On Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:23:53 -0700, Richard Clark
wrote:

On Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:21:56 -0700, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

One was connected to an antenna when it
probably failed, but there were no transmitters active.

Perhaps not intentional Ham transmissions.

The first step to solving a problem is to blame someone. I prefer not
to blame hams.

Actually, I lied. Two of those that I've repaired were attached to
antennas. However, the locations are not conducive to having nearby
transmitters. One is in the deep dark forest, where the nearest
neighbor, much less nearest possible RF source, is about 1/2 mile
away. The other lives in a nearby rural area. No forest, but also no
nearby transmitters. However, it's possible that the transmitter in
question may have been one owned by the hams in question. Keying a
nearby HT or mobile might have been the culprit. Dunno.

Roy often counseled about how his experience included many interfering
commercial sources. And this in a rather remote reach outside
Portland, I believe.

Attach a wattmeter to any VHF antenna on a mountain top with FM/TV
transmitters, and you'll get a watt or more of RF indicated. Nice way
to blow up the instrument.

"No one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

The Spanish Inquisition had quite a bit of support from those outside
the clergy. Much of it was about confiscating the property of alleged
heretics. When it grew in size to become a source of regular revenue,
it became an institution (much like our war on drugs). It fizzled out
when they ran out of victims.

At this point, I don't know what is causing the failures. However, I
do know what to do. Add a dummy load and buy some more diodes.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558