OK, just solved a myth about wet broom sticks being of high resistance. I put a highpot to a 3 foot length of a broomstick, at 2200 volts I got the alarm. I would not use a broom stick, even covered in black tape. Use a high voltage glove if you fool with high voltages, weather it be ground or not. Regards, Gary...WZ1M ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Dorworth, K4XM" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Discussion of AM Radio" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, June 03, 2006 3:15 PM Subject: Re: [AMRadio] Shorting stick
> My buddies. Never has so simple a subject gotten so much attention. I see > extreme danger in using a resistor probe. Period.I have boxes of wirewounds > here that are brand new. Periodically I test them and find several wide > open. Old age I guess since they show no damage, Some still in paper, some > still in boxes. The broom handle suits me fine after 53 years as a ham. I > was taught at Ft. Gordon to work with one hand in 1956, the other behind my > back. After 50 years, I still work with one hand behind my back even with 12 > volt stuff. Sure, a broom handle might have a little resistance. A Braid > firmly bolted to ground at all time, no clips please, and attached to a > bolt, nail or whatever firmly place in a broom handle is fine with me, > remember the braid is GROUNDED and about a few milli ohms at most. The wood, > even soaked in water is in the thousands of ohms(megohms really) in parallel > to ground. The insulation of the handle only comes into play if YOU are > grounded and the broom handle point is not. You will feel enough to get > away. The idea is to stay alive and as a LAST chance. Use you best judgement > as to unplugging from the wall, watching meters etc. Wrap some electrical > tape around YOUR broomstick, it is 5 kV per thickness for Scotch 33 I think. > If it does have to work, hopefully never, the braid does the work. At work > we used personal locks, called lock out, tag out, and used shorting straps > to keep some one else from re-energizing a circuit while we were working. > This is NOT what I thought we were talking about here. I was talking about > the last line of defense for something that we hope never works. For this a > grounded wire with no insulation would be better that nothing! For small > stuff, 600 volts or less I have been known to use a jumper clip grounded to > chassis and moved about, sometimes a surprise results, not a shock! Do it > your way..just do something and do not trust a meter or bleeder. I read once > of a simple 6 volt filament transformer killing a ham, It had a primary to > secondary short and the frame was not grounded, contacting the 6 volt lead > and ground killed him, no fuse blow but line voltage was present. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Neal Newman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Mike Dorworth, K4XM" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Discussion of AM Radio" > <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, June 02, 2006 6:04 PM > Subject: Re: [AMRadio] Shorting stick > > > > Flames coming.......ZZZZZZZAP. > > > > Broom Handle? wooden broom handle? Thats living on the Edge > > thats what you use to play russian Roullette . Using that wooden stick > > and you just may see > > Jesus > > I would never use a wooden Broom handle with a nail in it as > > described below. > > wood retains moisture and will bite you at 4000 volts.or less. Make sure > > its a non conductive Plastic or better yet Fiberglass pole/dowel... > > > > > > Mike Dorworth, K4XM wrote: > > > > >Discharging is not the idea. If all is well it will NEVER discharge > > >anything. A nail with a good hooked ground strap in a broom handle is > > >perfect. This is to keep you from making a sudden trip to the hereafter > > >only. If it should ever actually be called on to work you will normally > > >holler out the name of the Christian Savior in a loud voice! This is why > > >folks in the business call them "Jesus Sticks!" > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > AMRadio mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.html > Post: mailto:[email protected] > AMfone Website: http://www.amfone.net > AM List Admin: Brian Sherrod/w5ami, Paul Courson/wa3vjb > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.1/355 - Release Date: 6/2/2006 > >
