I have not yet seen an explanation that is believeable. Possibly the fact that the hot side is at higher potential with respect to air/environment (which I assume is near ground) causes a long term chemical reaction that raises the resistance of the hot side. Gus -- Gus Calabrese Lola Montes WFT Electronics 4337 Raleigh Street Denver, CO 80212 303 964-9670......voicemail wft@frii.com http://www.frii.com/~wft EMERGENCY: 791 High Street Estes Park, CO 80517 if no success with wft@frii.com, try .... wft@bigfoot.com then wft@eudoramail.com