VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Mike Harrison]

I'm lucky to live in a community whose utility cabling is all underground. There are no ugly poles and wires cluttering the landscape, and there's a sense of confidence having all that stuff out of harm's way.

Or so we'd like to think.

Last Friday afternoon, Momma and Poppa Thunderstorm and all their many relatives came to town. As I sat here, at my workstation, I heard what really was the loudest crack of thunder I ever heard in all my decades on the planet. About an hour later, the storm had pretty much passed, and I left for a lunch appointment.

When I returned a few hours later, my internet connection was down. Before calling to report it, I wanted to check if cable TV was also affected because Cablevision provides both services. The TV did not power up. SHAZBAT! (for those who remember Mork & Mindy) The TV was TOAST. <sigh>

Thankfully, though, both computers and all external drives were OK. But then I decided to check my audio gear. Mic pre: OK. Digi 002: OK. Then I switched on my Telos Zephyr Classic. It powered up and remembered all my settings but... there was no connection to the ISDN network. I thought, "Oh, crap, I'm gonna have to deal with Verizon again." I think I'd much rather drink a gallon of bleach.

Cablevision had the internet restored the next morning and, after realizing I was out of bleach, I decided to consult the fine (and I do mean that) folks at Telos Systems. They said to check the green LED on the rear panel next to the network connection. I did. The green LED was not lit.

I'll guess the lightning hit a utility terminal cabinet somewhere on the community property because, in addition to taking out my TV, it also toasted the Zephyr's ISDN card. $300. A new one will be here tomorrow, and I'll install it myself but...

It Could Happen To You, Too.

All my AC power goes through a UPS with surge protection, and no other device was power-disabled, so I can't figure out why the TV died. But I'm glad it was the TV and not anything else. As for the Zephyr, I of course wish the lightning hit would've stung my landline telephone instead, but that's life in the land of underground utilities.

Oh, there is a funny (almost) part to this story. When I first discovered the lack of ISDN connection, I placed a call to Verizon's ISDN Repair. But they had changed the number at some point... and did not see fit to provide the new one.

Can you hear me now?

Nice.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[melissa eX]

You got me nervous Mike. Just checked the Zephyr. Whew.

I leave it plugged into a surge protector but I power it down when not using it. And I always unplug the phone line when not in use. That's the weak link.

[Chuck Davis]

Bummer Mike. I had a lightning-related Zephyr issue years ago. Since then I unplug it from everything when not in use. Telos service is fast...but it ain't cheap.

Even with a double layer of UPS and Monster power conditioner I'm still careful.
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Wicked huge.....in India.
www.chuckdaviscreative.com

[Mike Harrison]

Thanks, Melissa and Chuck.

I'll admit, I'd never heard of lightning zaps in phone or cable lines.

Live and learn: I'm looking to see what's available for protection from that right now.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[ballenberg]

Mike and all--This is what I have

http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-DSUT1CSU-Protector-Suppressor/dp/B00006B81H

But still, I think I may try to remember and do what Melissa did when a thunderstorm is coming

[Lee Gordon]

I didn't suffer any storm damage yesterday, but I did start the day with a three-hour power outage. And I really didn't want to run an extension cord from the power inverter in my car into the house like I did when I was without power for 11 days last fall, because there was still thunder and lightning in the area. Fortunately, the electricity came back on before I had to make that decision.
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[Deirdre]

I've had both a power supply burnout AND a network card fry in the same year with my Zephyr. Now, whenever that unit is not in use it is unplugged from AC and the phone jack.

And if big lightning blows in, I unplug everything from the wall, including my Monster Power conditioner. That sucker has saved my bacon from bizarro secret surges and the lame minuscule outages that are common in my part of Maine, but when there's trouble in the air that I can hear and/or see, I get all my precious stuff DISCONNECTED.
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[Mike Harrison]

Thanks, Bill, for the suggestion, and everyone for their feedback.

In today's high-tech world, having to physically unplug everything seems so quaint (like Dad up on the roof in the rain turning the old TV antenna to get a good picture). But apparently it's about the only way to rest easy.

The replacement ISDN card arrived this morning, and it was installed in about 20 minutes (including removing the Zephyr from and replacing it in the rack). And, when powered up, it immediately began talking to the network again.

You can bet yo' asses I'm gonna be unplugging from now on!
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[glittlefield]

Also keep in mind that a lot of surge protectors tend to degrade over time if they have to handle a lot of hits (large or small).

That's all I had.
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Greg Littlefield
VO-BB Member #59