[ot] use of a long coaxial cable <OT>

[Ric Moore]

On Mon, 2007-01-22 at 07:00 -0500, David Bandel wrote:
> On 1/22/07, Ric Moore <wayward4now at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> [snip]
> 
> > When I was in my 20's my soon-to-be "step-dad", the MASTER Electrician
> > had strung 4 light sockets over head in a pole barn.
> > "Rick-ah-ey" (ALabama) One of these sockets ain't workin'... can you
> > check 'em?" Not volt meter anywhere in sight. Right, I'm seeing this
> > picture. So, I walked along sticking two fingers into each one and got a
> > jolt on #'s 1,2,4 with 3 being a no shocker. I just kept my finger in
> > number 4 and calmly told him "...this must be it, nothing." I got the
> > eyeball for several seconds and so Mr. MASTER Electrician comes up and
> > sticks his finger in number 4, just like I planned. "YEOW!" 

> I said,
> > "Damn, I didn't get anything at all on that one." and looked all
> > innocent. He said that he thought it was number 3. <sly grin> The juice
> > has just never bothered me, not that I'm gonna jump into a substation
> > with a running garden hose, a bag of rock salt and a trampoline. Nah...
> > I'm not a MASTER Electrician either. 30 some years later, he still gives
> > me this sideways look. Go figure. Ric
> >
> 
> A lot of old electricians checked for power this way.  Trick was to
> put your finger to the nuetral first, then then the hot to make sure
> the tickle stayed in your one hand.  That's where the "keep one hand
> in your pocket while working on a hot circuit" came from.  That way
> you wouldn't run current from one hand to the other through your
> heart.
> 
> Your father-in-law probably just thought you were an idiot. ;-)

Nah, just a minimal electrician. After all, he did exactly the same
thing and got the jolt that I set him up for. <cackles> I couldn't have
him think that Ma raised a son that couldn't "take it", so I saw his
country scheme to set me up, and I (city boy) turned it around and set
him up. "Quid Pro Quo", as Hannibal Lecter said. 

When I was a kid Ma beat my ass for sticking paper clips in wall sockets
just to get tickled. Never bothered me and I kinda liked it. I came in
contact with one leg of a 440V 100 amp motor start circuit and just got
thrown off. Had the other hand on a stainless steel table leg that was
grounded. Not that I intended to push it, ever, but getting minor shocks
just happened almost daily for almost 30 years. We had to test on live
circuits. I'm OK... really! You couldn't get me into one of those
buckets playing with the really large stuff. I'm more afraid of
heights. 

I do understand that there is a limit at which resistance (ohms) vs
amperage + voltage produces heat and that you can literally cook from
the inside out. I just have a higher tolerance for it is all. They
didn't call me Sparky for nuttin' <grins>  

<ZOT!> Just passed some lightning... gotta put out the fire in the chair
again. Later, Ric
 

-- 
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My father, Victor Moore (Vic) used to say:
"There are two Great Sins in the world...
..the Sin of Ignorance, and the Sin of Stupidity.
Only the former may be overcome." R.I.P. Dad.
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