I may have at that special event, I was the only one running off the outlets
so no one would have known.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Gammon" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 12:11 PM
Subject: Re: Arc Fault circuit breakers
>I would blow the arc fault breakers even running my Hf rig off of
> a battery. Jim WA6EKS
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: John Miller <[log in to unmask]
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date sent: Wed, 27 Nov 2013 07:13:30 -0500
> Subject: Re: Arc Fault circuit breakers
>
> I've had a GFCI pop with RF, once in a place I stayed on
> vacation, and once
> at a special event setup. The vacation place I had to find
> another outlet,
> the other time I ended up going to a battery.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]
> To: <[log in to unmask]
> Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 1:20 AM
> Subject: Re: Arc Fault circuit breakers
>
>
> wow, that is very interesting.
> I've never had a GFCI pop in the presence of RF, but it's a
> really good
> thing to be aware of.
> I haven't been around AFCI breakers with rf yet.
> I wonder if new automobiles have similar systems and if they are
> prone to
> being tripped by RF...might prove rather interesting if they do
> start
> using
> similar devices.
>
> 73
> Colin, V A6BKX
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Jim Gammon" <[log in to unmask]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 8:44 PM
> To: <[log in to unmask]
> Subject: Arc Fault circuit breakers
>
> We moved into our house a little over a year ago. It took me
> several months before trying my Hf station on a temporary Alpha
> 1
> antenna. The first day I did, I blew 4 Arc Fault breakers in
> the
> main panel. It took me about 4 months to figure it out then a
> few days ago I got this info from a friend from the ARRL. This
> may also help some of you guys. The upshot was that I changed
> out 4 arc fault breakers replacing them with regular ones and
> the
> problems went away. Here's what the ARRL said about it. You
> might find this interesting.
> From today's ARRL newsletter
> Your League: ARRL Helps Manufacturer to Resolve Arc Fault
> Circuit Interrupter RFI Problems
> The ARRL Lab has worked with a manufacturer of arc fault circuit
> interrupter (AFCI) breakers to resolve complaints that Amateur
> Radio RF was causing certain breaker models to trip
> unnecessarily. Like the more common ground fault circuit
> interrupter (GFCI), the AFCI is a safety device. Primarily
> designed to detect problems that could result in a fire, AFCIs
> detect potentially hazardous arc faults that result from often
> unseen damage or poor connections in wiring and in extension
> cords and cord sets.
> "Several months ago we started receiving reports from amateurs
> that when they transmitted, their AFCI breakers were tripping,"
> said Mike Gruber, W1MG, the ARRL Lab's EMC specialist. He noted
> that the issue has been a topic of online ham radio discussions
> as well as on homeowner sites; it seems that stray RF is not the
> only thing that can cause a "nuisance trip" of an AFCI. Gruber
> pointed out that the National Electrical Code (NEC) already
> requires AFCIs in some household circuits, but not all US
> jurisdictions have adopted the requirement.
> W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, with the AFCI test
> stand. [Mike Gruber, W1MG, photo]
> Gruber said that as AFCIs became more common in new construction
> in the US, reports started coming in that AFCIs in the vicinity
> -
> not just in the radio amateur's home - would trip in the
> presence
> of RF from an Amateur Radio transmitter. While each
> manufacturer's design is proprietary, most AFCIs detect arcs by
> monitoring the shape of the alternating current waveform,
> changes
> in current levels, voltage irregularities, and the presence of
> high frequency emissions or "noise." The ARRL Lab dug into the
> problem.
> "Last summer we built a test fixture in which we could test any
> type of circuit breaker," Gruber said. It involved using W1AW
> as
> an RF source. Gruber said he bought one of "every AFCI that I
> could get my hands on," but when the Lab began testing them
> during W1AW transmissions, none of the devices tripped..
> A ham in New Mexico who had reported AFCI problems sent some of
> his breakers to the ARRL Lab, "and those tripped when we tested
> them," Gruber said. The problematic breakers were certain
> models
> made by Eaton Corporation. "We already had an Eaton breaker, an
> older model, but it did not trip," he noted, adding that the
> breaker had a yellow button. The newer model, which had a white
> button, did trip in the presence of RF, however, even at power
> levels down to about 50 W on 17 meters.
> Gruber contacted Eaton, and two of the manufacturer's engineers
> visited ARRL Headquarters in August. "Eaton was extremely
> cooperative and eager to resolve this," Gruber recounted. "They
> spent the day with us, going over our test methods and took some
> of the problematic breakers back with them, eventually
> developing
> a modified version.
> "We have just finished testing the new version of the breaker,
> and it did not trip during W1AW transmissions and in other
> tests," Gruber reported. He said the new breaker is still in
> the
> queue for UL approval.
> Eaton Engineering Director Andy Foerster said arc fault
> detection
> is challenging, in part because so many common household devices
> - such as vacuum cleaners and power tools that use motors with
> brushes - create arcing. In information provided to ARRL Eaton
> engineer Lanson Relyea said that because AFCIs rely on HF
> emission detection to verify arcing, "any signal that conducts
> or
> radiates a signal within the detection band of the AFCI can
> cause
> interference and cause the device to trip without the presence
> of
> a true arcing condition."
> Eaton and ARRL agreed that when the manufacturer comes out with
> any new models of breakers, it will ask the League to test them
> at W1AW. "It's a win-win situation," Gruber said. Eaton also
> has agreed to work with anyone having a problem with RF tripping
> its AFCIs.
> Hams experiencing unwanted tripping problems with their or their
> neighbors' AFCIs should first contact the manufacturer. In the
> case of Eaton breakers, contact Bob Handickgg412-893-3746) or
> Joe
> Fello (412-893-3745). Read more.
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