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K3S Proper Grounding

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Edward A. Dauer

K3S Proper Grounding

My problem with stray RF isn¹t the TV or other electronic appliances, but
with the exterior motion sensor lights. 500 Watts on 20 meters turns one
of the three pairs on (always the same one). Since they are hard-wired
into the house, clip-on ferrite would be hard to do. I can live with it
if I have to. . . only effect is to scare the wildlife. But, suggestions,
anyone?

Ted, KN1CBR

>------------------------------
>
>Message: 19
>Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2015 11:03:47 -0700
>From: Phil Hystad <[hidden email]>
>To: [hidden email]
>Cc: [hidden email], [hidden email]
>Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3S proper grounding?
>Message-ID: <[hidden email]>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
>I had the same problem and it occurred on 40 meters regularly as well.
>Low power (~80 to 100 watts) did not seem to bother the TV but it was a
>regular problem at power?s much over 100 watts.
>
>My solution which seems to work flawlessly so far with max power of 600
>watts is that I took a whole bunch of the clip on wrap around conductor
>ferrites and put it on the power cord. They run for about half the
>length of the 120 vac power cord to the TV set, about two dozen ferrites.
>
>I had the same problem with the Bose table-top radio upstairs. Key down
>at >100 watts would invariably turn on the radio. But, the Bose
>table-top radio uses the power cord as a default FM antenna so wrapping
>in ferrites required another antenna solution. So, I created a makeshift
>FM antenna up on the roof and ran RG-6 cable to it where it connects with
>standard TV like RG6 cable connectors. This fixed that problem too.
>
>73, phil, K7PEH

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Bob McGraw - K4TAX

Re: K3S Proper Grounding

You might just add a 0.05 mf 600V capacitor between the black to ground
and a 2nd one from white to ground at each light. Likely the Romex
comes into the box and the lamp is wire nutted on. Should be pretty
easy to figure out how to install a couple of bypass caps.

Before working on this, be sure and kill the breaker to the lamp circuit
as it will be hot all the time, even with the lamp off.

73
Bob, K4TAX
K3S s/n 10,163

My problem with stray RF isn¹t the TV or other electronic appliances, but
with the exterior motion sensor lights. 500 Watts on 20 meters turns one
of the three pairs on (always the same one). Since they are hard-wired
into the house, clip-on ferrite would be hard to do. I can live with it
if I have to. . . only effect is to scare the wildlife. But, suggestions,
anyone?

Ted, KN1CBR

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Al Gulseth-2

Re: K3S Proper Grounding

Instead of a clip-on ferrite, if you're going to have the box open anyway
might running the hot and neutral through a small ferrite (core or sleeve),
or in addition to the bypass caps, possibly correct the problem?

73, Al

On Sat September 26 2015 7:22:23 pm Bob McGraw - K4TAX wrote:

> You might just add a 0.05 mf 600V capacitor between the black to ground
> and a 2nd one from white to ground at each light. Likely the Romex
> comes into the box and the lamp is wire nutted on. Should be pretty
> easy to figure out how to install a couple of bypass caps.
>
> Before working on this, be sure and kill the breaker to the lamp circuit
> as it will be hot all the time, even with the lamp off.
>
> 73
> Bob, K4TAX
> K3S s/n 10,163
>
> My problem with stray RF isn¹t the TV or other electronic appliances, but
> with the exterior motion sensor lights. 500 Watts on 20 meters turns one
> of the three pairs on (always the same one). Since they are hard-wired
> into the house, clip-on ferrite would be hard to do. I can live with it
> if I have to. . . only effect is to scare the wildlife. But, suggestions,
> anyone?
>
> Ted, KN1CBR
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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>
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k6dgw

Re: K3S Proper Grounding

In reply to this post by Edward A. Dauer

Scare the wildlife ... that's good, we've had it with "Nature." We just
sold the "farm," in part because the two jack rabbits had taken up
permanent residence in the garden, the deer munched lunch on the roses,
the big and little raccoons kept turning over Andrea's many pots, the
flock of 30+ turkeys strolled in the big lawn pooping up a storm, the
pair of hawks roosted on my tribander and screeched for days until the
kids finally flapped away to escape Mom and Dad, and the two llamas from
across the road out the back gate regularly visited the vineyard with
their pal the goat.

Turkeys have the IQ of a carrot although carrots don't poop on the lawn,
possibly I'm disrespecting carrots. Llamas not much better, the goat
did seem to know night from day. The deer were oblivious, the raccoons
were mean, the hawks are protected, and the rabbits were pretty much
fixated on what rabbits usually do and I couldn't estimate their IQ, but
reproductive drive gets a 10 -- too many bunnies to count.

I had the motion light problem, and as for you, only one of several. On
the "Line Your Hat With Tinfoil" theory, I wrapped the sensor in
Reynolds Wrap with a strip down to the grounded mounting screw. That
solved the RF problem, but the "motion" part of the light disappeared.
I tore increasingly larger holes at the front of the sensor and
eventually everything worked and no RF problems.

