Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!netsys!vector!telecom-gateway From: TK0GRM1%NIU.BITNET@uicvm.uic.edu (Gordon Meyer) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Lightning Strike and Telco's Response Message-ID: Date: 11 Jul 89 18:50:00 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Lines: 40 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 231, message 3 of 8 Last September I lost a modem in a lightning storm. My computer and the modem itself (external) were turned off, but still connected to the phone line and the electrical outlet. I was home at the time and after a very close (or at least LOUD) bolt all of the lights on my modem came on, my telephone answering machine went off (started playing the announcement message) and all of the LEDS on my GTE memory phone lit up. I knew immediately that this was going to be expensive. The answering machine survived the ordeal without damage. The telephone survived okay but I had to remove all of the batteries to get the lights to go back off. The modem was killed as were two chips in my computers RS232c card. I lost telephone service (no dial tone) for about 15 minutes, it came back all by itself (how I know this in a second...) Now I'm almost a complete novice when it comes to the telephone network but I assumed that somewhere along the line there should have been arrestor to stop this spike before it reached my line. (I wonder if I would have been shocked had I been on the phone at the time?!?) I went to the telco to complain...(Contel) (yes, I went in person) and spoke with a lower level managment person. I had a hell of time convincing him that the spike had come over the phone line...and not the power line (he wanted me to take my complaint to Commonwealth Edison). Finally he checked the tarrifs and decieded that if a fault could be found in the spike arrestors at my sight then the Telco would discuss paying the damages. He really doubted that the spike even came over the phone line because the protection "fuses" would have blown and stayed blown...requiring physical replacement. Since my service was working, and there hadn't been any repairs (thus it fixed itself) the fuses hadn't blown. I have no proof that the spike did come from the phone line...other than the fact that only phone equipment went bonkers. And the phone was dead for a short time. Anyway..to bring this long story to an end he sent out a repairman who checked my line to see if it met "specs" (it did) and I ended up buying a new modem myself. I don't harbor any ill feelings or regrets but wonder what those of you who are more familar with the system would have to say. -=->G<-=- PS: Yes, I now have a phone line surge protector, an rs232 surge protector, and loss/damage insurance on my PC. :)