Lighting a LED with ambient RF (was candle) REPLAY

Oct 08, 2012 5 Replies

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Jan Panteltje 13 years ago

In 1999 I wrote:

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Jan Panteltje

29-08-99 My neigbour was (many years ago) just like me, active on CB (27MHz). Now one day all my reception disappeared in noise. I connected a scope across my GPA, and it was 10 or more volts. So I connected a LED and that worked too. So I called the guy and asked him 'did you get a linear?' He was very embarrased (4 W is maximum allowed here on CB). He has stopped with the hobby I think, and moved somewhere else, Distance between his GPA and mine, mmm about 15 to 20 meters.

So, 13 years ago... BTW 'GPA' is a half wave vertical, so about 5 meters on 27 MHz.

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Cydrome Leader 13 years ago

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people here (Chicago, maybe some still are) were obsessed with gigantic amps attached to CB radios, especially in cars.

I never got the point of what a 200 watt CB transmitter is even for.

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John Fields 13 years ago

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In the main, I think, one outcome of testosterone poisoning. ;)

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josephkk 13 years ago

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I think i have a clue on where a some part of that came from:

To some extent it began with yakkity truckers wanting longer useful talk time with their friends. This led to the trucker(s) and their friends getting amplifiers (~ late 1960s to early 1970s). This provided hours of chat time instead of minutes. Then other motor mouths copied. Then for some it became a bragging rights thing, with TX power over 1 kW (20 kW is the biggest claim i know of) (late 1970s to early 1980s). Some are still living in the past as cell phones provide the same for far less. And some are still addicted to bragging rights. And there are others whose motivations i still do not understand.

?-)

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Jan Panteltje 13 years ago

On a sunny day (Wed, 10 Oct 2012 16:55:06 -0500) it happened John Fields wrote in :

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Exactly.

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krw 13 years ago

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I knew of some 1kW amps, in the '80s; usually modified ham 10M rigs.

Completely different application. CB/ham, is closer to the Usenet than to cell phones.

Is it that important that you understand others' motivations? You sound like a Democrat.

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