Yep - That's my job these days - with pretty much the same results! It always seems that there are 2 bulbs blown for some reason, so doing a progressive swap just doesn't find the problem. I'm always a bit wary these days about where the tinsel on the tree sits also - more than the lights can light up otherwise! On the other hand, with a suitable exciter, electroluminecent tinsel could be a big hit. RP I remember dad, always slightly the worse for wear after several Xmas tipples, doing the annual tradition of trying to find which bulb had blown using some very un-Christmassy language. I'm surprised Santa didn't come back and nuke us -- -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email listserv@mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body