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Topband: Re: MFJ power line noise receiver or alternatives?

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Subject: Topband: Re: MFJ power line noise receiver or alternatives?
From: k4kyv@hotmail.com (Donald Chester)
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 20:48:16
Our local power company, Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation made 
national news recently over a line noise problem experienced by a  ham in 
Springfield, TN.  He had no success getting them to fix the problem so he 
complained to the FCC after several years of complaints to CEMC.  They were 
ordered by the FCC to clear it up.  The ARRL sent someone down to help, and 
they found and corrected the malfunction.

I suspect this news has circulated to utility companies throughout the 
country, so they might take the problem mere seriously than before.  In the 
past, I have had good luck with CEMC when I  have located the problem and 
managed to tell the lineman exactly where it was.  Once I located a sparking 
clamp on a pole,  where the high voltage wire connects to the transformer.  
It was at night and I called the emergency number at 10 PM and told them 
what I  had  found.  I told them it wasn't a real emergency, that they could 
wait till the next day and it didn't  matter to me if they didn't come right 
out,  as long as they fixed it in a reasonable time.  The lineman told me 
no, he would come right out, that it WAS an emergency.  They call that 
problem a "hot clamp" and  he said that if left unattended it could burn the 
high voltage wire in two and cause it to fall, resulting in  a widespread 
power outage and a safety hazard to people on the ground.  He thanked me for 
calling it to his attention.

The secret is to get to the lineman who actually fixes the problem.  I once 
called in a problem located about a quarter mile away from my house.  I had 
located the pole and described exactly where it was.  For several weeks I 
repeatedly called them and they kept saying they had come and checked it out 
several times and found nothing wrong.  I happened to get home early from 
work one day and saw  the power company truck leaving my driveway.  I asked 
if  he was checking for radio noise, and he said yes.  I had him follow me 
and I drove to the pole, and they had it fixed in less than 20 minutes.  I 
asked why it took so long and they  didn't follow my directions, and they 
told me t hat the office has a policy of not giving specific information to 
the lineman.  They would only give them my name and address  and the nature 
of the problem (that I was experiencing radio noise).  So they kept coming 
out and checking the transformer in front of my house, and of course, found 
nothing wrong.

I  have found the nighttime/weekend emergency number a better bet, because 
the office personnel are all  at home and you usually talk directly to the 
line crew.

Don K4KYV



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