ouch I got shocked in my ear

[unixfreak0037]

The other day I was listening to my Pro 106 with earbuds while driving down the interstate. All of the sudden I got a painful electric shock in my ear. Since it was in my ear it also sounded like a gunshot.

I had the Pro 106 plugged into a power inverter that was plugged into a cigarette lighter adapter. I only had one ear bud in. I think I was using my magnet mount antenna. Also it was raining pretty hard. I assume it had something to do with it being plugged into that inverter.

That scared the **** out of me. I'm going to stick to battery power now when mobile.

 

[andyishere]

Ouch! - As I pull my earbud out-
I think you should just play it out loud.

 

[N_Jay]

My guess is probably static from lightening,

or,


Ground issue with the inverter.

I am leaning towards static.

or just a loud noise and psychosomatic reaction

 

[rfradioconsult]

By using an invertor to step up the voltage to 120VAC and then using the power cube to step back down to a nominal DC voltage to run the scanner, it is effectively not grounded to the vehicle. Driving through rain can cause a static charge to build up on the antenna, this is called precip static. When the potential gets high enough it will discharge to ground, in this case the discharge was through your head.

Go to RS and buy a 12V DC adaptor for your radio and eliminate the invertor, this will provide a dc path from the scanner to the car body.

 

[unixfreak0037]

When the potential gets high enough it will discharge to ground, in this case the discharge was through your head.

Ah, that explains it. Turns out I don't like things discharging through my head. Thanks for the info! I'm going to go get one of those DC adapters.

 

[b7spectra]

It was your electric personality!

 

[kb2vxa]

"Turns out I don't like things discharging through my head."
And you think you have it bad? When you get older you'll notice things discharging FROM your head and earbuds won't stop the leaks.

 

[Thayne]

I bit my tongue and counted to 10 just in the nick of time--

 

[N8IAA]

Ah, that explains it. Turns out I don't like things discharging through my head. Thanks for the info! I'm going to go get one of those DC adapters.

And why wouldn't you use the 12v cord that came with the radio? My 163 sure did. All you have to do is put a ciglighter plug on the end with an appropriate fuse.
Larry