BLIND-HAMS Archives

For blind ham radio operators

BLIND-HAMS@LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Michael Ryan <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
For blind ham radio operators <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 16 Jul 2014 10:19:06 -0230
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (15 lines)
Hi all: 

Up here in Canada, according to the electrical code, circuit breakers for bedrooms have to be a ground fault circuit interrupt type (GFCI). 
They're meant to trip quick enough to prevent shock to children when they stick there fingers and other objects in the outlet or accidents to persons using an Electric blanket or waterbeds and so on. 
Well when we had our cottage wired, my Uncle in law, who did the electrical, didn't listen to me with regards to wiring up the spare room as a radio room but as a spare bedroom and basically put the 2 outlets on the master's outlets and connected them all up to the GFCI breaker in the Panel. 
Each time I'd key my radio on this breaker, I'd trip it and this would occur on the antenna and not on the dummy load. It got to the point where I had to have the connection changed. 
We now have the bedrooms on a non GFCI and the GFCI hooked up to the dining room outlet which isn't used and is in fact off. 
However, when turned on, this breaker would still trip when I'd transmit on my antenna and not on the dl. So at the end of the day, we just have it turned off. 
I'm wondering if my electrical's ground wires could be the length of an antenna and are in fact acting like a receive antenna and is causing that breaker to trip? How would it behave differently if the antenna was a wire antenna at 45 feet? 
My vertical is probably 40 feet or so away from the electrical grounding system but is on the same side.  . I have all my equipment properly grounded into 3 5 foot ground rods, driven down to there tops outside the shack. 
Funny though, plug an electrical appliance such as a toaster into one of the outlets on the GFCI, it won't trip. Even though the toaster is an 800W appliance. My FT-102 only draws 5 amps and makes 200W and will cause this breaker to trip almost immediately.  

73: 
Mike VO1AX 

ATOM RSS1 RSS2