"Sean O'Leathlobhair" bravely wrote to "All" (21 Jun 04 03:16:24)
--- on the heady topic of " Repairing Lightning Damaged Tv's"

SO From: (Sean O'Leathlobhair)

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

Lightning doesn't have to strike for one to get a nice jolt. For
example, I recall one summer afternoon in the park, where there is a
beautiful turtle pond, a storm was approaching from the west. While
still perhaps a half mile away some chimneys of the homes near the
park started to glow strangely in the growing darkness. For anyone who
ever read Melville's epic "Moby Dick", the origin of the glow was
therein described as St. Elmo's Fire. Indeed as a storm approaches an
electrical gradient builds up between the ground and the cloud level
that will ultimately reach a breakover point. This breakover is the
cause of lightning. However until that point is reached, a tall
conductive structure can be at a very much higher potential than the
ground around them and if touched can give a jolt. Doesn't anyone
remember Benjamin Franklin's kite with a key on the string experiment?
Ground your antenna system. Use a knife switch like Uncle Fester!

A*s*i*m*o*v

.... Sattinger's Law: It works better if you plug it in.