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Interesting RFI... ticking noise
9/12/2006 1:30:09 AMPeter Balazsy
Tonight after photographing my beautifly completed Howard-307

http://www.pbpix.com/howard307.jpg

(faux burled wood with deep lacquered finish)in my photo-studio at the far end of the house on the next floor up...

I retured to my workbench in the basement and turned on the Howard to my favorite station to enjoy the fruits of my labors ....and then I sat at my computer to browse a while...
but... I began to notice an irritating ticking noise above the audio on the Howard.
It is an RF sourced tick tick tick at very regular 1.5 second intervals. I turned on the Bendix radio next to it and the same thing.
So I tried turning off various lights and solder irons etc all around the basement. No luck ...just a steady strong ticking.
I picked up my little transistor portable and sure enough it's there too.
So I started walking all around to try to find the source. But it was rather constant all around the basement and garage. Went up stairs and rather constant there too ...especially in my living room directly above my workbench. Extented my arms upward to put the radio near the ceiling where my tenant's living room is.. and it seemed a bit stronger. Went outside about 30 feet from house and same thing but gets weaker farther from house. Stronger at south end of house and starts getting weaker at north end of house... as I walk toward the north end of the house I happened to notice a dim green light though the window in my studio from the back-end of my Bowens 9000 mono-flash unit that I forgot to shut off after taking the pictures... So I think.. well maybe that's the cause of the ticking... but then I think... Nah can't be because... it gets weaker as I near it.
So...I remind myself to go in and shut it off.
As I walk in the studio with the portable radio the ticking almost completely disappers... so I place the radio right next to the flash head and there is hardly anything. .. So I shut off the flash head and go back to hunt down the ticking...
.. Walk around a little. nothing... nothing nothing!! huh?
I go back in the studio and turn on that flash head... sure enough ticking louder the further I walk away from it.. till I'm back in the basement 35 feet away... tick tick tick.
Go back shut of flash... All ticking disappears!!

I guess it's something to do with the capacitor charging circuitt or some dis-charge leakage... but boy some powerful RF...
But why is it louder as i get farther away??
... Well Sherlock...another self inflicted puzzle ... solved.

9/12/2006 1:14:05 PMMarv Nuce
Peter,
I'll take a couple WAG's, and be on my way. First, ever hear of an "Aperture Antenna" If perhaps a small hole/slit/metal joint near the active circuitry were to be a sub-multiple of 1/8 wave length of the offending frequency, strange things can happen, and the directional nature may be unpredictable as well. On the other hand at a particular distance from the equipment, there may be a resonant length in the house wiring that would enhance or re-radiate the RF energy. The edge times of an offending pulse can be related to the actual frequency of transmission, but of course energy discharge from any source/frequency may be just more lightning above terra firma.

marv

:Tonight after photographing my beautifly completed Howard-307
:
:http://www.pbpix.com/howard307.jpg
:
:(faux burled wood with deep lacquered finish)in my photo-studio at the far end of the house on the next floor up...
:
:I retured to my workbench in the basement and turned on the Howard to my favorite station to enjoy the fruits of my labors ....and then I sat at my computer to browse a while...
:but... I began to notice an irritating ticking noise above the audio on the Howard.
:It is an RF sourced tick tick tick at very regular 1.5 second intervals. I turned on the Bendix radio next to it and the same thing.
:So I tried turning off various lights and solder irons etc all around the basement. No luck ...just a steady strong ticking.
:I picked up my little transistor portable and sure enough it's there too.
:So I started walking all around to try to find the source. But it was rather constant all around the basement and garage. Went up stairs and rather constant there too ...especially in my living room directly above my workbench. Extented my arms upward to put the radio near the ceiling where my tenant's living room is.. and it seemed a bit stronger. Went outside about 30 feet from house and same thing but gets weaker farther from house. Stronger at south end of house and starts getting weaker at north end of house... as I walk toward the north end of the house I happened to notice a dim green light though the window in my studio from the back-end of my Bowens 9000 mono-flash unit that I forgot to shut off after taking the pictures... So I think.. well maybe that's the cause of the ticking... but then I think... Nah can't be because... it gets weaker as I near it.
:So...I remind myself to go in and shut it off.
:As I walk in the studio with the portable radio the ticking almost completely disappers... so I place the radio right next to the flash head and there is hardly anything. .. So I shut off the flash head and go back to hunt down the ticking...
:.. Walk around a little. nothing... nothing nothing!! huh?
:I go back in the studio and turn on that flash head... sure enough ticking louder the further I walk away from it.. till I'm back in the basement 35 feet away... tick tick tick.
:Go back shut of flash... All ticking disappears!!
:
:I guess it's something to do with the capacitor charging circuitt or some dis-charge leakage... but boy some powerful RF...
:But why is it louder as i get farther away??
:... Well Sherlock...another self inflicted puzzle ... solved.

9/12/2006 1:50:11 PMRMeyer
I just dropped in to say Peter good to see your post over in the ARF. You opened a few eyes and perhaps minds. I see by the responses no one chose to disagree. Your point was well made. As for this one, NICE HOWARD!
9/12/2006 11:30:40 PMPeter Balazsy
Rmeyer...
thanks... lol...
that sure does make some interesting reading over there on ARF doesn't it?

I'll list the lins so other's here can have a good read:
-------------- here is the essence ofthe subject ----
I went to ARF and saw a few posts about me an my painted radios in the section "Online Auctions Forum" .. lol

http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=11&sid=f131c2f01626723edf4da29bc170df7e

Here's three threads that make interesting reading...
1.) Another Krylon Trainwreck:
http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=60439

2.) Another Bendix gets the treatment...
http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=59691

3.) I'm gonna do this:
http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=59175

So I answered with my own comments:
$10 Krylon trainwrecks.. the trainwreck engineer ... speaks:
http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=60503

... to which there were 20-30 nice sort of apologetic replies.

It is interesting that when you start speaking out for yourself people get much nicer... lol

9/13/2006 2:37:49 PMRMeyer
:Rmeyer...
:thanks... lol...
:that sure does make some interesting reading over there on ARF doesn't it?
:
:I'll list the lins so other's here can have a good read:
:-------------- here is the essence ofthe subject ----
:I went to ARF and saw a few posts about me an my painted radios in the section "Online Auctions Forum" .. lol
:
:http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=11&sid=f131c2f01626723edf4da29bc170df7e
:
:Here's three threads that make interesting reading...
:1.) Another Krylon Trainwreck:
:http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=60439
:
:2.) Another Bendix gets the treatment...
:http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=59691
:
:3.) I'm gonna do this:
:http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=59175
:
:So I answered with my own comments:
:$10 Krylon trainwrecks.. the trainwreck engineer ... speaks:
:http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=60503
:
:... to which there were 20-30 nice sort of apologetic replies.
:
:It is interesting that when you start speaking out for yourself people get much nicer... lol
9/13/2006 2:49:59 PMRMeyer
Well Peter your style had a lot to do with the apologies. By starting out tongue in cheek then establishing who the Engineer was, was classy.
Generally good guys over there. Nice place to swap stories while waiting on parts and the paint dries.
9/14/2006 1:58:19 PMCarl C.
:Well Peter your style had a lot to do with the apologies. By starting out tongue in cheek then establishing who the Engineer was, was classy.
:Generally good guys over there. Nice place to swap stories while waiting on parts and the paint dries.
:Read the comments posted on ARF - sounded like the Green-Eyed-Cat was loose at the Old Ladies Tuesday Night Club meeting.


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