Have you ever had your modem hit my lightening? Ever seen/heard anything get hit
By writersedge
@writersedge (22563)
United States
August 31, 2007 10:28pm CST
My modem was hit by lightening last week. The flash of light, boom outdoors, and POW! indoors were all at the same time. Our phone line was hit.It blew out the satelite dish too. Have you ever had anything hit by lightening? Did you see or hear it? Did it surprise or scare you?
We had to buy a new modem. My husband tried three times to get the new modem to talk to the rest of the equipment. Finally, he brought it to someone else who fixed it in no time. What are your experiences?
7 people like this
8 responses
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
2 Sep 07
I have had my modem fried by lightening. I didn't get the flash of light outside. Weird thing though was that my phone wasn't fried, just the modem. A long time ago, a guy hit a power pole with a transformer and we basically lost everything in the house. We learned fast to get surge protectors for everything that's plugged in. I know now to shut down my system during lightening and I learned from my grandmother not to be on the phone either. She was on the phone when it hit her phone line. She was sent to the hospital and lost her hearing in that ear.
Makes me think I should get a better modem than a dial up so I don't have to worry so much about the modem getting hit during a storm.
2 people like this
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
5 Sep 07
Yes, everything electrical and more can get hit by lightening. I was just lucky not to have my phone fried which was weird. I also learned after having a AC unit stop working on me that they can also get hit when it's cooling the home during a lightening storm. That you should turn them off.
Me and my husband had to go outside, stand under a metal gazebo and move it back over so it didn't flip all the way over and then fix the top covering that blew off, that was the scariest moments of my life. The lightening was so bright we didn't need lights on to see what we were doing. Sad though, we had 3 rips from the covering ripping away from the gazebo.
2 people like this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
8 Sep 07
It's amazing the metal gazebo didn't get hit by lightening when you were moving it! Take care
2 people like this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
3 Sep 07
But can't just about everything electrical get hit by lightening?
2 people like this
@CinderInMySoul (4717)
• United States
1 Sep 07
wow that must have been scary! i havent had our house, etc., hit by lightening so far! (crosses fingers lol) but whenever a thunderstorm gets to us, i get off of the internet and shut it down! my aunt knew somebody who was on the phone when her line got hit! she was knocked across the floor and had some bad burns, but was otherwise ok. thankfully.
ever since hearing that story when i hear thunder i turn off the computer and we dont use the phone!
@jmintuck (114)
• Canada
1 Sep 07
I ALWAYS turn off my computer during a t-storm.I dont want to lose my computer or anything. So I just turn it off.Also, I try to avoid the phone as well.
I heard of some Christian guy that got hit by lightning through a phone.His hand was burnt to nearly a crisp by the phone handle mealting into his hand and all the like.
This Christian man's story came from some NDE experiences site. Since I read that quite a while ago, back in the 90's , I think, I have gone out of my way to turn OFF the computer AND avoid the phone during t-storms. I wouldn,t want to be a "Similar Story" of the Christian man and his NDE.
Sure, my computer has a surge bar, but why risk it?
2 people like this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
1 Sep 07
If your phone line gets hit like ours, the charge can hit your phone and burn it out. They now have phone surge protectors. Most people have surge protectors on their power cords, but not on their phone lines. You can still get hit and it still might not be strong enough, but they even have ones with a lifetime guarantee so you don't have to keep replacing surge protectors.
Yes, I have heard of people getting hit by lightening through phones while they are on them. Getting off the phone and the computer are good suggestsions for people's health and safety. Thank you very much for responding. Take care
1 person likes this
@cempires (171)
• United States
1 Sep 07
I have not as of yet, altho others I know have, but this is a deadly fear of mone. Fot those of you who think that you are really safe, it does not matter whether you are on dial up, dsl, or cable, if you are connected by electricity you are at risk for ruining your pc.
We have many lightning storms here, I Always shut down my pc, unplug the phone line ( I have dsl) and completely turn off and unplug even the surge protector. My pc is worth too much to have a even a simple spike mess with my hard drive, so in this case it is definately a case of being safe than sorry.
2 people like this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
2 Sep 07
All very good words of advice. People often only do part of that, that's where my problem was. Take care.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
8 Sep 07
We never had ours hit by lightening. We have our whole house grounded because here in Manitoba the lightening storms can be quite dangerous, people getting hit by them, dying, the usual stuff. We also have the three pronged plugs in our house, plus the power bar,etc. Mind you, we have cable now, and have not had modems since we got rid of our dial up, with much cheers and elation when we did that, thank you.
