Re: [Elecraft] Lightning damage
YES Now lets dump the spell check Russ Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device Original message From: K9MA <k...@sdellington.us> Date: 11/7/17 7:46 PM (GMT-05:00) To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Lightning damage Not lightening, LIGHTNING! -- Scott K9MA k...@sdellington.us __ Elecraft mailing list Home: https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmailman.qth.net%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Felecraft=02%7C01%7Cmundschenk55%40msn.com%7C1e56235d65734abd2e2508d52642149a%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435%7C1%7C0%7C636456987617788446=GJ5mi%2BZUGD5zrpZ35Ellsq4jOIoQWc2JVk1avNwegrY%3D=0 Help: https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmailman.qth.net%2Fmmfaq.htm=02%7C01%7Cmundschenk55%40msn.com%7C1e56235d65734abd2e2508d52642149a%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435%7C1%7C0%7C636456987617788446=XPIkIdQzkbAOWusgOy0IxAQvn9Y9i94C7dpd2lbxbXU%3D=0 Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.qsl.net=02%7C01%7Cmundschenk55%40msn.com%7C1e56235d65734abd2e2508d52642149a%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435%7C1%7C0%7C636456987617788446=eNmNEhV9VT8jbynlJdlGvTur%2BwHM1yb%2BzWpf812BUu4%3D=0 Please help support this email list: https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.qsl.net%2Fdonate.html=02%7C01%7Cmundschenk55%40msn.com%7C1e56235d65734abd2e2508d52642149a%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435%7C1%7C0%7C636456987617788446=fnFtk9qkVVRZkGVG3IF4yOzU9MZTJkqZe3V1G3xXLPE%3D=0 Message delivered to mundschen...@msn.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Lightning damage
Not lightening, LIGHTNING! -- Scott K9MA k...@sdellington.us __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Lightning damage
I have several series mode surge protectors. They are big, heavy and more expensive but have none of the limitations of MOV sacrificial shunt devices. I would get rid of any older MOV-based surge protection devices that are lying around. They have been known to burn. The newer ones are supposed to have thermal protection but I wouldn't trust offshore manufacturers to implement it correctly; or not skip it entirely like they do filter components in switching power supplies... All those plastic power strips that are laying around-- if any have MOV devices I'd trash them. A sacrificial shunt device in a "stylish" plastic container? No thanks. 73, Drew AF2Z On 11/06/17 22:18, djl wrote: I know personally (not FOF) of one death due to a hanging RF cable, in this case a cb antenna. Don't just leave the lead to your antenna hanging. I use very inexpensive switches from epay that have a grounded off. MOV devices only absorb a finite, unpredictable, number of hits. In other words, the next hit may be the device's failure. There are other devices that are better. As with ground fault outlets, you only need one good protective device per AC circuit. In fact, on the ordinary household service, one industrial strength device on each side of the 220 service at the breaker box is needed. Look up "whole house surge suppressor" online. Some of the "best" have mov's. I have not looked lately at availability of non-mov units, which I could recommend. Multiple outlet strips with surge protection have in general mov's that are too samll. I personally don't trust them. ARRL has a very good guide to grounding and protection. 73 and happy grounding __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Elecraft] Lightning damage
I know personally (not FOF) of one death due to a hanging RF cable, in this case a cb antenna. Don't just leave the lead to your antenna hanging. I use very inexpensive switches from epay that have a grounded off. MOV devices only absorb a finite, unpredictable, number of hits. In other words, the next hit may be the device's failure. There are other devices that are better. As with ground fault outlets, you only need one good protective device per AC circuit. In fact, on the ordinary household service, one industrial strength device on each side of the 220 service at the breaker box is needed. Look up "whole house surge suppressor" online. Some of the "best" have mov's. I have not looked lately at availability of non-mov units, which I could recommend. Multiple outlet strips with surge protection have in general mov's that are too samll. I personally don't trust them. ARRL has a very good guide to grounding and protection. 73 and happy grounding -- Dr. Don Latham PO Box 404, Frenchtown, MT, 59834 VOX: 406-626-4304 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Elecraft] Lightning Damage
