I find the discussion about arcing and sparking to be somewhat amusing.
It's much like arguing over the importance of the number of dimples on a
golf ball.
I can only speak about my employer and the process we use but some of what
I share here may be helpful when dealing with any utility.
When I am asked, "How should I contact the utility to request an
interference investigation?" I always respond with, "Keep it simple."
Generally speaking the customer service representative taking your call has
no idea what RFI is or the difference between arcing and sparking. If you
are calling about a situation you consider dangerous, the key words are
smoke, fire, flames, sparks, red hot metal drippings or other terms that
unquestionably describe a clearly dangerous situation. Urgent situations of
this sort elicit a prompt response from the utility by a line person who is
trained to assess overhead or underground facilities and report back, using
the language of the utility, exactly what he sees.
If you are looking to have the utility investigate interference, don't
bother with such descriptive terms as arcing, sparking, microsparking or
any of that stuff. The person taking your call won't know what you mean,
won't care and is looking only to fill-in blanks on a card or computer
screen. The very best approach I have found is to describe as simply as
possible what you want or what you are experiencing and then let the
customer service rep ask questions which will allow them to fill in the
blanks easily.
I have even suggested that customers use the phrase "Television
Interference" even though a radio is the affected equipment. I suggest this
because TELEVISION INTERFERENCE is a key word or phrase found in the list
of complaints the rep will check to fill in a blank. You can always reveal
the truth when you speak with the investigator directly. Providing any
meaningful detail is an utter waste of time at this point in the process.
Save the detail for your first conversation with the investigator.
And now for some brutal honesty...
When I make initial contact with a customer, I'm looking for certain
specific information. I ignore references to specific poles or facilities.
Instead I focus on the symptoms and details pertaining exclusively to the
symptoms. Customers who specify poles or individual facilities are wrong
90% of the time. I don't even make note of such details.
Think about it: The investigator is essentially going to listen for what
you hear in your receiver and then find it using direction finding
techniques and equipment. My job is to find the problem and get it
corrected or prove the utility innocent.
Thus, the most important information to me as the investigator is:
1. The frequency band being affected or the highest frequency at which the
interference can be heard.
2. How often the interference occurs if it isn't continuous. Is there a
pattern to the occurrences?
If the customer tells me that the interference can be heard with their
ears, I discount that information because many audible sources don't
produce RFI. Frankly, I don't need to know that you can hear the
interference with your ears.
I may ask to listen to the interference on the affected equipment to get a
clear idea of what I'm chasing. I can usually tell by listening if I'm
chasing a real power line source or a consumer electronic device (i.e.
switching power supply.)
If a customer insists on reciting his technical resume and attempts to
impress me with their credentials, I am obligated to be polite and listen
but it does nothing to speed the location of the interference source. No
matter how skilled or experienced they might be, I am the one who has to
find and confirm the source. If a customer overwhelms me with tons of
detailed information, I am once again obligated to be polite and listen but
most of what they tell me is of little value.
In the end, it's always better to let the service provider ask the
questions and you provide the shortest, simplest answers. After all, those
of you who think you know it all really annoy the heck out of those of us
who do!!!!
Like most things in life, it's a waste of time to quibble over trivial
details. Boil the situation down to its essence, keep the most important
facts in the forefront and keep things as simple as possible.
Once again, I'm speaking strictly from my perspective here in Florida. You
have to assess the situation as you see it. However, I am certain that the
general principle of keeping things simple will apply to every encounter
you have with a utility.
Good luck in your search(es)!
--
Frank N. Haas KB4T
Utility Interference Investigator
Florida
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