Re: Repairing Lightning Damaged Tv's

From: Sean O'Leathlobhair (jwlawler_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 06/21/04 

Date: 21 Jun 2004 03:16:24 -0700

w_tom <w_tom1@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<40D05313.ABCF3AD@hotmail.com>...
> Protection is always possible. Ham radio operators in the
> early 1900s would suffer damage. They disconnected the
> antenna. Still suffered damage. They placed antenna lead
> into a mason jar. Still suffered damage. They earthing the
> incoming antenna wire. Damage stopped happening.

<snip>

So, I need an earthed coaxial socket. When a storm approaches, I pull
the aerial out of the TV and put it into the earthed socket rather
than just leave it trailing on the floor.

I read once that although disconnecting the aerial is good, you should
not do it when the storm is close. You would not want to be holding
the aerial lead when lightning struck your aerial. This seemed to
make sense, I regard myself as more valuable than the TV (I wonder if
my son would agree).

Actually in my case, the aerial first goes to an RF amplifier, then to
a digital terrestrial receiver and then to a video before it reaches
the TV. Conveniently, these devices are in increasing cost sequence
so the cheap ones are protecting the more expensive. If my aerial was
hit by lightning, would just the RF amplifier get fried or might the
whole chain through to the (multiple) TVs die?

Seán O'Leathlóbhair

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