Re: Re:TESLA COILS are ILLEGAL!

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Jim Lux by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Saturday, July 13, 2002 8:42 PM
Subject: Re:TESLA COILS are ILLEGAL!


> Original poster: "Daniel McCauley by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <dhmccauley-at-spacecatlighting-dot-com>
>
> Tesla coils are ILLEGAL anyways when operating outside a sealed EMI
> environment.  A friend of mine received numerous warnings and even a hefty
> fine once from the FCC for operating his tesla coil.  Of course he lived
> near a local airport, but it is still illegal period!

Not true...  If you were operating it as a radio transmitter with an antenna
hooked up, then sure, it's illegal (Damped Wave modulation being illegal),
but TCs are not illegal per se.  This has been discussed quite a bit in the
past on the list (maybe it's just time for that annual discussion?)

1) TC's are terrible radiators (tiny fraction of wavelength) so not much RF
gets very far
2) If you're not selling them (where Part 15 starts to come into play), nor
are they intentional radiators,  it's not entirely clear which FCC
regulation is relevant.  How does a TC differ from, say, an arc welder with
HF arc stabilization?

Which regulation/law was alleged to have been violated?

I'd want to see a copy of the FCC fine notice and know a bit more
background.  It's brutally difficult to get the FCC to go after anyone
generating interference, even outright jammers. If your friend was doing
something else that attracted the ire of the local gendarmes, then that
might have been a convenient peg on which to hang things.