Hi Group: Well, now and then I'm disappointed that I don't have a permanent shack. However, after hearing some of those lightning stories there's certainly an additional plus side to being a portable-only QRP operator. All my gear is disconnected from the AC mains, don't have any antennas up, and any gear I have is unconnected to any other gear, while it waits patiently for me to grab one of the carry bags and go set up in the great outdoors. And, that, of course, happens in nice WX. Sure, there can be a "bolt from the blue".. but the chances of that are very low in my area of EPA. 73 de Ray K2ULR KX3 #211 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Elecraft] Lightning Damage at W3BW
Hi guys: Lesson learned! I should not be attempting remote ops to my station on Maryland's Eastern Shore during the summer months. We get lightning strikes, and I got creamed a couple weeks ago. Everything was hooked up, and I am now having to replace my Orion 2800 rotor, and repair or replace my Green Heron RT-21 rotor controller, my TopTen band decoder, my Alpha DAS band decoder and some PolyPhaser lightning protection gear at the tower. The PolyPhaser failed to protect the rotor, and the rotor and relay lines from the tower run 350 ft. to my house. I needed protection at both ends. I will be a long time coming back from this. Now for the Elecraft part of this long whine... The good news: The K3 and the KPA500 survived. The bad news: The KAT500 is not behaving. It is not going through its normal tuning cycle, and the one or two times it did, into a dummy load, it left all the SWR lights on. That is not normal. if the K3 shows SWR= 1.1, the KAT500 should show the same. I can connect to the KAT500 from the PC using the KAT500 utility program, and that is all normal. I loaded in the last set of good parameters. This made no difference. Anyone have any troubleshooting steps to suggest? And, my W2 Wattmeter is completely dead, no lights at all. Or only a brief flash of all the top line of yellow lights, and then nothing. I cannot talk to the W2 using the utility program. I have no idea if the directional coupler survived. Same question --- where do I begin? I will try to send both to Elecraft for repair, but if there is something simple I can do here, that would be great. Thanks for any help you can provide. 73 de Brian *Brian F. Wruble, C.F.A. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Lightning damage here
Don, Really sorry to hear that. I empathize. We lost two major appliances late June when the Derecho hit Virginia with 75 mph winds and a lightning show like I haven't seen in many years. That lightning hit was not direct, but we heard the snap in the house. It came through a wall receptacle in the family room and literally blew a hole in the hardwood floor. Luckily, all my radio and computer equipment was spared, I think, due to my running around the house, as the storm approached, and unplugging everything I could and having greatly improved my grounding system based upon many a good discussion here on this reflector. We got hit, again last night and my vertical took a hit (I saw it), it blew out the gas discharge protectors I had in-line and the 2 inch grounding strap at outside copper bus plate is black and melted. But, I also had solid 2 AWG going from that plate to ground ( 8 rods, one every four feet). I wish you the very best. 73, Greg K2UM __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] Lightning damage here
I am currently computer handicapped because of a nearby lightning strike last evening. I think I have accessed the damage, but there may be more to be revealed once more devices come on-line. It seems the damage propagated via the wired Ethernet connections - I lost 3 (maybe 4) computers on my home network, a router, 2 network switches and the NAS file server. Fortunately, the file server (which contains all backup data) only lost the Ethernet connect capability - the files are still intact. What I am saying is that I will be limping along until the equipment I ordered comes in and can be placed in service. So if you send me email and do not get a prompt response, it may be because my P-P network is in the process of being updated. I expect it will be mid-next-week before I have everything up and running again. NO damage to any of the ham gear, and I attribute that to a good grounding system coupled with having all the radio gear connected to dummy loads during the disturbance. 73, Don W3FPR __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Lightning damage here
