Phil,
I'll bet that almost everyone who has ever messed around with tubes
can tell a similar story. I got zapped a few times while trying to
adjust a tuning slug on the underside of the chassis in my
AR2. Thankfully, we don't have to worry about that as much today as
we did in the old tube days. I got used to poking around inside
radios with a screwdriver before putting my fingers on the
parts. Usually, that kept me from getting bitten, but not when
poking around the high voltage cage of a TV set. You have to
discharge those multiple times.
Steve
On Tuesday 4/25/06 14:51 Phil Scovell wrote:
>Steve,
>
>speaking of being shocked. One time I had the protective high voltage cage
>off my Drake TR4 and was trying to get to the relay box. I had my mom
>downstairs in my shack reading tubes I was pulling out related to the relay
>circuit. I snapped off the rig and a couple of second later, my hand came
>in contact with the tops of the final tubes. It was over 600 volts. I
>flew, literally, through the air and ended up 10 feet away on the other side
>of the room after a horrendous scream. I could smell burn flesh in the air.
>My fingers had marks on them where they had come in contact with the tube
>caps. Mom said, "Philip? Are you hurt?" "Oh, know," I said, "I'm fine.
>Didn't hurt at all. I quickly returned to the rig pulled a tube out for mom
>to read just to be sure she didn't ban me from the radio, and when she left,
>for an hour, everything I touch that was metal felt like an electrical
>shock. Needless to say, I never did that again. I hope this is considered
>a ham radio topic but perhaps, if not, it may just save someone's life some
>day.
>
>Phil.
>K0NX
>
>The Zenith Tube Website
>www.RedWhiteAndBlue.org
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