[TowerTalk] (no subject)

[K7GCO@aol.com]

In a message dated 8/9/00 3:53:11 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
w8ji@contesting.com writes:
<< 
 >  Every time I give a short post on a great idea assuming some reasonable
 > ability of the reader, I have to expand on it which I am happy to safely
 > do.  One 160M contester asked me not to describe this antenna.  He found
 > it very useful. Perhaps Tom can be the "Official Ground Inspector" for Ham
 > Radio.  I hope I have covered all the safety issues.  Remember every time
 > you turn the lights on your hand is an inch away from a 110V connection
 > and an arc when you turn it off.  Watch out for buried power lines when
 > driving ground rods into the ground.   K7GCO
 
 I certainly didn't intend to upset you, but there is little doubt the 
 suggestion that someone connect one end of an antenna to a wire 
 in the electrical outlet is a very poor suggestion.
 
 The National Electrical Code prohibits any exposed connections to 
 either the "grounded" or "ungrounded" sides of the power line. For 
 example, I'm not allowed to build an amplifier that ties the neutral of 
 the power line to the chassis of the amplifier.
 
 All it would take is an open in the neutral and a conventional load 
 connected at some other outlet to make the neutral rise to full line 
 voltage. 
 
 Even if that never occurs, the vast majority of noise sources are 
 operated from the power line. Using the power line as any part of 
 the antenna system would simply aggravate noise problems.
 
 I was not trying to upset you, I just hate to see people put 
 themselves in harm's way by making a connection to a power line 
 and running it around their room, and out the window to "who-knows-where".
 73, Tom W8JI
 w8ji@contesting.com
  >>
You have made good points Tom.  I'm so used to working with dangerous stuff 
in HR and guns that I tend to ignore some things.  But consider this.  You 
can buy a TV Antenna Module and I have one that just has variable capacitor 
tuned coupling off the 110VAC and it is "approved."  It plugs into the 110 
with a coax to the TV.  I didn't do anything different.  The lower the 
frequency however the better it works--try below the BC band.  The ground 
connection from the wall I used as an antenna with a .1 ufd and BC variable 
in series was behind the radio and "not running around the room".

The wire that you say "out the window to who knows where" is an insulated 
wire that goes to a ground rod or to the buried oil tank and it's large 
surface for a great ground.  I very clearly said "Hook it to a buried oil 
tank for a high surface area ground."  Since it connects to the radio through 
capacitors it's a very safe wire.  I don't have to worry about lightning 
either.  I'd have no reason to run a wire from the 110VAC ground connection 
inside the house to anything outside as your statement seems to suggest I 
did.  My radio is in the house.

I have a cheap FM radio that wraps the FM antenna wire around the rubber 
110VAC "line inside the radio" for signal pick up.  It's an "Approved 
Radio"--I saw the label.  It's the same concept on FM this time.  I've 
actually done the same thing on radios with polarized 110 plugs and would you 
believe--right at the radio and with very short leads.  It's a very neat and 
simple installation Tom.  I've got some things here Tom that would blow your 
mind and I doubt you could even find fault with.  I fail to see any danger as 
long as there is only a "capacitive connection" as well as for the example 
you gave.  You are behind the times Tom of current "Approved Practices" that 
are many years old for AM, FM & TV antennas.  I'd like to suggest it's use on 
160M.  There are far more dangers in some "Approved Linear Amplifiers" I 
corrected.  I've had a few shocks in my day from so called safe construction. 
 Lets let the readers decide if what industry actually does in radios, 
antenna accessories and has done for many years "is a bad idea".

Why do you keep harping in how nosie the 110 line is?  It can be but mine, 
I'll say one more time--have not been.  Therefore I will continue to 
recommend it.  I've even found railroad tracks are quiet and it's the longest 
antenna I have ever used.  I guess the spikes short out the noise.  The power 
wires that go to my home town baseball field lights back in SD are a very 
good antenna also--with the power off of course.  They work great on Xmit 
also.  I'd like to do a Field Day there. There is a water tower of (160M 
size) I'm looking at 1 mile from my SD QTH for a mobile antenna--not in 
motion of course.  I may run a mile long Beverage to it for a "600 ohm gamma 
termination".  It has a hell of a ground connection.  I might create some 
"Real RF Fire Water."  It should be cleaner to drink for the farm cattle 
around there.  I'll be real careful Tom.  Perhaps I could send you my Posts 
first for technical and safety editing.  K7GCO    

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