At 01:00 AM 3/25/98 EST, you wrote:
>As an electric power utility employee in charge of this type of situation,
>I readily endorse this procedure. Do all you can locally, even being
>involved in the actual noise source locating together with the line crew.
>After complete and thorough efforts directly with the utility fail to solve
>the problem, then by all means write a NICE letter to the authorities. 73
>de Milt, N5IA
>
>
Yea, right....but, what can you REALLY do when they aren't responsive and
stone wall you to death.
I moved out of N. VA seven years ago to the Fredericksburg area. The last
3 years I was there I had 20 db over S-9 noise on 80 that only quit 3 times
in those 3 years! The last 18 months they paid an employee his salary to
walk the 500KV line, from tower to tower, each day in order to show they
were working on the problem. I have known this employee for the utility
for 13 years, these were his instructions, the reasons behind them, and I
have no reason not to believe him. It was cheaper to pay his salary than
to fix the problem.
The FCC is next to useless. Although the field engineer who finally showed
up 18 after 18 months, told me he knew they were purposely dragging things
out, he could start any procedure for levying fines because they could show
they were actively working on it. In principle anyway.
State Corporation commission is useless as well. It's the 'tail wagging
the dog' story. This is the largest public utility in Virginia.
The two other hams still living there are continuing to have to put up with
the noise.
Now, here at my new QTH, there is a perforated insulator on one of the 500
KV towers about 2 miles from me which is causing grief. They have located
the problem. Actually, it wasn't hard; you can hear it from about a half
mile away! I'm not talking about the corona 'buzz' associated with these
transmission lines. And, it's between me and Europe. It's S-5 to 7 here
with the EU stack on 15; a bit less on ten and it goes up from there on the
lower bands.
The utility has been making and breaking repair dates since the fall. Has
the same ring to it as in the N. VA experience. Couldn't do it cuz it was
too cold...Couldn't do it cuz it was too hot.... I guess the perfect time
for doing it is like a North Dakota summer...one day a year.
This is a real, identified, problem with a utility which has proven itself
dishonest and deceitful, in a state where the state corp commission gets
it's marching orders from the utility.
Does anyone have any REAL suggestions on how to deal with these people?
Elected officials? Lawyers (ugh)? Does the ARRL have any more influence
than it did 10 years ago?
I was hoping to get this taken care of before the CW WPX contest in late
May.
For those of you who have never had to contest thru this kind of continual
noise, have a bit of sympathy and praise a 'higher being' that you've
missed the experience.
I am really at my wits end.
73 de Steve, NJ4F
**** Please note new Email address...steve@1bigred.com *****
***** Will be discontinuing this one shortly *******
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