On Sat, 26 Jul 2014 21:24:11 -0700, (David
Platt) wrote:

It turned out to be a
(famous name) 5-port Ethernet hub, which was leaking its internal
clock-oscillator signal into all ports and back into its power supply
and was "turning the entire home wiring into a giant antenna" (as the
house-wiring-TV-antenna gimmicks used to say, decades ago).
Horrid... I could practically hear my spectrum analyzer cringe.

Yep. I also know how to shoot myself in the foot. When I replaced
the neighbors noisy ethernet switch, he gave me the old switch for
recycling. Instead, I threw it into my pile of network boxes for a
later autopsy. After about a year, the post-it note marking it as
defective was lost. I needed a switch for the local club station, so
I grabbed the noisy switch and left. The complaints started about a
week later. Oddly, the 2.4GHz link between the repeater building and
the club station was the first to suffer interference problems. I
think just about every radio on the hill had problems, including the
county radios. On the principle of "whatever I did last was probably
wrong", I retraced my steps and eventually found the noisy switch. I
recall that it was made by Edimax, but don't recall the exact model
number.

As for "turn your house wiring into a giant TV antenna", that was my
start in electronics. I recall the ads in the back of Popular
Electronics and was intrigued by the principle. I learned that inside
the magic coupling box was a "capacitator" and that if one had an
AC-DC powered TV, it could be rather dangerous if connected
improperly. What got my attention was that it was an obvious fraud,
yet also quite successful considering that the ads were everywhere and
appeared in every electronics magazine. Instead of the traditional
policeman or fireman, I decided to become an electronics crook when I
grew up. That was heady stuff for a 9 or 10 year old. My parents
grudgingly approved if I agreed to become and engineer first, and
later a crook. That seemed reasonable and I continued on path to
success. Unfortunately, I began to reconsider when I discovered that
the owner of the company (Charles Torelli) had been busted in New York
for fraud, and served some prison time.

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

On Sun, 27 Jul 2014, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Sat, 26 Jul 2014 21:24:11 -0700, (David
Platt) wrote:

It turned out to be a
(famous name) 5-port Ethernet hub, which was leaking its internal
clock-oscillator signal into all ports and back into its power supply
and was "turning the entire home wiring into a giant antenna" (as the
house-wiring-TV-antenna gimmicks used to say, decades ago).
Horrid... I could practically hear my spectrum analyzer cringe.

Yep. I also know how to shoot myself in the foot. When I replaced
the neighbors noisy ethernet switch, he gave me the old switch for
recycling. Instead, I threw it into my pile of network boxes for a
later autopsy. After about a year, the post-it note marking it as
defective was lost. I needed a switch for the local club station, so
I grabbed the noisy switch and left. The complaints started about a
week later. Oddly, the 2.4GHz link between the repeater building and
the club station was the first to suffer interference problems. I
think just about every radio on the hill had problems, including the
county radios. On the principle of "whatever I did last was probably
wrong", I retraced my steps and eventually found the noisy switch. I
recall that it was made by Edimax, but don't recall the exact model
number.

Masking tape is a better choice, it stays on for much longer.


As for "turn your house wiring into a giant TV antenna", that was my
start in electronics. I recall the ads in the back of Popular
Electronics and was intrigued by the principle. I learned that inside
the magic coupling box was a "capacitator" and that if one had an
AC-DC powered TV, it could be rather dangerous if connected
improperly. What got my attention was that it was an obvious fraud,
yet also quite successful considering that the ads were everywhere and
appeared in every electronics magazine. Instead of the traditional
policeman or fireman, I decided to become an electronics crook when I
grew up. That was heady stuff for a 9 or 10 year old. My parents
grudgingly approved if I agreed to become and engineer first, and
later a crook. That seemed reasonable and I continued on path to
success. Unfortunately, I began to reconsider when I discovered that
the owner of the company (Charles Torelli) had been busted in New York
for fraud, and served some prison time.

My sister bought one of those phone line antenna things about five years
ago. It was new, and obviously junk. I felt so bad that she'd thought it
would help.


Michael

Michael Black wrote in
news:alpine.LNX.2.02.1407271422560.23911@darkstar. example.org:

Masking tape is a better choice, it stays on for much longer.


No, no, the stuff dries up, goes yellow, and flakes off like dry paint.
And electrical tape's got seepage, big time... What realyl soes stick around
is the double-sided adhesive foam tape sold for sticking stuff on car
dashboards (and HeNe tubes into place, it stands the heat very well), but
finding labels that use the same glue is a thing I never solved. I want to,
because the stuff would stay put for decades without seepage even if it gets
warm or humid.