On 16-May-2002 Adrian Stacey wrote: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> Those putting up antennae might be wise to consider the effect of lightning >> on >> their thousands of dollars worth of sensitive interconnected computer gear. >> There doesn't even have to be a direct hit - the EMP and large ground >> potential >> gradient caused by a nearby strike can be surprisingly damaging. (Something >> I have observed first-hand.) > > FWIW, we have had some reasonable storms over Christchurch over the last > two years,
Yup. > Radionet (my supplier for the moment) has lost only one unit, > atop the Clarendon I believe. Which tends to prove my assertion :) Bear in mind that the designers of tall commercial buildings are probably quite lightning-aware. Those of ordinary houses probably aren't. A house's metal roof will act as a large antenna, and if there's a relatively good path to the earth plane via a TV aerial downlead or 802.11-related cabling significant currents can flow - driven by significant voltages. Diverting such currents away from computer gear is A Good Idea. The end of my .02 on the subject :) > As always, I keep my fingers crossed. At my end of the last mile, my > only problem has been water ingress :( > > Adrian Cheers, Brian ---------------------------------------------------------------------
