View Full Version : Is This Possible???
w4bgn
07-31-2007, 04:27 AM
Ok, I'm confused here, but I would like to know if anyone thinks inteference from a 2m/440 base rig with an attic antenna could cause this.
Are you ready???
When I use the base 2m/440 rig at home, the light built in to the garage door opener flases on and off, and here is the really wierd part...
My driver's side mirror is misaligned alot, thus having to move it back in, it is a power mirror system, and no, no one is in the garage to possibly move or bump into it.
The vehicle is in the garage as well.
Seems to happen when running 50 watts on 2 meters.
Comments???
kc4umo
07-31-2007, 04:37 AM
Stray RF.
Happens alot with attic mounted antennas.
Electrical wires acts as antennas can radiate the signal to other areas.
I have one vehicle with door poppers that my HF rig sets off when on 40m cw.
kf6rdn
07-31-2007, 04:52 AM
Have to admit, the mirror adjustment is strange. It must use some electronics for switching rather then straight switched to the motors.
The garage opener light though, used to happen to me, but it would actually open it, while running HF with condo type compromise antennas.
When I upgraded to a digital one, it stopped doing that.
wb6mmj
07-31-2007, 06:17 AM
Quote[/b] (w4bgn @ July 30 2007,21:27)]Ok, I'm confused here, but I would like to know if anyone thinks inteference from a 2m/440 base rig with an attic antenna could cause this.
Are you ready???
When I use the base 2m/440 rig at home, the light built in to the garage door opener flases on and off, and here is the really wierd part...
My driver's side mirror is misaligned alot, thus having to move it back in, it is a power mirror system, and no, no one is in the garage to possibly move or bump into it.
The vehicle is in the garage as well.
Seems to happen when running 50 watts on 2 meters.
Comments???
It is possible. Or maybe yet a C.B`er running 5 kw?
I use to open and close my Father`s garage door when I operated with 100 watts and a dipole on 40 meters.
Sure it's possible.
Electric motor actuated devices rely on a switch, a relay or some other control to turn them on and off. These may often be turned on by RF in addition to the usual inputs. There is a long history of this sort of thing happening, too.
Example:Quote[/b] ]Models: 1995-1997 BR Ram Truck
Symptoms: Customers may complain of intermittent poor reception on their two-way radios and/or the windshield wipers may operate intermittently during two-way radio communication (wipers OFF). Source (http://dodgeram.info/tsb/1996/08-30-96.htm)
LOTS of things can happen, (http://www.compliance-club.com/archive/bananaskins/1-25.asp)and they're not all as innocuous as TSB above.
Cortland
KA5S
N8CPA
07-31-2007, 08:51 AM
Running >50W in my Explorer used to activate my rear wiper.
k0dxc
07-31-2007, 01:12 PM
Yeah that has to be stray RF. If I were you I would move the antenna somewhere else if you want to end the "weirdness"
kd7gwd
07-31-2007, 05:25 PM
I can turn on my floodlights with VHF from my mobile parked in the front yard if power level is over middle settings . On my fixed VHF antenna on a mast on the roof , it does not do that to my floodlights .
ve2nsm
07-31-2007, 05:30 PM
When you transmit the garage door opens and your nasty neighbour comes in to move your mirror. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
In today's cars, the mirror circuit is definitely not tied directly to a switch, nor is it tied directly to a relay controlled by the switch.
It is controlled by an ECU which in my car is located in the door. That ECU ties in to other parts of the car via CANBus (Controller Area Network, which is a data link protocol).
Everything is pretty much done this way now, including the horn, lights, wiper, instrument panel, even the radio and navigation system in some cars.
The diagnostic tech can hook up a computer or even a PDA (which is what the Honda shops use now) and run something called HDS (Honda Data System) which communicates to the ENTIRE car and can get status, read codes or control pretty much anything for testing purposes.
RF getting into one of the ECUs via the car's wiring will cause the symptoms you describe.
KC2QXE
07-31-2007, 07:09 PM
The mirror issue could also be caused by shutting the door. I have it happen all the time, I shut the door and the mirror moves.