How can your station equipment best be protected from lightning damage?

Lightning carries hundreds of millions of volts and can easily arc across small gaps in switches, relays, and even high-quality surge protectors. The only absolute, foolproof method to protect your station from lightning damage is to create a complete physical break between the outside world and your radios. Disconnecting all antenna cables and power lines physically removes the paths that a lightning surge would take to reach your equipment. Relying on heavy wire insulation is entirely ineffective, as lightning can instantly melt or jump right through standard insulating materials.