"Andrew VK3BFA" wrote in message
om...
(Dave Platt) wrote in message
...
My HT, power supply and amp are in the living room. The coax runs into
the kitchen with a Diamond 2 meter magmount antenna out the kitchen
window on a steel plate. I have had no problems for 11 years.

Yesterday I keyed down and heard a buzz coming from the kitchen. I had
a
friend key down, went to the kitchen to see where the buzz is coming
from and it's coming from the outlet next to the window that has
NOTHING
plugged into it! My units are all plugged in in the living room. What's
happening here RF wise? If you have any idea, please either post it
here
or email me. I have an Extra Class License but this isn't in the books
:-( Thanks in advance!

Is that by any chance an outlet with a GFCI (ground fault circuit
interrupter) built in? Current electrical codes generally require
that these be used for all outlets around areas with water. They
usually have a solenoid or other sort of circuit breaker inside, and
it's possible that this is being partially activated by rectified RF
currents.

Duh! - pull it off the wall and have a look is a good place to start.
Andrew VK3BFA

Not always - are those things "visible". I agree with the gentleman's
thought of a GFIC being tripped or influenced somehow with RF. RF does
strange things and if you're not an old hand at it, it can be very
confusing - even with experience, it can create some confusion! Move the
antenna to another spot in the room or house away from outlets, etc. While
you may not hit the same repeaters, you can at least eliminate the RF as the
problem of the buzzing at that outlet. On the other hand, it is possible
too, that if the GFIC wasn't bad to start with, an RF Overload "could" have
created a problem - depending on the make up on that particular unit.
They're not that expensive to replace, if you know how to do one. While I
don't think it a high probability of the RF doing damage to it, I wouldn't
dismiss the thought completely. I've seen and I'm sure others have as well,
things in our electronics dealings which go beyond theory and explanation at
times. It is never good to "assume" anything when dealing with the unknown.
Eliminate all possibilities until the situation is cured.
NS