I guess I'm in the minority here.I've been using CFLs almost exclusively for years before any ban on incandescents was ever thought of. Outside and special purpose lamps are still good old Tungsten and I did snag a supply of 100 and 60W "just in case" ;)
As far as noise issues, bulbs from Philips and Sylvania are the quietest in my experience and the worst I've found were 23W (100W eq.) store brand from Wal Mart that could wipe out the MW band for several feet. I left those in the apartment we moved out of, good riddance. You get what you pay for. The flood over my desk is about 6 or 7 years old and still about as bright as a new one. I think I paid about $12 for it back then but I've gotten my $ worth out of it.
The ones over my desk and bench are Sylvania 26W 6500K reflector/floods and I have to get my DX-399 within 6" of the base to pick up any noise on MW. The noisiest lamp in the house is also on my bench, a 6500K circline in my magnifier lamp. But if it's on I'm working on something and the radios are off or on a local anyway.
The color temp of a 2700K CFL I find is close to the standard incandescent and I use them in the living/dining/bedrooms but for close work the 6500K work best for me. The eye focuses blue light better than red/yellow and hand soldering semiconductors in SOT-23 packages without destroying them is fine, fussy work.
The 6500s are in all work areas and it does help my Lady with SAD or winter depression from lack of sunlight since I changed the bulbs by her desk and reading lamp.
Through trial and error I've found that a mix of 2 2700s to one 6500 make excellent grow lamps and the 6500s are perfect for a planted freshwater aquarium. They have enough red to support plant growth without runaway algae problems and I haven't heard any complaints from the fish ;)
Do I think CFLs are better overall? Yes. Do I think everyone should be forced to use them or LED? No. Back to my soldering iron.... Tim Hills Sioux Falls, SD On 12/31/2013 11:11 AM, Bob Young wrote:
I have always liked DXing in the winter time, besides the enhanced DX opportunities I like the heat given off by my old boatanchors. Nothing like listening to a central american AM station with a 26 tube R-390A under a lamp with a 60 watt incandescent bulb in it! Call the environmental police! haha! I used to listen to RJR with an HRO-60 and along with the reggae music I really felt like I was in Jamacia.Bob Young Millbury, Ma KB1OKLFrom: mikesanburn@xxxxxxxxxxxTo: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2013 04:42:25 -0800 Subject: Re: [IRCA] [NRC-AM] OT Light bulbs Good observation. An incandescent light bulb does have striking similarities to those vacuum tubes from years gone by. They say that much of the energy given off by classic bulbs is wasted as heat. On the other hand, many folks who use the LED lights complain of headaches from the brightness. ms_______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list IRCA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list IRCA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx