RE: [TCML] Is my 10" Tesla Coil Illegal ?

[gary350@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

You have to watch out for the unexpected.  I fired up my 10" coil one summer about 6 years ago.  It was very dark that night and there was no moon that night.  I had been running the coil about 30 to 45 seconds each time for about an hour.  I turned it off and we were all hanging out in the shop door entrance talking in the dark.  I started to fire the coil again for another 30 seconds I had my hand on the switch and I was looking out into the darkness and I could see a very faint shadow of something near the coil from the street lights 200 ft away.  I looked closer thinging I was must be seeing things.  Finally I turned on a lights and there was a teenage kid standing about 2 feet from the TC.  WOW if I had turned the coil on it would have probably killed him dead.  It would have arced 12KW right to his head 2 ft away.  I yelled at him and he said he came to take a closer look. The idiot walked up in the dark and never said anything so we didn't know he was there.  I told him to get away from the TC you idiot unless you want to get killed.  I learned a valuable lesson that night, never fire up the TC in total darkness.  










-----Original Message-----
>From: "Phil Tuck (hvtesla)" <phil@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Sent: Jan 19, 2010 3:17 PM
>To: 'Tesla Coil Mailing List' <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: RE: [TCML] Is my 10" Tesla Coil Illegal ?
>
>Legal - well in the UK probably not if garage doors go up and down I would not have thought. 
>A point to bear in mind is that I used to run my coil very rarely in the garden, and only then for maybe for 15 mins to 20 mins  total over several hours. It was a 6 inch at the time on a 200 SRSG and a pig, and it was noisy. Hence consideration and responsible behaviour from me. But it did not, as far as I know, cause massive RF interference.
>Anyway one day, late afternoon last August without warning a chap from a rear neighbouring property climbed a 6 foot panel fence, leapt over, and kicked the coil over. He said it was too noisy.
>It wrecked the secondary, the SRSG locked up, Variac's burnt out, a few caps damaged, and other odd bits. Despite a scuffle with me trying to restrain him he got away, but the police arrested him and he went to court recently, pleading guilty to assault and criminal damage.
>The point I'm making this chap never complained verbally, no forewarning - he just reacted straightaway with violence. And remember the interference I created, I feel was far less than what it seems you are causing. 
>
>I certainly would not fancy him as a neighbour in a country where you can legally have guns in the house!
>
>The only good thing to arise from the experience was that it gave me an excuse for a rebuild to 8 inches. Thank you Mr Butters.
>
>Regards
>Phil
>
>www.hvtesla.com
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of gary350@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Sent: 19 January 2010 17:57
>To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
>Subject: [TCML] Is my 10" Tesla Coil Illegal ?
>
>This time of the year when the air is cold and the humidity is extremely low static electricity is very high I get shocked every time I get IN or OUT of my SUV, take off my jacket or put on my jacket.  If I move the blankets in bed at night I see all kinds of sparks.  It is perfect for firing up my Tesla Coil and getting some very long sparks.   But I worry that this might be illegal.  My 10" TC makes 12 foot arcs I can make a 27 ft circle of arcs and sparks in the back yard with the 3 ft top load.  It makes every motion detector light and every security alarm system go off in a 4 block radius around my house.  After dark I can see motion detectors lights going on/off, on/off, on/off, on/off, on/off, in all directions as far as I can see.  My automatic garage door and all the neighbors garage doors are freaked out going up/down, up/down, up/down, up/down, up/down, up/down, over and over.  I can hear security alarms in all directions.  I road my bicycle through the neighbor hood and I can find alarm systems going off 4 blocks away in several directions from my house.  It totally distroys TV and it makes no difference if you have cable, satallite, or antenna TV is totally wiped out all reception for several blocks.  I don't fire up my 10" TC very often anymore I worry it might be illegal.  
>
>
>
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