[BC] Saving Your Own Life /was/ Tech. competence

[George Nicholas]

If you use an inductive sniffer, make sure you always test it on a 120V
outlet before using it.

My experience has been the batteries last about a year then they die
(depending on use).  The sniffer will of course display a "dead circuit"
when in fact it's live.

Another great use for the sniffer is fixing Christmas lights.

gn
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Alexander" <dynotherm at earthlink.net>
To: "Broadcast Radio Mailing List" <broadcast at radiolists.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2005 8:42 PM
Subject: Re: [BC] Saving Your Own Life /was/ Tech. competence


>
> On 12 Oct 2005 at 12:41, cldube wrote:
>
> > Great tutorial Phil!
> >
> > And may I respectfully add, have a voltage sniffer probe on hand as
well.
> > It might help you to discover that "mod" that was done 20 years ago
> > that brings 110V (or more) into a particular part of the cabinet
> > for a now obscure and unsuspected reason. As always, test the probe
> > on a known voltage source (often rubbing it across your shirt will light
it
> > up) to be sure the battery
> > is in working order. Be sure your test equipment is a known "good".
>
>
> Good catch Chuck. :)
>
> A sniffer is one of the greatest tools you can have in your box. I use
> and heartily recommend Barry's RG sniffer. The only problem is sometimes
> it's not where it should be. (In a shirt pocket at home rather than in the
> one I have on.) And it is less destructive than the j-stick where those
> "alternate" AC feeds are concerned. (The fuse you need is always the one
> that should be in the empty box. - The umpteenth corollary to Murphy's
Law.)
>
> However, all things considered, I'll let the j-stick complete the circuit
> before I touch it even if the sniffer can't "smell" a field.
>
> There is one thing you have to watch for in AM where the sniffer can save
> creating a problem. RF contactors usually are hot wired and work by
> momentarily grounding a lead. If a contactor lead runs into a Tx,
grounding
> the lead may switch the contactor to the dead Tx you are working on and
take
> the station off the air if the contactor control circuitry is - I'll be
polite
> and say - rudimentary, as some I've seen. I'd never wire one with a
momentary
> ground to the contactor from the PA "ON" circuit, but some seem to like it
> that way. <shaking head sadly>  The sniffer will find that the easy way,
> without taking the station off - and believe it or not, there are SOME
AM's
> where that still matters, especially if happens during a spot, or worse,
> during a book.
>
>
> Phil Alexander, CSRE, AMD
> Broadcast Engineering Services and Technology
> (a Div. of Advanced Parts Corporation)
> Ph. (317) 335-2065   FAX (317) 335-9037
>
>
>
>
>
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