Automation antenna, power and ethernet disconnection

Neal_K3NC

After just only fully recovering from a lightning strike from 2017 (and not fully discovering all the damage until this year!) I am just plain spooked about leaving  things connected when away from the house. We have(had) a beach house in NC (thanks Hurricane Florence for the change in status) and spent more than a few weeks down there. I would usually remotely connect to my ham shack via teamviewer and operate while down there. Every 3 years or so I would get a static field hit (lightning hitting down the street for instance) and it would **** the firewire port in my 5000a and ports on PC, laser printer, etc but it  wasnt to the stage I was considering not repairing things, until this last hit.

I have a 4 element Steppir (hence I have the control box and its cable to worry about), a 2x6 remote antenna switch (so I have that control line to worry about), 2 heliax connections between the bulkhead in my house, rotor with its rotor cable, ethernet connected radio and amp, etc.

I have seen threads about remotely disconnected the antennas and remotely powering down the radio but I would like to build/buy something that would let me do the whole thing (ie, disconnect control cables to rotor and steppir, disconnect ethernet (I have gone to fiber for any ethernet over 6 feet), USB connection between my 6600 and the steppir box, dc power to flex, wavenode usb head, antenna control switch, steppir box and ac power to amp and green heron controller.

Whew!

Any suggestions where to start with this?

Every single item mentioned was blown up in t he 2017 strike and I just don't have the energy for this again!

Mark_WS7M

Bill Ham - K0KO

KF4HR

Lee - N2LEE

Al_NN4ZZ

Tim VE6SH

That is my concern as well.

Tim VE6SH

Joe N3HEE

Good lightning protection requires substantial effort and expense to provide the lightning a low path of resistance to ground. This can very difficult for the average ham to achieve. Allot of us think we have good lightning prevention in place but find out the hard way when we suffer a strike. Air gapping the equipment and physically removing it from the desk is probably the best one can do. Of course that is a real pain. I keep spare radios and gear on a shelf located outside of the shack. I ground antennas during storms. All feedlines coming into the house have lightning arrestors and substantial grounding. I’ve been hit by lightning about 10 years ago before I had any protection in place and lost everything in the shack and throughout the house. My insurance paid for replacement. I may fare a little better this time but will still loose gear. It’s just a nasty fact of the hobby.

Brian Morgan VK7RR

VK7WH Winston

Well , I know you went on to Marry Sue, Brian. Just tell me one thing. Was that with or without your future Father-in-laws’s consent?

Winston

Brian Morgan VK7RR