TORCHIERE TORTURE!

[LM Picard]

One ham's neighbor became upset when his wireless doorbell incessantly 
banged out "CQ" hour after hour.

w7fe wrote:
> I use balanced antennas and a rather extensive ground system in the 
> second-floor shack per the K9STH design guide, but I had the same 
> symptoms here with a nice new touch-control table lamp the XYL brought 
> home.  I took it apart and tried ferrites on the leads, then bigger 
> ferrites with a couple of turns on each lead..... no effect.  I gave 
> up, and we sold the lamp at the next garage sale.
>
> Then there was my old "tablet" computer with the little pen.  The pen 
> is powered, and probably is a tiny transmitter, although I'm not sure 
> of that. I do know that the thing sure went bonkers when I tried to 
> use it in the shack as a PSK controller.  I sold the computer at the 
> next hamfest and got an old ThinkPad for PSK31.
>
> When I remodeled our walk-in closet a few years ago, I got the bright 
> idea to use a motion sensor to control the ceiling fixture in there.  
> Very slick...walk into the closet and the light comes on, goes out 
> after about 15 seconds of no further motion.  XYL loves it... I'm a 
> hero, right?  Well, the motion detector circuitry turns out to be a 
> great 40M receiver as well, so when I transmit at virtually any power 
> level on 40M, the closet light comes on and the "Off" timing extends 
> to about 5 minutes.  "How quaint", says the XYL, or sometimes 
> something more colorful, especially late in the evening when she's 
> trying to get to sleep. Then she just grumbles, gets up, and closes 
> the closet door.  So I haven't tried to fix it...or sell it...or her.
>
> Anyway, good luck, Bry. I think your torchiere lamp is destined for an 
> new home at least a block away from any source of RF.... or, maybe the 
> "torch (acetylene or similar) the torchiere" treatment is in order...a 
> sure-fire fix.
>
> Merry Christmas and Happy SK Night.
>
> 73 de Stu, W7FE
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bry Carling" <bcarling at CFL.RR.COM>
> To: <BOATANCHORS at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV>
> Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2007 7:25 PM
> Subject: RFI: TORCHIERE TORTURE!
>
>
>> I have an RFI issue in the house here... I was wondering if
>> anyone else has seen this...
>>
>> I have a tall torchiere in another part of the house, and it
>> is the type that you can turn on by TOUCHING the vertical
>> bar. If you touch it repeatedly the britghtness changes too.
>>
>> The only problem is that my rig turns it on too! In fact, with
>> every DIT oir DAH of CW it either changes the brightness
>> or turns it on/off.
>>
>> I am getting this on 40m, 30m and 20m CW. The antenna is an
>> end fed random wire with an L-network tuner, upstairs on
>> the second floor. My "ground" is a wire to the screw on the
>> wall plate. Not great I know.
>>
>> I haven't tried other bands yet!
>>
>> Any suggestions?
>>
>> Thanks & 73 - Bry, AF4K
>>
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