enough to start smoking.

This whole incident didn't help in my campaign to convince my
cousin that electricity is really safe and you don't have to
unplug all the appliances, including electric clocks, when you
leave the house.

73 Bill AE6JV

On 11/6/17 at 1:17 PM, [hidden email] (Wes Stewart) wrote:

>OK, I'll bite: Why not?
>
>On 11/6/2017 10:22 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
>>... AND to avoid the use of shunt-mode (MOV) surge protectors
>>to protect equipment.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Frantz |"Insofar as the propositions of mathematics
refer to
408-356-8506 | reality, they are not certain; and insofar
they are
www.pwpconsult.com | certain, they do not refer to reality.”
-- Einstein

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Rick Tavan-2

Re: Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

In reply to this post by Chuck Milam, N9KY

Sorry to hear, Chuck. I had a similar indirect hit in September and I'm
still recovering. My K3 lost its serial port, as did the P3. They seem to
be working fine now after replacing those boards. A big issue in lightning
damage repair is complete testing. If you aren't using your serial port (or
ACC connector, or RX antenna port, etc.), you may not notice that something
failed until months (years) later when you try to use the bad circuit. So
be skeptical and test everything you can think of.

The really good news with Elecraft gear is that you can often replace
boards like I did. I also lost two TVs completely and one still turns on
but has no HDMI inputs left functioning. Similarly, my A/V receiver lost
all its HDMI ports. The audio amp still works, but emits a loud POP every
minute or two. All four of those boxes are non-repairable and must be
replaced. I also had to replace many other devices in their entirety. So
Long Live Elecraft! (microbit, by the way, sells a replacement board for
its RRC controller for a reasonable US$150, shipped quickly from Sweden.
It's a one-board device, but at least I salvaged the sheet metal!)

I lost almost every serial and HDMI port in the house. I suspect they're
all managed by delicate semiconductor chips that can't handle the pulses.
Keep that in mind while testing!

GL,

/Rick N6XI

Rick Tavan
Truckee, CA

On Mon, Nov 6, 2017 at 7:59 AM, Chuck Milam, N9KY <[hidden email]> wrote:

Gary Smith-2

Re: Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

Bummer. I have been disconnecting and
unplugging for years. Thought I had it
covered when I saw storms coming in on the
radar. The next day the radio and the P3
was dead when I plugged the power strip in
although the PS was working and everything
else fired up.

Couldn't get TV and I couldn't use my
wireless mouse with the computer. Cut to
the chase... The spike came in through the
cable, killed the modem, killed the USB
hub and the Radio was connected to the hub
by the RS232 to USB cable, the P3 was
connected to the K3s. Was a new radio,
maybe a month old cost me plenty to repair
the damage because damage from lightning
strikes aren't a warranted item (nor
should they be). To Elecraft's credit,
they could have charged me more but they
genuinely care about their customers and
they made it as painless as possible.

But my point is this strike didn't come
from the power line, it came in from the
cable. Lightning is a SOB, if you're going
to disconnect, then make it so the rig and
everything else in any way possible, is
ready to go in a box.

FWIW, I now have everything connected
wirelessly including the desktop. I still
unplug but I no longer worry about spikes
through the cable service.

73,

Gary
KA1J

>
> On Mon, Nov 6, 2017 at 7:59 AM, Chuck Milam, N9KY <[hidden email]>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi All:
> >
> > It looks like we took an EMP hit at home from nearby lightning just
> > last night. The XYL was up with the baby and said the whole house
> > lit up sometime after midnight. So far, it appears I've lost a TV,
> > laser printer, the shack PC, all the outdoor security cameras, and
> > my internet service.
> >
> > As for radio gear, my Astron VS-35M power supply was showing low
> > voltage output, but a power recycle corrected that. The Elecraft K3
> > was actually powered off and disconnected from the antennas, but it
> > was throwing errors when I powered it up. I assume that was from the
> > connection to the computer. I did a soft reset and it seems to have
> > recovered, but I need to do more thorough testing. The KX3 was only
> > connected to power and was powered off, and it seems to be OK so
> > far.
> >
> > The other ham radios seem to be OK, except for an old 1990s-era
> > Radio Shack scanner that likely can't be replaced. I may crack that
> > one open and see if there's something obvious that can be repaired.
> >
> > Any advice for what other checks I should perform on my house and
> > equipment (especially my K3 and KX3) to check for hidden gremlins
> > before I start calling the insurance companies and getting the
> > claims process rolling?
> >
> > ---
> > Chuck Milam, N9KY
> > [hidden email]
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > Elecraft mailing list
> > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> > Post: mailto:[hidden email]
> >
> > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> > Message delivered to [hidden email]
> >
> ______________________________________________________________
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Wes Stewart-2

Re: Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

In reply to this post by Jim Brown-10

How come when I word search this: http://k9yc.com/GroundingAndAudio.pdf for
"MOV", I get nothing?

Do I have to read the whole site or could you just answer the question?

On 11/6/2017 3:41 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
> On 11/6/2017 1:17 PM, Wes Stewart wrote:
>> OK, I'll bite: Why not?
>
> See the Power and Grounding stuff on my website.
>
> 73, Jim

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Jim Brown-10

Re: Took Some Lightning Damage Last Night

On 11/7/2017 10:06 AM, Wes Stewart wrote:
> Do I have to read the whole site or could you just answer the question?
>
It's a long answer.

See page 28 in http://k9yc.com/SurgeXPowerGround.pdf

73, Jim

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