On Sat, 17 Dec 2005 01:48:24 -0600, " hillbilly3302"
wrote:

I always tell new Hams to ground everything they can.... but if they get a
direct hit then they will be too busy fighting fire to worry about the
antenna...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This summer my 80 foot tower took a direct hit, the first in my 48
years of hamming. The tower was grounded and there was no fire, but it
tripped a circuit breaker in my house and damaged a radio connected to
it. My point is that fire is not an automatic consequence.

Incidentally, the sound of thunder from a hit that close is remarkably
different from a hit some distance away. First, you hear the clap from
the nearest part of the bolt and then from parts successively farther
away, a long, rolling sound that continues much longer than one at a
distance. If I don't ever hear it again, that will be ok by me. :-)

73, Bill W6WRT