wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew) (08/31/89)
Back in the days when 1200 baud modems cost about $450, my modem at home was one of a nubmer of things that fell prey to a tactical lightning strike. The lightning came down the chimney, hopping out of the mortar above the fireplace and also the water heater flue in the basement. Many things electronic as well as inert objects were either damaged or vaporized. The modem was apparently one of the things that took an indirect dose via current that was induced into the phone lines inside the house. All in all there were several thousands of dollars of damage, and a new modem was among the things the insurance company bought me. To the credit of the former Ma Bell (pre-break-up), her model 500 desk phone survived the nuking, as did the 50+ year old protection block at the wire entrance. A cheap import phone, an answering machine, and the modem were blown away. A postmortem of the modem revealed that the gas surge tube inside was completely gone; only a few scorch marks on the PCB and short wire stubs gave testimony of the tube's previous existance. I used the model 500 desk phone to call the fire dept. to come out to inspect the roof, as there were burn marks visible on the roof as well as a lot of smoke inside following the blitz. Fortunately there had been no fire. Apparently the smoke was actually a lot of soot that the lightning blew out of the chimney. There's a chance a spike-damged modem might be covered under a homeowner's policy, but with deductibles most 2400 bps modems would probably be under the limit these days. Bill
zeeff@b-tech.ann-arbor.mi.us (Jon Zeeff) (09/02/89)
> >There's a chance a spike-damged modem might be covered under a >homeowner's policy, but with deductibles most 2400 bps modems would >probably be under the limit these days. > I had a couple of modems replaced under my homeowners policy without any problems. I have since put lightning protectors on the lines. -- Branch Technology | zeeff@b-tech.ann-arbor.mi.us | Ann Arbor, MI