YMMV

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015
- That's NEXT weekend!
- www.cqp.org

On 9/26/2015 5:07 PM, Dauer, Edward wrote:

> only effect is to scare the wildlife. But, suggestions,
>

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Guy Olinger K2AV

Re: K3S Proper Grounding

I thought you loved that place.....

73, Guy.

On Sat, Sep 26, 2015 at 10:45 PM, Fred Jensen <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Scare the wildlife ... that's good, we've had it with "Nature." We just
> sold the "farm," in part because the two jack rabbits had taken up
> permanent residence in the garden, the deer munched lunch on the roses, the
> big and little raccoons kept turning over Andrea's many pots, the flock of
> 30+ turkeys strolled in the big lawn pooping up a storm, the pair of hawks
> roosted on my tribander and screeched for days until the kids finally
> flapped away to escape Mom and Dad, and the two llamas from across the road
> out the back gate regularly visited the vineyard with their pal the goat.
>
> Turkeys have the IQ of a carrot although carrots don't poop on the lawn,
> possibly I'm disrespecting carrots. Llamas not much better, the goat did
> seem to know night from day. The deer were oblivious, the raccoons were
> mean, the hawks are protected, and the rabbits were pretty much fixated on
> what rabbits usually do and I couldn't estimate their IQ, but reproductive
> drive gets a 10 -- too many bunnies to count.
>
> I had the motion light problem, and as for you, only one of several. On
> the "Line Your Hat With Tinfoil" theory, I wrapped the sensor in Reynolds
> Wrap with a strip down to the grounded mounting screw. That solved the RF
> problem, but the "motion" part of the light disappeared. I tore
> increasingly larger holes at the front of the sensor and eventually
> everything worked and no RF problems.
>
> YMMV
>
> 73,
>
> Fred K6DGW
> - Northern California Contest Club
> - CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015
> - That's NEXT weekend!
> - www.cqp.org
>
> On 9/26/2015 5:07 PM, Dauer, Edward wrote:
>
> only effect is to scare the wildlife. But, suggestions,
>>
>>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]
>

k6dgw

Re: K3S Proper Grounding

In reply to this post by Bob McGraw - K4TAX

Good advice, both on the caps and pulling the breaker and checking that
it's dead. Of the 38 24 VAC irrigation valves I had [before we sold the
farm], 6 were directly under my low band sloping V and I turned them on
and off at 30 WPM which is not an approved code speed for Irritrol
valves. 0.01 disk caps right at the valves killed it.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015
- NEXT weekend!
- www.cqp.org

On 9/26/2015 5:22 PM, Bob McGraw - K4TAX wrote:

Gary Gregory-2

Re: K3S Proper Grounding

In reply to this post by k6dgw

Fred,

Not sure at all about your "cure", however, the preamble was nothing short of hilarious and left me giggling till I finally ran out of breath and had to lay down and concentrate hard on slow deep breaths.

Brilliant!

Thank you for making my Sunday even better.

73

Gary

-----Original Message-----
From: "Fred Jensen" <[hidden email]>
Sent: ‎27/‎09/‎2015 12:46 PM
To: "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3S Proper Grounding

Scare the wildlife ... that's good, we've had it with "Nature." We just
sold the "farm," in part because the two jack rabbits had taken up
permanent residence in the garden, the deer munched lunch on the roses,
the big and little raccoons kept turning over Andrea's many pots, the
flock of 30+ turkeys strolled in the big lawn pooping up a storm, the
pair of hawks roosted on my tribander and screeched for days until the
kids finally flapped away to escape Mom and Dad, and the two llamas from
across the road out the back gate regularly visited the vineyard with
their pal the goat.

Turkeys have the IQ of a carrot although carrots don't poop on the lawn,
possibly I'm disrespecting carrots. Llamas not much better, the goat
did seem to know night from day. The deer were oblivious, the raccoons
were mean, the hawks are protected, and the rabbits were pretty much
fixated on what rabbits usually do and I couldn't estimate their IQ, but
reproductive drive gets a 10 -- too many bunnies to count.

I had the motion light problem, and as for you, only one of several. On
the "Line Your Hat With Tinfoil" theory, I wrapped the sensor in
Reynolds Wrap with a strip down to the grounded mounting screw. That
solved the RF problem, but the "motion" part of the light disappeared.
I tore increasingly larger holes at the front of the sensor and
eventually everything worked and no RF problems.

YMMV

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015
- That's NEXT weekend!
- www.cqp.org

On 9/26/2015 5:07 PM, Dauer, Edward wrote:

> only effect is to scare the wildlife. But, suggestions,
>

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______________________________________________________________
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k6dgw

Re: K3S Proper Grounding

In reply to this post by Guy Olinger K2AV

We did, for 38 years, and then we got old.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015
- www.cqp.org

On 9/26/2015 7:50 PM, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote:
> I thought you loved that place.....
>
> 73, Guy.

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