Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!samsung!emory!emcard!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
From: gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: Lightning Strikes!
Message-ID: <959@ke4zv.UUCP>
Date: 10 Jul 90 11:11:48 GMT
References: <90187.213022DLB112@psuvm.psu.edu>
Reply-To: gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman)
Organization: Gannett Technologies Group
Lines: 24

In article <90187.213022DLB112@psuvm.psu.edu> DLB112@psuvm.psu.edu (DAVID BOWLER) writes:
>I am the owner of a newly broken IBM XT clone.  Thanks to mother nature.  It
>seems that while I was away one weekend, there was a thunderstorm.  Though
>my pc has a power surge spike protector, it does not have anything for the
>modem.  Lightning took out both my computer which was connected to the phone
>lines and my television which was connected to the local cable system.  Total
>damage was estimated at close to $1000.  I am still awaiting word from the
>insurance company.  Let this be a lesson to all those, who like me, have no
>protection for the modem.
>
>For those of you who have protection, could you recommend some for me?
>I have/had a 2400 baud internal modem.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The only reasonably sure protection is to run your computer totally
isolated from mains power by a motor generator set with insulated
coupling, say a one meter glass fibre drive shaft. Run your modem
to computer link via a fibre optical cable, kits are available from
the larger suppliers. You will still lose the modem from a strike but
your computer will survive. In general, there is no sure way to make
a computer with internal modem survive a lightning strike. MOV based
surge supressors will help with SURGES but are useless against a
lightning strike.

Gary