[Amps] rfi

[Kim Elmore]

OK, here's my story.

When I was in Colorado, I had a ne'er do well neighbor behind me. 
This guy had been a bit of a jerk in many different ways and he once 
came over to my place with some "muscle" in tow to tell me how much 
trouble I was causing. I happily showed him and his muscle the 
station, handed 'em an FCC RFI booklet, and sent 'em away somewhat confused.

Then he got a touch lamp in his second-floor living room, which was 
easily visible from my operating position.

That touch lamp was a pretty sensitive receiver and even at 100W, it 
went completely nuts on 20 m. I used CW almost exclusively at the 
time, but SSB did it in, too. For a long time, he couldn't figure it 
out, but one day I saw him out on his balcony looking carefully over 
at my house. I ducked down out of sight and programmed my keyer to 
send "RFI TEST DE N5OP" continuously at 20 s intervals. I then went 
out and mowed my lawn. He watched me mowing my lawn while his touch 
lamp went nuts and finally went back inside and unplugged it. He 
certainly couldn't accuse me of the problem! I was mowing the lawn!

But that's not the end: I had a good friend who had just passed his 
Tech over one night. I saw my antagonist in his living room, watching 
his TV, with his touch-lamp on.

We grabbed some binoculars and I said "Watch this."

Keeping all lights off, I programmed my keyer with "RFI TEST DE N5OP" 
and fired up my TS-930S. As if my magic, his touch lamp began it's 
routine. He got out of his chair and looked at my house. Dark as a 
tomb. He readjusted the lamp and just as he sat down, it started 
again. He did this trick several times and every time, as if on cue, 
it went nuts again when he sat down. By this time my friend was 
almost unable to breathe due to his laughter. But them came the piece 
de resistance: the lamp started its routine again and this time the 
guy leaped out of his chair, grabbed the lamp and shaking it as if he 
were choking it, ripped it out of the wall socket and *threw* it down 
a hallway. Needless to say, that put the poor touch lamp out of its misery.

My friend complained for some days afterward that his sides hurt from 
so much laughing. Mine did, too.

Kim Elmore, N5OP