Protectors without the prerequisite 'less than 10 foot'
connection to earth are not effective as well as overpriced.
As for the phone line protection - why? Telco already
installs a 'whole house' protector for free. It also makes
the essential 'less than 10 foot' connection to the same
critical earthing point. Details on protecting the weather
radio are in discussion in the newsgroup
sci.electronics.repair entitled "Ham radio grounding question"
starting 25 Jan 2005.

Lightning damage to electronics is so easily avoided as to
be considered a human failure. Plug-in protectors don't even
claim to provide that protection. Computer constantly watches
lightning storm pass through here because lightning damage is
only traceable to humans who did not learn the principles of
protection. Those same people often recommend ineffective
plug-in protectors.

lid wrote:
On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 21:50:45 -0600, spewed:
I just created a shortcut to www.weather.com and click on it.
The only bad thing is that I have had 2 modems fry during
lightning storms, so I shut off the computer now and just listen
to the storm. There really is nothing any of us can do if we are
attacked by a storm anyhow.

You can get a surge protector with phone line protection, very
inexpensive. I have had one for years.

Nothing you can do if it's a minor storm, but if it were very
severe you could: board up your windows, make sure you've got
long lasting lanterns & flashlights with good batteries, put the
car in the garage or under something for hail, sandbag if you get
flooding, put a sump pump in those areas, etc.
Just stuff I've heard and or had to do.
Oh, and surge protect EVERYTHING.
I've even had an answering machine fried when I was in St.Louis.