| Author |
Message |
    
Bigbob
Senior Member
Username: Bigbob
Post Number: 2108
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 6:57 am: | 
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4:30 Thursday morning lightning struck the earth near my house ground and service pole,it destroyed my cb antenna rotor box,my portable phone,my portable radio,my dss reciever box,and it messed with my modem(I have to figure out how to uninstall it and reinstall it).My dx2517 is ok thank god but it took out my p.s. that controls all my board relays and it blew up my swr meter wall supply meter is ok and antenna and coax is ok.The lightning traveled through the house and phone ground and out through the rotor box to antenna ground(my theory)rotor box looked like it had an m-80 in it,looks repairable,if not where can I get a 5-wire control box for an ar-33 rotor,not sure if rotor is ok,how do I test it.Well ground systems are ok untill lightning hits it,then all bets are off,it tried to go through my meter on pole,the meter goes fast then real slow then fast then slow,the main on the pole box was tripped but the main in the house was not,and breakers that had blown units on were tripped also.One good thing,direct tv said we were good costomers for so long,they'd put us on the service plan and retro actively check our system and if something was damaged by lightning it would be replace for free minus the 5.99 monthly service plan fee,the 30$ service charge will be credited to our account as paid,YEEHAW,now if I could get a free rotor box.Bigbob |
Karatebutcher
Senior Member
Username: Karatebutcher
Post Number: 1996
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 7:33 am: |
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Sorry to hear that Big Bob |
Moderator136
Moderator
Username: Moderator136
Post Number: 77
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 8:49 am: |
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Bigbob Getting hit by lighting is no fun at all, Been there a few times myself,Well 4 major strikes.
Check everthing even the fridgerator mine worked for 2 days then quit.
Also suggest to have your ac power checked out, After my last strike , had a bad ground in the fuse box from ark. Lighting dose more damage than you think,I had trouble a week later with radios having static 30 over 9. I checked fuse box and had a bad ground.
Glad no one was hurt Bigbob,The power of nature is awesome.Check everything that you can think of and double check it.
Moderator 136
CEF136
kc0svc
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Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808
Post Number: 6553
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 9:00 am: |
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Bigbob,
We are very sorry to hear that and hope you get things back up and repaired soon.
Lon
Tech808
CEF808
N9OSN |
Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833
Post Number: 1042
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 10:03 am: |
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Bigbob,
Thank God you were not injured or killed (How horrible to be a Boy Scout at Jamboree last week).
BTW, Polyphaser does make a rotor cable lightning protector. |
Dale
Intermediate Member
Username: Dale
Post Number: 182
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 10:54 am: |
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thank god everyone in home is unhurt |
Keithinatlanta
Advanced Member
Username: Keithinatlanta
Post Number: 659
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 11:09 am: |
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Hey Bob. Now you know one reason why I have hesitated on putting up this Super Scanner. we get horrible lightening storms here in Atlanta, including Wednesday night. I know a lot of people have antennas up. But that is also why I keep my TV antenna in attic so it won't get hit.
I hope you get up and running real soon.
Keith |
Mikefromms
Advanced Member
Username: Mikefromms
Post Number: 697
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 11:43 am: |
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Big Bob, sorry to hear about this. I guess it's just hit and miss with lightning for any of us. A friend in town lost all of his equipment due to a lightning strike and it blew a big hole in his concrete floor--weird. His insurance fixed him up again, which was a relief.
Mikefromms |
Therealporkchop
Intermediate Member
Username: Therealporkchop
Post Number: 298
Registered: 11-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 12:07 pm: |
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I'm going to built something like in Back to the Future so I can capture that power. 1.22 jiggawatts!! That should make my base amp scream... |
Hollowpoint445
Advanced Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 625
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 1:33 pm: |
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Lightning is every radio operator's fear. I'm glad that no one was hurt. The equipment loss is definitely a bummer though.
I imagine if your modem isn't behaving normally it'll need replacement. They're quite sensitive and in 3 years of doing dial up tech support I saw lots of modems get fried when nothing else in the home was damaged. In your case it's a safe bet that it's been fried.
I always suggest unplugging modems (DSL or dial up) when they're not in use so they won't get damaged by a lightning strike. There are devices you can install at your telephone network interface (NID) to protect everything upstream from lightning - but they're somewhat costly and if you aren't familiar with telephone wiring they can be confusing to install. My DSL modem is protected by a NID splitter partly for that reason. |
Dx431
Senior Member
Username: Dx431
Post Number: 1079
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 3:47 pm: |
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Bigbob, sorry to hear that. So far I've been lucky.
Check out Norm's Rotor Service about the Rotor Control box. It's not free, but, if ya call Norm, I'm sure yall can work something out.