On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 8:15 PM, Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com wrote: a nearby lightning strike last evening That is a bummer, Don. Lightning can make its way throughout the house by various evil means. A few years ago a strike hit a tree across the street, traveled across the crown of nearby trees to our roof, thence into the house wiring and fried a TV set, the lawn-sprinkler system, the microwave, the sound card in my son's laptop, the display on my FT-1000MP, and my 2M/440 base-station radio. If it wants to get you, it will. Good luck getting things back to normal. Tony KT0NY -- http://www.isb.edu/faculty/facultydir.aspx?ddlFaculty=352 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
RE: [Elecraft] Lightning damage result/repair
Ron, Proof positive that lightning can and will do 'strange stuff' one never knows about its behavior. It is always a good thing to exercize caution when the sky 'rumbles'. I just repaired a K2 (no KPA100) for a fellow that was not connected to an antenna or powered on when lightning hit nearby and it zapped a PC Board trace at the DC entry and opened the reverse polarity protective diodes and zapped his internal battery pack with no other damage apparent. There is always a chance that other devices were damaged and may fail later, but short of replacing all the active devices in the K2, there are tradeoffs to be made considering the cost and trouble vs. the potential for failure later. It may be wise to say If it ain't broke, don't fix it! 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- Hi Yesterday a thunderstorm ran through here, and while I didn't think it was anywhere too close, the SWR bridge diodes in the KPA100 thought otherwise. A few hours after the storm, I fired the K2/100 up and it was receiving fine, but my troubles started when I tried to tune up. I don't recall all the events, but I do know I was quite surprised when the K2 started to tune and suddenly all the lights went out. A quick check of the fuse in the power cord showed the 20amp fuse had blown. Replacing the fuse bought the set to life again, but when I tried to transmit, the display showed unusual readings and it was obvious there was no power going up the spout. Immediate panic set in as I visualized sending to Elecraft for a pair of new finals. However, after taking the shield off the PA and poking around with the DMM, I quickly found the FWD diode in the SWR circuit open circuit and the REV diode gave a reading of 2.2ohms both ways round. The final out come resulted in a repair that cost me two 98c diodes and a couple of hours work, as Elecraft cunningly put the SWR bridge diodes in probably the most awkward place they could think of in the KPA100. Everything works fine again now, but I have to wonder what else may have been damaged and just waiting for the likes of Field Day to stop working? Another mystery to me is why didn't the diodes in the bridge circuit of the KAT100 go as well?? And what made the 20 amp fuse blow? (perhaps the power being ramped up too high as the diodes were in their death throws?) Cheers...Ron ZL1TW ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Lightning damage result/repair
Hi Yesterday a thunderstorm ran through here, and while I didn't think it was anywhere too close, the SWR bridge diodes in the KPA100 thought otherwise. A few hours after the storm, I fired the K2/100 up and it was receiving fine, but my troubles started when I tried to tune up. I don't recall all the events, but I do know I was quite surprised when the K2 started to tune and suddenly all the lights went out. A quick check of the fuse in the power cord showed the 20amp fuse had blown. Replacing the fuse bought the set to life again, but when I tried to transmit, the display showed unusual readings and it was obvious there was no power going up the spout. Immediate panic set in as I visualized sending to Elecraft for a pair of new finals. However, after taking the shield off the PA and poking around with the DMM, I quickly found the FWD diode in the SWR circuit open circuit and the REV diode gave a reading of 2.2ohms both ways round. The final out come resulted in a repair that cost me two 98c diodes and a couple of hours work, as Elecraft cunningly put the SWR bridge diodes in probably the most awkward place they could think of in the KPA100. Everything works fine again now, but I have to wonder what else may have been damaged and just waiting for the likes of Field Day to stop working? Another mystery to me is why didn't the diodes in the bridge circuit of the KAT100 go as well?? And what made the 20 amp fuse blow? (perhaps the power being ramped up too high as the diodes were in their death throws?) Cheers...Ron ZL1TW -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.2/442 - Release Date: 8/09/2006 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
