[Boatanchors] Replacing 866s with 3B28s thread drift to CFLs

[Sandy]

I have saved some money on my electric bill by using CFL's.  Some of them 
are pure crap, quality wise.

My BIGGEST gripe about them is the 20-40 khz signals they produce that are 
quite strong and "chocked full" of strong harmonics!  Noisy little bastards 
especially on 600 meters and 160 meter bands.  I live in a rural area (at 
least it was pre-Katrina!) which was very quiet on LF/MF and 160 meters 
until the CFL craze came along.

73,

Sandy W5TVW
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sheldon Daitch" <sdaitch at kuw.ibb.gov>
To: <WA5CAB at cs.com>
Cc: <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2010 2:36 AM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Replacing 866s with 3B28s thread drift to CFLs


> Bob,
>
> interesting information on the pricing.
>
> CFLs generally run about $3.15 for the smaller
> 8 watt to 14 watt sizes, and about $5 for the
> larger sizes, 23 watts or so, Philips brand, at the
> local Wal-Mart equal (Carrefour).  I think Osram
> brand CFLs run about the same price and the
> discount CFLs are even cheaper.
>
> Unfortunately, they are all 240VAC versions, as
> that is the local standard.
>
> I use the CFLs for our exterior lighting at the house,,
> where they tend to last about a year, averaging about
> 12 hours per  night.  I'd never get that kind of life out
> of incandescent lamps.    Typical incandescent bulbs,
> GE, Sylvania, Philips, Osram, they run about 35 cents
> for 60 to 100 watt bulbs.
>
> Changing some of the exterior lamps is a pain and
> requires dragging out a ladder, and while the use of
> CFLs may not be cost efficient, strictly from an
> accounting basis, but when the inconvenience factor
> is in the equation, CFLs can make sense.
>
> We don't use the CFLs inside, as few CFLs fit the
> lamp bases and globe sizes, and a number of the
> ceiling lamps are on dimmers.
>
> As for the mercury issue, you are correct, no more
> mercury in the home, but the CFL supporters claim
> with the reduce energy consumption of CFLs, less
> mercury is released in the atmosphere from the
> reduced fuels burned generating electricity.  I suppose
> if the US were 100% nuclear power for electricity,
> the mercury concerns in fuel would go away, but
> the US is a long way from being 100% nuclear.
>
> I don't think I've ever changed out any of the CFLs
> twice in eight months.  I know my change rate for
> incandescent lamps is probably worse than that.
>
> 73
> Sheldon
>
>
>
>
>
> On 12/30/2010 8:29 AM, WA5CAB at cs.com wrote:
>> There are no recycling programs for the new mercury containing 
>> fluorescent
>> lamps around here.  The super short lived very expensive pieces of crap 
>> just
>> go into the Friday trash.  In eight months I went through two of them in
>> one open lamp holder in the top of my shop..  Each went into the trash. 
>> After
>> the second failure I gave them up as a waste of money and went back to a
>> standard 100 watt incandescent.  That was around 18 months ago.  The two 
>> lamps
>> also cost me (including sales tax) around $25.  If the incandescents each
>> fail at 18 months, $25 will supply lamps for 25 years.  Not 8 months.
>> Actually, the total is probably around 40 years versus 8 months.  And no 
>> mercury
>> to worry about, either.
>>
>>
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