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Troublemaker
Intermediate Member
Username: Troublemaker
Post Number: 147
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 4:56 pm: |
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Keithinatlanta, not to bust your bubble,but an antenna will still be struck even hidden in the attic! being in the fire service for many years, I"ve seen things you just wouldn"t believe! |
Bigbob
Senior Member
Username: Bigbob
Post Number: 2113
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 7:09 pm: |
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I was online when it hit,the slow dial up speed could be due to the fact we're behind on our bill,and phone company shut off our call forwarding and caller I.D.they may have put us on a poorer line at switching station,till we pay up next weekend.All other parts of computer including spike strip were unaffected and other telephone is ok.Ya know antenna is absolutely perfect,no damage whatsoever.Found strike zone,14 feet from house,5 feet from service lead in,grass is all scorched and dead about 2 foot across,oh and by the way no house insurance can't afford it right now.Bigbob,thank you everyone for your concern. |
Yankee
Advanced Member
Username: Yankee
Post Number: 805
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 8:37 pm: |
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Sounds like the lightning strikes we get here in Oklahoma. I have seen radio operators lose everything even the coax. Mother nature can do a lot of damage at times. Back home in New York years back, mother nature got everything of mine including the coax, RG-8 split it open about six foot melted the shield and went to ground on a metal floor lamp and then on to the house ground. Cooked an RCA 14T-302 sideband mobile I was using on base, and a 10 amp. power supply. Forgot the make of the ground plane antenna, but it had a printed circuit coil in the base of it and that got melted. Opened up several circuit breakers in the house main breaker box, but they were ok when checked out by the power company. Bigbob, sorry to hear you got hit, I know the feeling. |
Bigbob
Senior Member
Username: Bigbob
Post Number: 2116
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 8:55 pm: |
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Modem ok,telephone interface on pole partially burned out,verizon replaced it,48 kbs is back.Direct tv replaced our reciever box with a new one for free,tons of new features,plus pip,way cool,and half the size of original and picture is improved over old one when it was new,no more purple spot in upper right hand corner,but saddly rotor is still shot,but rebuilt the control,several jumpers,4 diodes and one transistor,there was water in the cable sheath and it caused a steam explosion and blew a 4 inch hole in the skirting retainer(heavy gauge vinyl)had cable tucked in there,water kept temp down,one instance where it was good to have water in cable.TV MAN said a cb club meets second tuesday of every month since 1978 and is gaining new momentum,many of the members are hams,this club is in East Jordan,Michigan,13 miles from my house,maybe one of the guys has a rotor(cheap),and I have been looking for help to put up my white lightning and new friends,not in that order,man I sound like a user,lol,well everybody says I am darn lucky to be alive,I think they're right.Bigbob |
Road_warrior
Advanced Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 735
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 10:52 pm: |
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Sorry to hear about the lightning strike
BigBob.
I water-proof my coax end and it stays outside
away from the house during lightning storms.
I also unplug everything except refridge. |
Hollowpoint445
Advanced Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 634
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 5:12 am: |
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Cool deal on finding a club nearby. Maybe someday you'll look back on the lightning strike fondly as the reason you found new friends.
I didn't realize your modem was working - just not as fast as normal. I read about the phone being dead and that usually means the modem is too. Plus you said you had to uninstall and reinstall it. That usually means the hardware portion is fried but the computer interface is still good which is fairly common among the customers I spoke with after a thunderstorm. I'm curious - did you have it plugged into a surge supressor or connected to the phone line with a really long phone cord? |
Kirk
Intermediate Member
Username: Kirk
Post Number: 294
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 8:27 pm: |
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Ditto the 833 mention on Polyphaser. Do everything you can to take lightning to the proper places...not your gear.-- |
Bigbob
Senior Member
Username: Bigbob
Post Number: 2117
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 9:51 pm: |
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Hollowpoint;50 feet of cord with a toroid core that turned blue,and the modem is undammaged got 49.2kbs which is normal the telephone interface on the pole outside and our porta-phone took the brunt of it,AND my rotor on the mast is ok I can manually turn it by manually depressing the relay switches,but that was after a major overhaul of the box just to get juice,so rotor is ok but box is fried.Got another major storm system moving in tonight expecting 3 to 5 inches of rain and thunder storms,needless to say EVERYTHING is getting unplugged.Bigbob |
Hollowpoint445
Advanced Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 638
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 10:00 pm: |
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LOL - Good idea!
I thought you might have a nice long cord - the torrid is a bonus though. Good idea. |
Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833
Post Number: 1049
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 11:36 am: |
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"needless to say EVERYTHING is getting unplugged.Bigbob"
I expected someone to post "Needless to say, Polyphasers are in the mail." |
Chad
Intermediate Member
Username: Chad
Post Number: 376
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 9:45 pm: |
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Nah I switched from a Mason Jar to a Butter Churn, that ceramic is much thicker 
Welcome Back 833! |
Bigbob
Senior Member
Username: Bigbob
Post Number: 2122
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 11, 2005 - 6:21 am: |
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Tech833,I have absolutely no extra money,I had to choose between car insurance and house insurance,the car got it,and the house got hit,but except for phone and music radio and control box we are blessed.I will get some polyphasers when I can scrounge up some dough,I may have to go looking for returnables on the side of road but I'll find some,lol.Bigbob |
Twowatt
Member
Username: Twowatt
Post Number: 51
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, August 13, 2005 - 7:49 pm: |
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Bigbob, i'm glad ur ok, my friend. any other transistors, diodes u need? (sorry, no rotor parts)
continue checking fridge & freezer. lightning got mine. it slowly over about 3 or 4 days kept getting warmer and warmer, till no ice and had warm milk. (but i do like warm milk when it comes straight from the cow, with my tin cup .) |
Bigbob
Senior Member
Username: Bigbob
Post Number: 2127
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 8:40 am: |
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Twowatt,I'm glad you added the tin cup,eeww.hehe,fridge and freezer,work better than ever,but on a side note have you ever had your floors buckle while using air conditioners(mobile home,60 inside humidity 0%,90 outside humidity 90%)there is no sign of moisture on ground under trailer,but is enclosed by skirting,do you think I should put a dehumidifier under it,this happened last year but not as bad and when winter hit everything flattened back out,hmmm.Bigbob |
Jms656
Junior Member
Username: Jms656
Post Number: 33
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 7:34 pm: |
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Lightning s--ks. I had a lightning strike. It hit the tower. You could see where it jumped from each piece of equipment. Lost all my cable boxes and a Workman Bandit verticle I had up. Workman gave me a new antenna, cable company gave me a new boxes. Lucked out on the big screen, but lost the surround sound. Antenna was disconnected at the time. My AR-3500 had a buzz that would not go away, so they bought me a new radio. That is how I got my Yaesu VX-7R. Got the Ranger working again, so all was good. Lost the frequency counter and power supply. One out of 2 computers survived. Blew out the pump on the well and the furnace brain. Also lost my CD Juke Box, cause I had the audio outs tied to my surround sound. Even after repair, it has never worked right to this day. Lost all the phones. My Brookstone massage chair was unplugged, thank God. That would have been the real loss. Insurance foot the bill for everything. They had me check each and every piece of electronic equipment in the house. (Note to all, have a ryder for your ham/cb equipment on your insurance. I lucked out the first time, but they said not a second time with out additional coverage.) |
Twowatt
Member
Username: Twowatt
Post Number: 57
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 9:51 pm: |
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Bigbob, i assume the skirting has no vents that can be opened or closed. that would be one way to go; install 2 or 4 non-electric automatic vents. they close when temp drops to about 45-50F, and open back up when above; to allow air flow and reduce the humidity that builds up under the home.
manual vents would be cheaper, but u have to remember to open and close them, esp when below 32F.
a dehumidifier with a drain would work also, but i think would be more expensive.
hope this helps.
{p.s. i have lived in several mobile homes and learned about skirting & vents the hard way. ie, one lesson, don't wait till below 32F to install skirting. i had to make a hole in the floor next to the water heater & use a propane torch to thaw the water pipes.} |
Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833
Post Number: 1055
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Monday, August 15, 2005 - 1:14 pm: |
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Jms656-
It sounds to me like your electrical ground is inadequate. If it had been adequate, the strike current would have gone though one path to ground through your electrical system rather than through everything at the same time. Actually, not at the same time, but one path works for a fraction of a nanosecond, then opens (burns open) then it seeks another, and another, and another until the strike is finished. All that damage happened individually, within nanoseconds of each other.
Like Lon (808) did, make sure everything is bonded together to a common ground bus and that the bus is connected to an adequate ground. The definition of 'adequate' depends on your location and soil conditions. A reputable local electrical contractor (NOT a 'handy man'!) can make an on-site inspection and tell you what you need. |
Jms656
Junior Member
Username: Jms656
Post Number: 35
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 15, 2005 - 3:46 pm: |
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I have since changed my whole grounding setup. I know have a copper bar that runs the length of my desk. I have ground straps from every radio, amp, meter, power supply and tuner to the copper bar. The bar is grounded to an 8' ground rod and is also grounded to the pipe that goes down 60+ feet to my well. Each leg of the tower is also grounded to 8' ground rods.
It has eliminated my TVI and RF feedback problems I used to have on 10 meters when I ran my amp. The Imax 2000 requires a good ground, or you have all kinds of problems I have found out.
If I am missing anything, please let me know. |
Nobodyknows
Member
Username: Nobodyknows
Post Number: 63
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 15, 2005 - 6:56 pm: |
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Do you really want a ground wire going to your water well pump? There goes $400. + Control boxes $150. poof! |
Jms656
Junior Member
Username: Jms656
Post Number: 36
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 15, 2005 - 11:27 pm: |
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The pump and control box are in the house. Piping into the pump is PVC. This pipe is just access to the well outside. I live on the river and we hit water as low as 8' feet. Makes for one heck of a ground radial. Not as good as when I lived in Clearwater Beach Florida and ran ground radials out at low tide from behind the house. Saltwater makes a great conductor when the tide came back in. |
Bigbob
Senior Member
Username: Bigbob
Post Number: 2136
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 11:08 pm: |
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THE LIGHTNING APPEARS TO HAVE come in the mains,out of the wall socket,through control box,up to antenna,down to ground rod on mast,coax is grounded at house entry by another rod but coax is unaffected,phone interface on pole is grounded through house ground,yet house ground is twin ground rods and phone interface was charred.Bigbob |
