Code is......GONE?  Geez, I don't think so--and I had my first laugh of the day.  Code TESTING will soon be gone, but code will still be around and used.  Good try, but no cigar, buddy!

If the sticker on the back states "AC 90-130 volts" do NOT try running it on 240 volts.  Most power supplies made for use in the US nowadays run either on one or the other, but not both UNLESS there is a switch on them to change the input characteristics.

Any attempted use of your supply on 240 volts would probably result in a charred paperweight!  You may be able to special order a supply useable on both 120 and 240 volts, but most off the shelf models will be set to one voltage only.

At that distance, the best quality RG8 cable available should be considered the minimum you should use for maximum power transfer to the antenna.

I use RG8X, but the distance of the run at my shack is only 28 feet, and I'm going to upgrade it soon to a better, lower loss cable.  I'm going to use LMR-400 or better.

Take a look at the suggested sites and get the best cable you can afford.  Keep in mind the better cables also will be serviceable longer which means savings in the long run.

It sounds like you are in an older house--and a lot of older (pre 1950s) houses are notoriously miswired according to todays standards.  

I am in an older house as well, and as I remodel (I'm still in the process, room by room) I am having the wiring upgraded.  I've seen that the ground wire in a lot of older bx cable is cut off at the cut in the shield.  Back then, safety was not considered because there were so few appliances, mainly just lighting.  So the only wires connected were the hot side and the neutral side--there was no ground connection ever made.

Chances are even if there is a ground wire connected to the outlet from old wiring, the other end is cut off, not connected to anything.  If you own the home, the best remedy is to have the outlets rewired completely, or just leave them as they are because any tampering, installation of 3 wire sockets, etc. without replacing the wiring itself becomes a code violation and sufficient cause for cancellation of your homeowners insurance or non-payment of any claims arising from any damage because of the wiring.

Any single band rig would beat it on VHF and UHF, even my dual band Icom cheapie does.   I've been a little disappointed with the sensitivity on the HF bands also.  If, however, you want a rig that does it all, the 2000 isn't bad.  There are other multi-band rigs that do do better.  It all depends on your preferences.  Like I said before, you don't miss the signals you can't hear, and the 2000 does a respectable job on the ones you do.

I'll repeat the question someone else asked--is that the voltage coming off the alternator of the vehicle engine, or is it the voltage off the 12 volt charging feed from the 110 volt vehicle power generator?

If it's from the vehicles engine alternator, you'd better get it checked and repaired or replaced ASAP>

If its off the 12 generator charging feed, you need to check the battery connected to it to make sure the terminals are clean and tight and the rest of the regulator circuitry is OK.  17 volts is NOT normal from either source, but may be present from a generator charging feed if the battery connection is missing, corroded or otherwise damaged.

Unfortunately, you cna no longer tell what area someone is from using the number in their call.  The flip side to this is wherever you may move, you can keep the same callsign.  It isn't required to use the 'slash (number)' after your callsign anymore, but some of the more considerate operators still do.

I should have said to replace the diode--don't close it back up and run it that way.  The diode NEEDS to be there to protect against voltage spikes.  Just cut the diode and try it to see if that is the only thing wrong.

Did the fuse open?  If it did, there is a single diode across the input power lines which did its job.  If you're extremely careful, just cutting one side of it will more than likely restore operability to the rig--if not, you're probably going to have to have it repaired.  If you can't locate the diode the rig will probably require professional repair.

You don't mention if YOU got any new electronics or rechargeable electrics lately.  Sometimes the cause is something you would never suspect, such as rechargeable path lights (photocells), or a new DVD player.

Even a change of things around the house from one circuit to another would sometimes make a previously unheard sound show up, although that doesn't seem like the culprit here.

One other thing to look for is the monitoring transmitters that some power companies are putting out in the field.  If there is a new transformer or has been work on the power lines in your neighborhood, this is a possibility also.

Since the weather is getting colder, how about a maintainer charger a neighbor or you yourself may be using to keep a battery on a ATV, motorcycle or garden tractor topped off.  Some of the cheaper ones coming in from overseas are pure and simple RF generators.

Let us know how you make out, and good luck!

Motorola radios are rugged, but waaaay overpriced.  The software is extremely hard to come by because Motorola used to actively pursue those who didn't buy it directly from them but used bootlegged copies.

Kenwood software is easier to come by, but the radios are a little less rugged.  The control buttons or switches on Kenwood radios can be reprogrammed too--something that wasn't possible on Motorola radios in the past.  I don't know about now.  

I used to install Motorola units, but lately have been doing more and more Kenwoods and less Motorola--and the Motorola unit I put in come already set up.  The Kenwoods I set up myself.  

Don't even bother with Maxon, its a dying breed.  Icom does have some, but the software is as difficult to get as Motorolas.  I don't know about Johnson at all, ditto GE, which I believe is Maxon compatible.

After all that, I second the recommendation of two separate radios.  It will be far cheaper and easier.  

One other thing to remember is that not only do CBers outnumber hams, CBers have 1 band with 40 channels which include 1 emergency channel (9) and 1 road use specific channel (19).

Hams have many bands and aren't limited to preset channels--they can go to any one of hundreds of frequencies.  On one of the bands, 2 meters--which seems to be the most popular among all hams, there is a calling channel (146.52) that serves as a channel to 'go to' for any reason, emergency, aid, directions, and plenty of others.

Due to the number of repeaters giving hams a lot of other frequencies to listen to, that channel is not monitored closely.

CBers are greater in number and they usually monitor just one frequency compared to many.  Is it any wonder CBers usuallu always answer?  I don't think so.

Oh, and I still have an emergency package CB radio in my car--because I know it still may be useful.

"Well... it is sort of like squishing a vertical into a bird cage... you can either think of it as a leaky tank circuit or an end loaded, very short helical vertical.

The actual linear dimensions of the antenna will set, more or less, the radiation resistance, and the loss resistance will mostly come from the resistive component of the coil (which seems to me to be wound with too-fine wire)."

It is plain the units are magnetic loop antennas with a few 'refinements' added to increase effiency.  The wire used for the coils--at least in the units I have--is 14 gauge solid copper wire.  Too fine?  I suppose you could say that if you were running 1500 watts into it, but the unit is rated for 500 watts.

Anyway, these antennas are for the amateurs that want something to show off with--not for the serious communicator.  A wire out the window is better for reception and, using a tuner, certainly better for transmission.

The information I'm pointing out here is second hand, and I don't know the source, but it was claimed the Isotron worked because of the surface area of the antenna top and bottom and the diameter of the coil that sits between them.  In other words, it is somebodys idea of squashing a vertical into a bird cage--which is what the Isotron looks like.

I was given two of them, a twenty meter and a forty meter, and in experimenting with them, I find they do receive signals, but then, so would a coathanger.  They present the appearance of a full sized antenna to the transmitter, but do not get the signal out as far.

In short, they are good compromise antennas if you only have a small area to mount an antenna.  If you do have the area, all most any antenna will do better--much better.

Overheating is the most probable cause--overheating made the cement holding the metal caps on the tunes brittle--too brittle to do its job properly--and probably caused the solder in that cap to flow and bond to the cap connector.

I believe there is a compound that is similar to never-seize that may be able to be used on the connection, but I'm not sure.  Does someone else know??