Welding Tips and Tricks

Here's the deal, i have a big screen in my garage with satellite TV. When TIG welding aluminum, on AC of course, my TV pauses and yesterday my satellite had to reset. Doesn't or never has done it while welding with my MIG or steel TIG. House is 7 years old, lines for power specifically for welding, separate circuit for my air compressor . What gives? Coincidence? yesterday was the first time I welded Aluminum.

Try listening to AM radio while welding HFAC. You'll find your machine is quite the radio source, with a broadcast antenna the length of your whip, ground lead, and space between. It's Marconi's original invention, the spark-gap transmitter.

I'm not surprised it interfered with your satellite box. The more distance you can put between them, the less the effect.

Also, check that your dish has a properly attached ground rod. This lets the shielding in the coax between dish and box do it's job. If there is no ground rod for your dish (and there should be for lightning protection), it's easy enough to add one, or if they're close,you should find ground rods at your electric meter and telephone box. Even a gas meter is a good candidate; If you have polymer mains, there may be a ground rod. If you have black iron mains, you can get an adapter from your hardware store to clamp a wire to the incoming pipe.

The ground circuit in the receiver's plug is not adequate, because it ties your equipment and shielding to the same ground bus as your welder before reaching earth, and the HF can back-feed as through an antenna.

Steve

BTW, if all the above checks out, there's another option, to build a Faraday cage to protect your receiver. Let me know what you find.

Steve

Otto, thanks for the information, am going to check that. My satellite dish is just outside the roof of the garage and mounted to the house. I have cathedral ceilings in my garage with crank open windows. There is a direct path to the dish. No problem tigging without the Tv on, i just put a music video on instead. I will let you know what i find.

Hi, am I reading right?????.....Tigging with the TV on??????.....what program were you watching, er.... tigging?

I know some can send text messages while they're driving on the freeways, they haven't all died yet, but watching your favourite TV program and tigging too.....are you using a special helmet to see the arc and the TV?......lOL.

I know you can play Spider Solitaire on the Ipad while you're driving, 'cos the Ipad can fit between the spokes of the average car steering wheel so's you can drive and play....LOL......actually it was for the GPS feature, but Spider Sol is more exciting, and you can send a text message on the Ipad too if your playing Scrabble against another opponent on line....eek!.....it certainly takes the boredom out of freeway driving.
Ian.

I listen to satellite-based radio on my TV quite frequently.

I'm known to watch the game, or at least the highlights, will piddling with a project, as well.

Your point is well-taken, though.

Steve S.

Hi, I thought only Women were able to do multitasking....LOL.....then I realised that most toilets have newspapers in them so's you can do two things at once. ......but then I remembered that I used to read a magazine while watching TV, the reason I could do both was the magazine was an old one and the TV program was crap....frequently I also used to fall asleep while watching TV and drinking tea too....takes some doing.
Ian.

Ian,

I do crosswords on the toilet. That way the expression on my face is, um, "concentration", as opposed to another word that rhymes... There's a mirror in my bathroom directly in front of the toilet... Whoever thought that was a good idea was a masochist.

Falling asleep in front of the TV takes less "doing", if you substitute beer for the tea...

Steve S.

Oooooh, the mirror in the toilet fetish actually, I take my laptop into the toilet so's I can watch a few episodes of my favourite movie Breaking Wind, I mean Breaking Bad.....LOL....it helps to pass the time.....this is getting bad.....I even get time for a few downloads.....
Ian.

Every time I sit on the toilet my lap top is there...

I guess any chance to drop some cookies from your system is a good thing.