RadioBanter - View Single Post - getting bit by my FT-101EE chassis

November 30th 05, 09:41 AM posted to rec.radio.amateur.boatanchors

On 29 Nov 2005 21:47:59 -0800, wrote:

All,

I don't know if I am grounding my station correctly.

Years ago I had a FT101B try to kill me.

I had the system grounded, but it was a minimal ground. The
transceiver was about 50 feet to the East of the service entrance
ground. The coax tied to a 40 meter vertical out into he west yard
which was about 100 feet to the west of the service entrance. There
was a single ground round and a number of bare #10 radials tied to the
ground rod.

It was spring, the snow had melted and the ground was wet and soggy.
One of the radials had come loose and curled up around the base of the
antenna, so I picked it up, pulled it straight, bent a kink in the end
to stick in the ground. I knelt down to stick that end in the ground.
When my knees touched the wet ground that sucker didn't tickle, it
grabbed me and held on *really* tight.

I fell backwards and when I went over backwards my knees broke
contact. I threw that wire as hard as I could under the circumstances.

I brought out my Simpson 260, stuck one probe in the ground about 6
inches out from the ground rod under the vertical and stuck the other
probe in as far out as I could reach. I measured 90 volts with that
VOM across about 5 or 6 feet of wet top soil.

A close inspection turned up a liberal solder joint at the power
connector on the back of the rig (inside) which under the right
conditions could contact the chassis. The cord was one of the un
polarized type.
It passed plenty of current, but not enough to trip the breaker. (this
was before the days of GFIs)

I removed a bit of solder and never had another problem with the rig.
Actually, I'd like to find another, nice, clean, FT101B to recreate
my old station, but I'll never forget that one.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

The radials of my 20m vertical are connected to my trailer's electrical
system ground rod. My coax shield is connected both to the radials and
the ground rod. I plug my antenna into the Yaesu and turn it on. I
can hear stations just fine, and I have no problems touching the
chassis. However, the instant I disconnected the antenna but hang onto
the coax, I got a mild shock on both arms if I should momentarily
touch the chassis of the Yaesu. So, I understand I have a problem.

Now I noticed that the Yaesu uses a 2-prong AC cord adapter, which is
"before code" and therefore is unsafe by today's standards. If I
rewrire the AC cord to 3-prong, should that remove the hazard? If so,
what pinout do I use? The FT-101 Shop service manual does not list
where positive, negative, and neutral should be on the Yaesu power
plug.in Figure 1-2.

Thanks,

The Eternal Squire

P.S. I hope I have not long-term defibrillated myself. Should I visit
a hospital for cardiac system damage even if the shock was mild? I now
realize that I probably could have been killed. Right now I have
everything unplugged and disconnected until I can get better advice.