Though AFCIs and GFCIs may look similar, they are very different. AFCIs are
a relative newcomer to the scene and the fixes for one may not be the same
for the other... see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc-fault_circuit_interrupter
I would assume that since the AFCI is looking for a relatively short current
spike that it may be more sensitive to CW keying transients, where GFCIs may
require longer times to trip. And if they do require that shorter current
spike, would the filter methods normally used for GFCIs defeat the purpose
of the AFCI?? I would say it may take some lab time with these things to
determine the proper answer, even the arrl doesn't have that yet:
http://www.arrl.org/gfci-devices
David Robbins K1TTT
e-mail: mailto:k1ttt@arrl.net
web: http://wiki.k1ttt.net
AR-Cluster node: 145.69MHz or telnet://k1ttt.net
-----Original Message-----
From: john brodie [mailto:brodiejb@shaw.ca]
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2013 02:42
To: 'Gary Mayfield'; rfi@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [RFI] Troubleshooting AFCI Tripping Due To Amateur
Transmissions
Just recently been through all this with a NuHeat "Solo" thermostat with
built-in GFI. Running 100 watts and found the GFI tripped every time with
transmissions on 21 and 28 MHz. No other GFIs in the house were
so-affected.
All manner of ferrite beads, clamp-on ferrites, bypass capacitors etc. were
tried without success. Honeywell then replaced the Solo with a Harmony
thermostat and bingo, no more problems.
John VA7XB
-----Original Message-----
From: RFI [mailto:rfi-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Gary Mayfield
Sent: January 3, 2013 5:22 PM
To: rfi@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [RFI] Troubleshooting AFCI Tripping Due To Amateur
Transmissions
I had this issue at a previous house. The old ones didn't trip and the new
ones did. We moved them around, but only the same devices tripped
regardless of location. We tore a couple apart and found the old ones had a
capacitor from the hot to the neutral. The new ones did not (probably saved
a penny). We added a ceramic disk capacitor with a more than high enough
voltage rating to the new ones and the problem was solved. This is my
experience. I am not making a recommendation -- What you do is your
business. AC wiring can be dangerous. Always use caution! Your mileage may
vary. 73,Joe kk0sd > Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2013 15:15:53 -0500
> From: jeff@mossycup.com
> To: rfi@contesting.com
> Subject: [RFI] Troubleshooting AFCI Tripping Due To Amateur
> Transmissions
>
> A friend of a family member is experiencing an apparent RFI issue
> which is causing his code required AFCI outlets to trip, apparently
> due to his neighbors amateur transmissions. This is in the Southern
> New Hampshire area. Unfortunately, unlike many of us in the amateur
> community (who would relish the opportunity to troubleshoot such an
> interesting RFI issue) the operator seems unwilling to provide even a
> basic level of assistance. To clarify, this is a situation where a
> licensee is apparently causing interference to a Part 15 AFCI in his
> neighbors house. While the licensee may not be under any legal
> obligation to help troubleshoot the RFI issue, I'm hoping we can come
> up with a solution for the neighbor. The neighbor has apparently
> spent hundreds of dollars in material and labor to have an electrician
> attempt to remedy the problem without success. Several brands of
> AFCIs have been tried with no improvement. The licensee has been
> unwilling to provide even basic assistance such as what bands he
> operates on, what power levels he uses, or what times he operates.
> I'm looking for suggestions on how to reduce the RFI which the
> neighbor's
AFCIs are experiencing which will hopefully eliminate the erroneous AFCI
trips.
>
> The little information we know about the licensee is that his antenna
> systems are wire only. There appear to be no HF/VHF beams or highly
> directional antennas on the property. I have not seen the antenna
> systems myself and these are only third party observations. In
> addition to being a licensed amateur, the operator is apparently an RF
> engineer as well. With this in mind, it's likely the licensee is
> operating on HF of MF, possibly QRO.
>
> The only suggestion I've been able to come up with on my own was to
> build a choke by running the romex wire leading to the neighbor's
> AFCIs through a large toroid of the appropriate material. This would
> simply be an attempt to prevent any induced MF/HF current on the
> electrical system from reaching the AFCI while allowing the 60Hz AC
> current to pass through unhindered. Of course, we aren't sure what
> frequency the licensee is operating on so we don't know what material
> to select. Our assumption that this is MF/HF interference may not
> even be correct -- the licensee may be operating on
> VHF+. Is this choke idea an appropriate path to follow or should I
> VHF+suggest
> something else entirely? Alternatively, are there any manufacturers
> of RF hardened AFCIs?
>
> 73,
>
> -Jeff
> W7WWA
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> RFI@contesting.com
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