Hi Dan,
I track down RFI for myself as well as some other hams in the Indy area. I
live in a subdivision of 205 homes and normally the RFI from a homeowner
that interferes with my own station originates from within my subdivision
which makes things a bit easier as I tell the homeowner that I’m a neighbor
of theirs or a homeowner in the same sub and that I have tracked down radio
frequency interference that I’m 99 percent certain is originating from
their property and that I need their help figuring out what the source is
and then possible solutions. I normally knock on their door but if no one
answers I leave them a note telling them the above info and ask them to
call or e-mail me. With Covid I’m now just leaving the note versus
knocking on their door.
I have only had one situation where the homeowner totally ignored me but
thankfully they must have acquired a non plasma TV as one day the
interference disappeared and in reality finding a cure for plasma TVs was
near to impossible so I really did not pursue this homeowner (I was Pretty
darn sure it was a plasma TV based on SDR signature).
I also create a YouTube video documenting the RFI I’m encountering that
typically includes my radio direction finding activity that pointed me to
the homeowners property and I provide the homeowner a link to the video so
they can watch the video which helps them understand the problem.
I also am very active in my subdivision and volunteer to help homeowners
when they have a technical issue. One thing I now do is help homeowners
troubleshoot their post yard lights free of charge. Having people know who
I am in advance really makes the RFI issue a simple (painless) task. All
of my neighbors call me for help to fix problems they have (like sump
pumps, Invisable Dog Fences, etc.) which I do for free and I jump on their
requests so they owe me big time if and when RFI originates from their home
(I also believe in helping people no strings attached).
I have helped a few other hams in the Indy area and actually have never had
a problem when we approach a homeowner that’s totally unknown to us. I
have helped W9RE multiple times and his antenna farm is so big that we get
a lot of respect from homeowners we have never met before, but they know of
him due to his antenna farm that they have seen for years.
After I resolve an RFI issue with a homeowner or commercial business I bake
cookies and brownies for them as a thank you.
If RFI is power line noise the biggest problem I have had is getting in
contact with the correct person that deals with RFI issues as customer
service operators have no clue what I’m talking about or what department
they should forward me to.
I have never had the need to file a complaint with the FCC and I totally
agree with the ARRL that we don’t want a specific maximum allowable noise
level. Having the current specification that says Harmful Interference
helps me with homeowners since I say any RFI that I track down is causing
harm to my reception and they have never argued with that point.
73,
Don wd8dsb
On Tue, Sep 22, 2020 at 5:21 PM Dan K2YWE <dan.k2ywe@gmail.com> wrote:
> How do you approach a homeowner you don't know, especially one that's not
> even a close in neighbor?
>
>
> 73 QWH QWM,
> Dan K2YWE (K3AU)
>
> On Tue, Sep 22, 2020, 3:11 PM Don Kirk <wd8dsb@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Chuck,
>>
>> Great article that I can share with some homeowners that don’t fully
>> appreciate some of the problems RFI can cause that might unknowingly
>> impact
>> their own equipment/toys.
>>
>> Just last night I tracked down another home generating broadband RFI from
>> the AM broadcast band up to at least 26 MHz that I can hear 0.20 miles
>> away, and now must work with the homeowner to ID the source (I have a
>> suspicion but I have learned to keep an open mind and not waste time
>> guessing). It’s always a guess until you find the root cause.
>>
>> 73,
>> Don (wd8dsb)
>>
>> On Tue, Sep 22, 2020 at 2:53 PM Chuck Gooden <Chuck.Gooden@comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >
>> > See
>> >
>> >
>> https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/09/22/uk/old-tv-breaks-broadband-village-scli-intl-gbr/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3x1yVaJO8wTAFeDWC7sAl8ldLqfq2xzfAIxYenhh4qO3dNcHhCQ6blzVs
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > RFI mailing list
>> > RFI@contesting.com
>> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/rfi
>> >
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>
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