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Old 01-06-2009, 07:50 PM
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Findm-Keepm Findm-Keepm is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zenith2134 View Post
Then there's the issue of what the EMF radiation from the yoke and the subtle X-rays from the tube can do to a tv repairman.... Any thoughts on this?
My thoughts:

X-Ray radiation threat: REAL - with the older sets with HV rectifier tube, regulator and poor shielding. My Dad was a repairman for 50+ years (he's 70 now, still kickin') and was diagnosed in 1987 with intestinal cancer. Two surgeries in '87 and 2000 have kept it in check. My belief is that all that time bent over console sets, staring at a mirror while adjusting convergence and the like perhaps exposed him to more than his fair share of X-rays and possibly promoted the cancerous growth.

Sight damage: Slight - age and other factors come into play here. Poor lighting and sun exposure do more harm in my opinion than trying to get the red/green vertical top convergence just right...

Hearing - what, you say? I grew up in a TV shop, and my audiogram at age 20 showed a discernible "dip" at 16KHz, very near the horizontal oscillator frequency. I can't recall the last time I heard a distinct squeal from a set. I now wear hearing aids due to loss of high frequencies - and I'm only in my 40's! No worry for the casual tinkerer, but for some of us exposed to TV's for 10+ hours a day, a real causal factor...

Musculoskeletal damage: REAL - as anyone who has muscled a combo unit up to a third floor apartment has done.

Jes' my thoughts....


Cheers,
__________________
Brian
USN RET 22YRS (Avionics/Cal)
CET-Consumer Repair and Avionics ('88)
"Capacitor Cosmetologist since '79"

When fuses go to work, they quit!

Last edited by Findm-Keepm; 01-06-2009 at 07:52 PM. Reason: Hit return accidentally!
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