The AM Forum

I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a battery powered smoke / CO detector that is not easily set off by RF. My Kidde units all go off each time I get on 40m with as little as 100W
I don't expect that much can be done to shield them.

I switched all my battery operated Kidde smoke detectors to battery operated First Alert detectors. Two of my Kidde detectors would go off when I operated on 6 and 10 meters with a linear. They also occasionally would go off if the humidity was high. Don't seem to have these problems with the First Alert devices.

As Pete said, the battery operated First Alert detectors seem to be RF immune. I have a pair of First Alert combination smoke/CO detectors and they have never triggered while running full legal limit from 160-10 meters or 100 watts on 6 meters. When I added a new CO detector a few months ago I took a chance on a new Kidde model and unlike older Kidde models that I had purchased this 20 dollar model has been RF bullet-proof. Note that it's only a CO detector.

https://www.amazon.com/Kidde-Battery-Operated-Carbon-Monoxide-Digital/dp/B004Y6V5CI/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1483114746&sr=1-2&keywords=kidde+carbon+monoxide+detector (https://www.amazon.com/Kidde-Battery-Operated-Carbon-Monoxide-Digital/dp/B004Y6V5CI/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1483114746&sr=1-2&keywords=kidde+carbon+monoxide+detector)

Rob W1AEX

Excellent information, thanks Rob/Pete. Timely in that I'll soon be replacing all of the older units in the new house and don't want to add any potential problems. These are all AC connected w/battery backup, so who knows. Definitely planning to add a stand alone battery-only smoke/CO2 detector to our daughter's room, though. Last thing I need is to have that go off in the wee hours of the morning once I get back on the air.

I recall doing some reading on home security system RF issues several years back. Probably not the best way to meet the new neighbors.

As others have said,  this one.

I've run a 5.8 kv at an amp and a half almost of carrier in the near field (postage stamp lot) and it didn't go off.

The home alarm,  on the other side of the wall in the hallway did.

--Shane
KD6VXI

Any chance you can get me the model #?

I'll pull it down when I go back in the house,  bud.

--Shane
KD6VXI

EDIT:  added cell phone pic of detector.   

Thanks, just ordered one from Amazon. Looks like Lowes and HomeDepot no longer carry First Alert, only via mail order. I'll have it Wed.

Are you running this on just battery backup or is it connected to the 120V AC line?

I'm running it on a dedicated smoke detector circuit,  with one co2 combo detector and 3 smoke detectors.

All are on the same circuit.   I'd estimate 80 to 125 feet of Romex in the loop.

Incidentally,  behind the operating bench,  I've installed one of every gfi I could find.   I've only found one that's really sensitive to rf.  The rest with a clean ground bond on all systems,  all work fine.   Even with owl 10 inches away.


--Shane
KD6VXI

The reason I asked was that after you posted the picture, SQQ said he ordered one and his initial post said he was looking for a battery powered one.

I opted for the First Alert SA320CN Dual Sensor Battery-Powered Smoke and Fire Alarm detector.  This has both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors.

https://www.amazon.com/First-Alert-SA320CN-Sensor-Battery-Powered/dp/B00O8MVW0S/ref=pd_sim_60_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=SQYTMQ1QPXDNE0V2CKD4

And separate First Alert carbon monoxide  battery powered detectosr:

https://www.amazon.com/First-Alert-CO400-Battery-Monoxide/dp/B000N8OYXI/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1482985141&sr=8-9&keywords=x-sense+carbon+monoxide

For some reason I never had complete faith in an "all in one" type detector.

That one will run without AC power.   I do not believe the pass thru,  where it activates others,  will work without AC power however.

I am amazed at the level of rf this one ignores.

--Shane
KD6VXI

I saw that - contacted First Alert, and they gave me the battery equivalent version.