[TowerTalk] DO *NOT* WORK ON ANTENNAS During Rain or why aliveelectricians are happily married

K8RI on Tower talk k8ri-tower at charter.net
Thu Jun 29 14:14:56 EDT 2006



> As you are wiring the receptacle you constantly hear in your ears; did
> you do that right? why don't you check it once more? I don't know about
> that, if my mother were here she would be suspicious.........

An electrician who has so little faith in himself he has to check his work?

In one room we had 8 over head, three phase 480V, enclosed busses. Each 
conductor was about 1 1/2" solid copper.  The cover was designed so you only 
had to pop off a piece and you could snap in a disconnect. (theoretically).

One of the electricians ran into a really stuborn cover.  He stuck the end 
of a screw driver under the corner and "whacked" it. The cover neatly 
seperated from the rest and flew across the room, but the screw driver ened 
up across all three phases.  Think top and bottom conductors at the back of 
the enclosure and in line vertically. The other phase was off set to the 
front and centered vertically with just enough space that a large screw 
driver would fit between the front and back connectors.

Those that saw it said it was one of the neatest electrical displays they 
ever saw.  It vaporized the screw driver blade and that started a plasma 
that wasn't quite strong enough to pop the mains, but it was energetic 
enough that the whole buss turned into what looked like a burning 
fuse/sparkler.  Seems like they lost between 8 and 10 feet of buss before 
some one managed to throw the main breaker.  Unfortunately that shut the 
whole room down instead of power to just the one buss, resulting in the loss 
of a few hundred thousand dollars worth of production.

BTW, the buss was supplying power (as were the other 7) to a whole string of 
RF induction heating generators used for "float zone refining" of Silicon.

Roger Halstead (K8RI and ARRL 40 year Life Member)
N833R - World's oldest Debonair CD-2
www.rogerhalstead.com
>
> but if you are having an affair you hear; finish fast! I am waiting for
> you! ZAPP!
>
> BLACK HATS.
>
> Don't ask how I know this
>
> mike w7dra
> On Thu, 29 Jun 2006 06:24:32 -0400 Pete Smith <n4zr at contesting.com>
> writes:
>> One of the absolutely classic electrician's errors is to reverse the
>> two wires at an outlet, placing the supposedly cold line 115 volts
>> above ground.  All then usual stores sell a very inexpensive neon
>> light tester that will warn of this and a number of other
>> conditions.  You just plug it into the outlet.
>>
>> Don't ask how I found out. ;^)
>>
>> 73, Pete
>>
>> At 12:39 AM 6/29/2006, you wrote:
>>
>> >>
>> >> This time I personally went to check his work and the rig was
>> off, so I
>> >> unscrewed the coax from the back of the rig.
>> >>
>> >> Went back to the antenna and slapped it with the back of my hand.
>> This
>> >> time now shock.
>> >>
>> >> What causes that???
>> >
>> >My guess would be a faulty rig or power supply, and/or bad
>> grounding.  My
>> >hunch is you have a problem with the AC power supply or the AC
>> power in your
>> >house could be at fault.
>> >
>> >Sounds like a challenge!
>> >
>> >73
>> >N7HQR
>> >
>> >
>> >_______________________________________________
>> >
>> >
>> >
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