[RFI] Inquiry - AFCI RFI-free?

[marsh at ka5m.net]

At least one manufacturer worked with the ARRL to resolve the AFCI RFI
issue.

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-helps-manufacturer-to-resolve-arc-fault-circui
t-interrupter-rfi-problems

Marsh KA5M


-----Original Message-----
From: RFI <rfi-bounces+marsh=ka5m.net at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Kenneth
G. Gordon
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2023 11:07 AM
To: rFI at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [RFI] Inquiry - AFCI RFI-free?

> On 3/16/2023 2:02 PM, David Eckhardt wrote:
>
> > I have several AFCIs.  RF will trip them.  Just a pain.  If there were
no
> > switch bounce on the AC switches, even for lights, they'd probably be
just
> > OK.  But with no debouncing on cheap AC wall switches and no protection
> > against strong RF fields, they are a PITA.
> >
> > Dave - WØLEV

Absolutely true. I am an electrician (well retired) and have not yet had an
occasion to find 
RFI-proof AFCIs. Those AFCIs which I found, which our local electrical
inspector told us we 
"needed" in order to be fully compliant with local requirements when we
added an addition to 
our home and I did all the wiring necessary, were so sensitive to RF from my
own 
transmitters that the AFCIs were literally unusable.

They were a complete huge PITA and still are.

I cannot now remember the brand of AFCI's I used, but I contacted the
factory about their 
sensitivity to RF, but, at that time, received no satisfactory answer.

If anyone knows of a brand or model which is free from both sensistivity to
RF, and does 
NOT output RFI, I would be MOST grateful to hear of such.


> > On Thu, Mar 16, 2023 at 5:23PM Gene Smar via RFI <rfi at contesting.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Gents:
> >>       I'm having my electric service panel in our home replaced and
wanted
> >> to ask if any of you have had experience, either good or bad, with
> >> code-required arc-fault circuit interrupters and related RFI?  I
believe I
> >> read somewhere that either these or GFCI's were problematic in
generating
> >> RFI, especially on the lowbands.  I'd like to make sure I don't make
things
> >> worse for myself by allowing the electrician to install the wrong AFCI
> >> design or brand.  I've also read that AFCI's often trip unnecessarily.

This is absolutely true.

In my case, unfortunately, one of my antennas, a vertical, is within 15 feet
of the bedroom 
which is fed from an AFCI, making that particular antenna pretty much
useless.

> Any
> comments on that aspect as well?

Me too!!!!!

Ken W7EKB
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