While this lengthy story details a painfully long and (luckily) successful power line noise investigation, it points out the value of good location equipment. Had the searchers been equipped with eve
What about ultrasonic receivers/systems such as the one described by W1TRC in April 2006 QST to zero in on arcing on a pole? I've not seen much if any mention of the use of ultrasonic receivers since
I generally start with an Icom R10 receiver and a 1ft tunable loop that covers roughly 4-13 mhz, always relying on the null rather then the strongest signal for direction when ever possible. I then t
Frank, Have you ever experimented with using the very common FT-817 and a 2 meter/440 beam? You can turn the AGC off, and receive in the AM mode. I just might have to go outside and "find" a bad pole
Hi Tom, The receiver I use most frequently for RFI hunting is a Yaesu FT-847 that covers HF, 50 MHZ, 144 MHz and 440 MHz. It has excellent sensitivity and an analog meter. I use a short vertical on t
I recently worked with the local power company's RFI department. They had everything made by RE, I have a 45 year old radio direction finder and a short-wave radio with attenuators. After two meetin
Phil: There are good reasons ultrasonic detectors are not spoken of much. They are only useful up close and sound off only in a small number of cases. They tend to be costly to buy, can be costly to
Many thanks for your excellent mini-tutorial. VERY useful stuff, and in complete agreement with everything I understand or have read on the topic that I consider to be solid. 73, Jim Brown K9YC _____
Kurt: I understand what you describe. The best tools in the world can be useless in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use them. Simple tools in the hands of someone who understands what is
Thank you, Jim. All that I share here is the direct result of experience in the field. I'm pleased to be able to share what I know. Knowing that what I share is of value is the highest praise possibl
Thanks for all the good info Frank. Now for the follow up. If you have the "sniffer" from the utility come out and find things that are in need of repair, how do you get the crew out to make those re
Phil, Our Baltimore area utility (BGE) has excellent RFI resolution capabilities and its never a problem to get them out here to resolve a problem. The Washington DC area utility (Pepco) is at least
Garry, NI6T, has reported exactly this problem in his pursuit of power line noise, and it's gone on for years. He has trained PG&E investigators and helped them find problems, pointing them to the pr
The ARRL power line noise FAQ page gives the best info on how to "encourage" your utility to fix RFI complaints. After polite reporting and reasonable patience, contact the ARRL RFI Desk. The details
Tom: I have not used any Yaesu gear for RFI searches so I can't comment on the FT-817. Your question and one or two comments in this thread suggest that I should describe my mobile installation which
Frank, What do you use with the Radar Engineering equipment searching at HF? I use the RI 242 and a 1ft tunable loop with great success. Being able to see the waveform and compare in the field as wel
I called the local company, after far too long, and told them it was the last call before I call the Public Utilities Commission and FCC. They were out in two days. Kurt ____________________________
I forgot to add: I also tracked down the following link with intent to report the interference to the FCC each time I hear noise, each day, it's an automated system, so you can copy and past the det
I have been told that a threat to contact the Public Utilities Commission in some states is a much bigger stick than threatening to contact the FCC. 73, Jim K9YC _____________________________________
Hi Frank, Thank you for writing such a great email. You have been so helpful that I hesitate to add anything, but here are a few comments for this reflector (I am sure you know this info). I use the