THOSE CURLY LIGHT  BULBS


I'm all for conservation, but sometimes we're not aware as to what is being conserved. A case in point is the fluorescent light bulbs that have come on the market lately, the curly ones that are intended to replace the standard incandescent light bulb that has been in use in homes for the last century.  These bulbs are without doubt far more efficient at producing light than the incandescent. So much so that California has outlawed the sale of the incandescent bulbs mandating that they be replaced with florescent bulbs.
A few weeks ago, one of these curly bulbs in our home started making weird noises -- crackling, sputtering. We turned off the switch and when the bulb was removed the base was found to be extremely hot showing burn signs. A little search on the net revealed that this was not an unusual problem. It also revealed a much contradictory behavior. Several people had experienced the same problem with one noting a small lamp shade had been scorched. Further research revealed many radio operators finding the bulbs to be RF noise sources.  But many others praised these bulbs for their energy saving.
It was pointed out that a necessary part in each of these

bulbs was a small switching power supply  in the base of the bulb. And as many amateurs have complained, this type of supply is RF noisy if not carefully designed.
The ARRL has been testing these bulbs as manufactured by many different companies, mostly off shore businesses, and has not been able to duplicate the heat problem.  As much as I have respect for the test lab at ARRL, my own experience duplicated by others leads me to not trust these bulbs. Those in our home are turned off when we aren't home. We always have had some lights on when we were out for both security and safety reasons. That habit must change with these bulbs.
Is such a device, maybe a safety hazard, really an improvement on our environment? There is another factor that needs to be considered in light of a "green" environment.  Each of these bulbs contain a tiny bit of mercury. The bulbs eventually will wear out and will be discarded. Yes, they shouldn't be thrown in a land fill just as their big brothers, the long tube fluorescents, are prohibited by law from being destroyed in  the land fill. But knowing human nature, the observance of correct disposal will be rare.
A device that could be a fire hazard as well as an environmental problem might need further consideration prior to total
acceptance.

MOTOROLA BUYS YAESU


Motorola USA has announced its intention to launch a tender offer to acquire a controlling interest in Vertex Standard Co, Ltd. Vertex Standard is the parent company of Yaesu. Motorola will own 80 percent of Vertex Standard; Tokogiken, a privately held Japanese company, controlled by current president and CEO of Vertex Standard Jun Hasegawa, will retain 20 percent, forming a joint venture. The total purchase price for 80 percent of the outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis will be approximately US $108 million.

Board of Directors
President
Louis H. Ryason
WB8WXS
Vice President
Norman "Ned" Davis
WB4BKO
Secretary
Jesse Moreno
KC8EIC
Treasurer
James Holloway
KG8GZ
Past President
Donna Smith
KC8BME
.
Advisory Committee
Trustee
Russ Beutler
N8UU
Technical Engineer
David Gerber
AB8HK
Editor
Marion Davidson
WA8MFL
wa8mfl@arrl.net

SMARS Web Site
www.w8df.com
All correspondence
should be addressed to
SMARS
P. O. box 934
Battle Creek, MI. 49016

URLS OF THE MONTH


(http://www.sherweng.com/documents/Dayton2007w.pdf)
http://lists.contesting.com/archives//html/Towertalk/and enter "buried conduit" into the search window
http://www.angelfire.com/md/k3ky/page37.html   low-band Flag and Pennant antennas
http://www.la3pna.net/kx5x
Quote of the Week - "99% of antenna talk is really about how the antennas make us feel, not how they actually work."  Tom W8JI
http://www.kkn.net/dayton2006/w3lpl_dayton_2006.pdf
http://hfradio.org/ace-hf/ace-hf-reciprocal.html.
http://hfradio.org/ace-hf/ace-hf-demystified.html
http://www.belden.com/pdfs/TechInfo/TechTransfer.htm
http://www.sdxa.org
http://www.discovercircuits.com
http://www.solorb.com/elect/solarcirc/xsvmeter/
http://www.k2ut.org/cadweld.htm
http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/ground.htm
http://tinyurl.com/22sgz8.HTM
http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram.html   a free monthly newsletter

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