I have had lots of experience working with RFI over the last 35 years with
three different power companies.
With most of the guys coming out, you can't just tell them...I have an RFI
problem and you need to find it.
It is imperative you go out and do your homework.
The first suggestion is something you can't do...turn the beam around to
see where the source seems strongest. usually there are multiple sources so
this can be tricky.
Second, if you have a mobile rig, hit the road and using your AM radio as a
starter, drive around the neighborhood. When you start getting pretty
strong noise on the AM radio, switch to your mobile rig. Turn it on AM to
the highest freq it will go. Higher is better. When it peaks in a general
area. You have a culprit. Check to see if anyone in your local club has
an MFJ "sniffer" or something similar. With that you can usually nail down
the problem to one or two poles. Tie a piece of survey tape to the
pole(s).
After you have identified the offending sources, call up the power company
again and tell them you know for sure which poles are the problem. I can
tell you from experience they will be a lot more cooperative if you do this
sort of thing. You , as the one with the complaint, will seem more
knowledgeable, and you will find them easier to work with.
I am currently working with my local power company using the above method
and they have been very cooperative. In FL we have lots of thunderstorms
and as a result many arrestors on the poles get blown. If you can lead them
to the source they MUST and will fix it.
YMMV.
Bill K4XS/KH7XS
In a message dated 11/13/2012 3:11:02 P.M. Coordinated Universal Tim,
w7psk@yahoo.com writes:
I guess I should have given a little background.
Im suffering from severe RFI from my neighborhood, especially from 30
meters down through 80 where its unbearable. Makes the bands sort of useless.
I have noise on the higher bands but its bearable.
I had the power company come out and try to find it as it sounded like
power line buzz to me on AM. But they ruled it out. So they no longer will
help. The ARRL has a volunteer that contacted me but after discussing the
station, he wants me to fix a couple of issues he doesnt like before we go
RF sniffing. He said legally with the FCC I need to correct these in case we
have to file a complaint.
My House is sort of a H shape with one leg off the H so sort of chair
shaped. My room is midway though the longer side of the chair. I have no
access hole out of the room to direct outside, and as we put up new siding the
XYL is not keen on me popping a hole there. The Bathroom sits to one end
and I had access to behind the tub so I ran my Coax down that access and
across the crawlspace (which actually slopes) and out the air vents. You can
stand in the crawl space on the bedroom end opposite the bathroom from my
room. So driving a rod would be ok under the tub area. However my land is
Rock filed and very difficult to drive a full 8 feet down, it just depends on
the area.
We rarely get lightning here, maybe 1 or 2 a year.
My antennas are a Ground mounted Vertical with 16 25' radials and a 4ft
ground rod (rocks would only allow that deep). Also I have a glen martin
Roof tower right above the shack, which does not have a ground wire attached
as I figured that would be 25 ft or so of ground wire and wouldn't be
effective.
The ARRL rep (an electrical engineer) said i need to drive an 8ft rod
below my room and run 2ga down to it. I was going to get a bus bar from the
big box to connect the shack equip to this ground.
He also suggested I put 2 more 4ft grounds around the vertical.
So that is what Im working with.
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