Topband: Lightning makes antennas vanish

[Tom W8JI]

I've never experienced this before a year or so ago, when I had a Beverage 
antenna melt in two from a nearby tree getting hit.

About a month ago I had about 300 feet of a Beverage just vanish from a hit 
on a tree next to the wire.

Now it happened again this week, and long stretches of two Beverages just 
vanished. This is cad plated #17 electric fence wire.

Anyone else have this happen? My copperweld #14, that clearly has arc 
pitting where it passed over other wires, shows no damage other than the arc 
pits. The cad-steel fence wire must get so hot it just vaporizes. I can't 
even find any pieces of it.

Since the 1960's or 70's, this is the very first time I've seen this happen. 
Are thunderstorms more violent now, or is wire cheaper?  :-)

I'm not fixing my antennas until October or November.

73 Tom