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[mike]

So since my MOV blow up from generators a couple months ago, I thought I had everything back repaired and online, but I apparently have missed one somewhere and I'll be danged if I can find it...

My SC12Ajust refuses to arm/disarm, or see modules further than about 50 feet away (again).  I fought this battle a couple years ago and had it whipped.

I gave up and hard wired all switches back to their corresponding DS10 mounted within 10 feet of the SC12A - that solved those issues for years.  Now it even is back where the DS10's 8ft away sometime miss being seen at SC12A (they continue to be seen and toggle in AHP also 8ft away in the other direction just fine).
 
I was wondering if anyone remembered how the AHP repeats (retransmits received) security signals?  I THINK I remember it does - I don't think this repeat function is effected by tools->hardware-config->transceived house codes so its settings should not effect it?

I can sit sometimes, like right now, and press disarm on a KR10, 4 ft from the SC12a, and it will not acknowledge it.  I have macros set up in AHP that see it, and after a couple sec delay send another KR10's disarm as a command, transmitting it.  In fact, to try to be sure it is heard by SC12A, it sends from 3 different KR10s delayed by some seconds - ALL these, transmitted from the AHP 8 ft away, are heard by SC12A....I assume because of higher transmit power compared to the KR10 itself.

I have an old black (forget the name) repeater in the house 120ft away that I THINK used to be the reason I could set/disarm the system from that far away until lately...  it is working fine but apparently not powerful enough to get into the SC12A anymore.

Writing this, it seems to indicate the SC12A receiver has lost sensitivity...  Guess it would good writing this to help me logically figure out where my issue is. 

Anyone else have any ideas for me?

Thanks.

[Brian H]

From what you have found.
With the CM15A and AHP  OnAlert still seeing the RF messages and the SC12A not.
I would suspect the SC12A was damaged with the wild voltage swings.

Maybe the power supply as it also has the Zero Crossing detector and power line transmitter in it.

[mike]

From what you have found.
With the CM15A and AHP  OnAlert still seeing the RF messages and the SC12A not.
I would suspect the SC12A was damaged with the wild voltage swings.

Maybe the power supply as it also has the Zero Crossing detector and power line transmitter in it.

My thoughts exactly too.  I was working up the energy to replace it with my spare SC12A but didn't quite get enough to follow through yet.  I recalled that rf repeater I had in the house and when I found it did not work, I replaced it the other day too.  It is 100 ft away from the SC12A and did no good, so, finding something new on line called SR751, I figured I would order up a couple to try.  Especially after Tuiceman gave it a nice thumbs up.

So decided to try moving the old SR751 (forget name of it) thing I have half way between garage/office and house...  no plug where I wanted to try it, so I unplugged the x10 camera wireless receiver, AND BAM!  MY RANGE IS ALL BACK!  HUH?

Plug it back in, and no range.  My repeater gidget here DID get thru with its higher power and better antenna, so figured it is a good spot to repeat.  

So I am NOW thinking my range issue is a defective x10 wireless camera receiver!  All I have is an old Heathkit grid dip meter and small portable freq counter that goes to 3ghz.  I will be taking this receiver to the workshop and sniffing them with both devices to see what I can find.  almost like the local oscillator in the heterdyne receiver has gone ballistic and is outputing a blast of wideband 310mhz noise?  hmmm.  

wonder if this has been my gremlin all these years that I have been blaming WPAFB for covert tests that blanket 310mhz band every few weeks and kill all my devices!  WOW!  I sorta hope not, because blaming WPAFB or aliens is a LOT more fun!

[Brian H]

Good find.
The X10 wireless camera receiver.  
Well now you have a good place to start investigating.

I believe the receiver in the SC12A uses the same HiMark RX3310A IC as the CM15A. I wounder if it can be overloaded by some strong RF fields.

[dhouston]

I believe the receiver in the SC12A uses the same HiMark RX3310A IC as the CM15A. I wounder if it can be overloaded by some strong RF fields.

The RX3310A is a super-heterodyne receiver. They are unlikely to be bothered by the ultra-low RF power from X10 transmitters. However, super-regenerative receivers can interfere with each other if they are within 6-8 feet of each other.