>
> Stuart has it correct. PLEASE never leave antennas connected when you are
> away from the station or when there's a storm within a few miles.
>
>
> 73
> Bob K4TAX
>
I can attest to that.
Picture yourself driving up the freeway after work watching the dark clouds
ahead drop rain and cast down (up?) the occasional lightning bolt.
Then, there's a bolt just about where you figure your house is about a mile
or so in the distance.
You get home and find:
Main House circuit breakers tripped.
Garage door opener no longer working
Stereo no longer working
A/C-Heating controller no longer working
Telephone answering machine no longer working
TV no longer working
2m radio #1 no longer working -- front end fried and still warm
2m radio #2 no longer working
TNC1 and TNC2 no longer working
Terminal no longer working
Homebrew Rotator controller (single knob point-and-rotate type) no longer
working
PC no longer working
THEN the insurance adjuster has the gall to tell me I can go ahead and get
it all fixed -- no replacement! Well, almost all...she let me buy a new
answering machine and a/c-heater controller. The rest, I had to send off to
get repaired. I have since learned to press for replacement.
Oh, yes...my Triton IV, TS-930S and Alpha 76A were untouched.
Apparently, the TR-7950 (2m radio 1) took the brunt of it as the RF deck was
disintegrated.
Only the TR-7950 (DX PacketCluster radio) was connected to an antenna.
A year or so later, when I took down my Cushcraft A3S triband beam for some
maintenance work, I found a 3/8" diameter hole burned in the reflector
element tip section.
Antennas and rotator control cables are now disconnected when the radios are
not actually on.
73 and good luck to all,
dale, kg5u
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