2 people like this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
8 Sep 07
Our house is grounded, too. The phone line got hit. Can't have dial-up yet. They don't provide it in the backwoods of nowhere. This was a good, positive response, thanks. Take care
1 person likes this
@wondericequeen (7876)
• Hong Kong
1 Sep 07
I haven't experienced that - maybe because I live in high-rise buildings? I really don't know the reason but it seems that that's really unlikely to happen around here. But I have to tell you that the frequency of lightning is really scary around here this summer. Like in some remote areas, we have records of 150+ flashes of lightning within an hour! I think that's really getting crazy!
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
2 Sep 07
I've never heard so much rolling thunder and seen so much lightening as this year here, too. I wonder if anyone is counting in my area. Interesting, hadn't even thought of that.
1 person likes this
@eprado (1467)
• Philippines
1 Sep 07
No, I have'nt had my modem hit by a lightning but I know it does happened sometimes. Your house must have been hit by lightning and the sudden charge of electricity damaged your modem. I saw a lightpost hit by a lightning once, the sound was loud and the flash of light with thousands of electricity volts hitting that post, yup it is very scary. :-)
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
1 Sep 07
Telephone line got hit. Took out our satelite TV which is by phone line, too.
A lightpost, wow! That does sound like it was very scary. Take care
1 person likes this
@dnatureofdtrain (5273)
• Janesville, Wisconsin
9 Sep 07
Yes, I have seen a phone melt from lightning. Yes I have witnessed it take out Direct TV. Yes I have witnessed it split trees, and I have myself been hit by lightning. Yes, I seen and heard it very well, as I have been hit more than once and remember most of it other then two times when I know I only been hit by the new scars and the regular horrid metal taste in the mouth and new boil and markings.. from the bolt..
We have had two modems taken out one of the times I was hit I had my hand on the modem getting ready to take my dial up phone light out of the wall lightning struck the lightning rods on my house so that took msot of it then it came through the phone line and zaaaaaaaap right through my left arm, but the computer was okay...
Here is a link to a page I made with a small wave file of myself saying oh There goes a tree after watching it get hit in my yard.. Then all of sudden lightning strikes the roof just 3-6 feet from where I am, and then flys off the corner of the roof and zaps another tree.. As I then go there goes another tree! .. By then I hardly had more than three days of sleep to be able to panick I figured if your going to fry me again oh well. :) ... nothing I can really due to get away from the storm if lightning rods are on my house properly grounded and I am still getting it.. what can ya really do huh? :) ... Press record, and try to make some good thunder recordings! :) .
This is my favorite.
http://www.geocities.com/dnatureofdtrain/lightningrec.html
Take care all,
- Dana C. L.
"DNatureofDTrain"
aka Thelivinglightningrod.. for now.. bzeeeeet :) .
@dnatureofdtrain (5273)
• Janesville, Wisconsin
10 Sep 07
that is just a sound recording there is no video in it. Sorry if I confused you. But I know most people do enjoy hearing the thunder on it. Not problem, and yes Many types of Medicine People, Heyokas, some Traditions of Shamans, do recognize lightning strike as the call, and some cultures believe that those who die in lightning strikes were called by the Gods of the Sky to take them directly to The Land of the Sky people, and well after I been hit so many times.. I go with that legend as being true, as the one time I was hit I can honestly say that if I was 100% christian I would have called the place heaven, but no human words or lables can describe the place.
You're welcome for sharing :).
- DNatureofDTrain
ps. That lightning story is called Spirit Said, and It had happened.. I posted it on another area :).
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
9 Sep 07
That's scary! I've never heard of someone having that much experience with lightening!
I do remember someone saying a Medicine Man (Shaman) being hit by lightening twice in his life.
Stay off the phone and the computer is one that you can do, but the rest, yes, if you have lightening rods and everything still happens, then wow!
Thank you for posting. My computer video either doesn't work or works two or three frames at a time. I can't stand it! That's if it even uploads. I have dial up and a slow computer. I wish I had my old job with a fast computer and real internet capabilities. I hope lots of people log on and see it/comment. Take care and thank you for posting.
1 person likes this
@dnatureofdtrain (5273)
• Janesville, Wisconsin
10 Sep 07
I forgot to say don't worry about it.. Yes, Slow internet I hear ya. I was on 2 kbps for 11 years, then a whopping 26kpbs.. I am just within the last two months experiencing my first highspeed and not having to load as many multiple pages because it no longer takes 30 minutes for a single page to open! lol. So I definately feel for ya there... hang in there you'll be back in the fast lane sooner than you realise it :) . - DNatureofDTrain
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
1 Sep 07
Mine is supposed to be 56k, but only goes to 49. The telephone line got hit by lightening and it went up to the modem and blew it out. Thank you for responding.
1 person likes this
