noise?

I'm getting the RF signal through a MR26 and all of several TM751s that I tried.(seperatly)

Was also thinking, is there a way to make a TM751 antena directional?

Lee

You know,

I had something similar to that happening once. It turned out to be a remote that was wedged in the couch.....

Then it's likely to be a stuck button on a palmpad or stick-a-switch or a defective motion sensor.

There's no way to make the TM751 antenna directional. Doing anything with the TM751 antenna is not recommended because of safety issues.

I'd discount it being a neighbor. X-10 RF range is usually rather limited. Plus, you probably would have seen sporadic codes before this if they had X-10.

To be clear. With all power off, you get the signals via an MR26A plugged >I'm getting the RF signal through a MR26 and all of several TM751s that I

Hi, My X10 RF receiving range is approximately 100m. Plenty of scope for neighbour issues. Luckily none of them are HA inclined. Neil.

The power levels allowed for European made devices (which you use in Australia) are much higher than those allowed in North America. I stand by my original statement. Typical range here is 10 meters.

Here's a brief explanation of the different power levels allowed...

It's about equally probable that he's receiv>Hi,

Since the MR26A is powered from the RS232 port there are no safety issues. You can replace the antenna with a highly directional Yagi but I'm not sure it would be worth the effort, especially if the culprit turns out to be nearby.

You would have to build the Yagi yourself - I d>I'm getting the RF signal through a MR26 and all of several TM751s that I

Thanks for the input. I have searched the whole house many times, can't find it. But any lost item is always in the last place you look.:(

So how long can the batteries last?

Lee

I doubt the batteries will last more than 2-3 years. ;)

Some of my palmpads get fairly heavy use and the batteries have lasted several years now. I'm sure that under c>Thanks for the input.

Weeks! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH.

So I guess i will look in to building a yagi. Or offer the five year old ten buck and a gallon of ice cream to find it.

Lee

My money's on the five year old. Of course, you'll probably see a repeat everytime (s)he needs $10 or wants another ice cream fix. ;)

If you have a laptop, you might be able to find it using a $5 RF receiver (Mouser 509-RCR-315-RP) and the circuit I show at...

Mouser has no minimum and will ship Priority Mail. You should have it in 3 days or so.

D>Weeks! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH.

[Re: searching for stuck RF transmitter]

I had luck using an AM radio to track down a PalmPad with a stuck button. IIRC, tuning around 8 or 12 on the AM band gives you a very distinct-sounding pulsing noise that gets a *lot* louder as you get closer to the offending transmitter. Again, working from memory, the sound takes on a unique rapid three-pulse beep when you get very close.

If you've got a portable AM set, take it far away from the house, use a PalmPad with the button held down with a big spring clip so it's always transmitting and then tune it to an X10 frequency harmonic. Experiment with a controlled "emitter" in an open field and you'll get a good idea what to listen for. Then come back to the house for a "walkabout."

I was going to try mounting the AM radio inside a metal parabolic lamp reflector but came across the unit before that became necessary. You can probably map out the location by approaching the house from different compass points and noting where you first begin to hear the pulses. In my case, the search was easy because I could narrow it down to a few areas where Palmpads are usually found. With a five-year-old about, I don't think there's any area you can safely exclude!

-- Bobby G.

One of the advantages of being a beginner!

-- Bobby G.

I was locked into a certain path once the OP asked about a directional antenna. I was probably unduly influenced by the fact that I haven't listened to AM in about 20 years and that I have about a hundred of the

310MHz receivers and automatically reach for one when something along these lines comes up. Either that or I was misquoted by the media. ;)

An AM radio tuned to ~620kHz should work like a charm.

"Robert Green" wrote:

Well the bribery worked, he had stuffed it inside in of his toys. Thanks for the ideas though. I might experiment with the am radio, for next time.

Lee