Lawn Mowers and Weather Station Wires can destroy a PeetBros 2100. I am well aquainted with my mower; powered by the slick Honda GCV engine, and its bent towards destruction if not closely monitored. Day dream for a moment, trust your installation without verify (sure the wires are deep enough) and ‘whick whick whick shawhick’ the wires have become a mix of plastic and metal mulch. So it happened. No biggie, simple fix with some new wire and the weapon that leaves its mark with scars and blistered burns as evidence of past and present projects, the solder iron. No my friend. no worries, just a simple fix. Continue with the yard work.

Following several breaks, and liquids to keep the electrolytes balanced, I finish the task of the first mow of the season. With cleanup and putaways done, I shake off the dirt, take a shower and sit with the family for the rest of the early eve.

“Dad, what is that smell? Smells like something burning.” said my daughter in an anxious tone. No one in the kitchen, so whatever she smells means dinner will be safe. My addled olfactory nerve still, recovering from my last bought of covid, suddenly caught the whiff. Burnt electronics! Sniff sniff, capacitors, maybe a slight scent of burnt resistor….NO!! Upon entering the ham shack, the scent of major damage wafts in the air. The 2100 had a burnt mark forming a dark arc on the display, the readings were not of this world and there was no data flowing. K4SRQ weather was down.

So it goes. With many other higher priority expenses in the household, the weather station will just have to wait.