[Fourlanders] another question for the brain trust

[Jim Worsham]

If the electronic ballast you mention is similar to what they put in the
screw in florescent light bulb replacements then you may have a problem.  I
have heard that the screw in florescent light bulb replacements are terrible
generators of RFI.  Take your 817, run it off of batteries and put it in AM
or SSB mode.  Probe around the fixture and see if you can find the source.
Go to home depot and check out the fixtures there you plan to put up.  Yeah,
you will get some strange looks but you should be used to that by now.  Call
ARRL and ask to talk to W1RFI or someone else in that department.  See what
they know.  I bet Ed can tell you more than you ever wanted to know.  If it
turns out that these new electronic ballasts are RFI generators then you
should consider going old school incandescent.  You can buy incandescent
bulbs (yeah, they are pricey) that are supposed to be as white as
florescent.

73
Jim, W4KXY

-----Original Message-----
From: fourlanders-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:fourlanders-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bob Lear
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 11:10 PM
To: fourlanders at contesting.com
Subject: [Fourlanders] another question for the brain trust

Does anyone have info or experience with RFI/TVI from Florescent lamps?

I noticed last night that some of the interference I was getting on 
Channel 2 (analog, off the air with rabbit ears) was caused by one of 
the florescent fixtures here in the basement where we are living.  It 
appears to be the new 4 bulb fixture added for the kitchen.  The others 
were existing when I bought the house and are a good bit older.  They 
don't cause interference on channel 2 when the offender is turned off. 
I would have expected the older ones to be more of a problem than the 
newer ones but I may be wrong and certainly don't know for sure.


Anyway, it got me to thinking about what I am planning for the shack in 
the new building.  I have just finished roughing in the wiring to put 
eight, four bulb florescent fixtures on the ceiling in the shack for 
good lighting.  I understand that the newer florescents have electronic 
ballasts and my electrician said that soon we won't be able to get 
ballasts for the older units as they will stop making them in favor of 
the newer types.  He didn't say anything about RF noise, but he's not a 
ham either.

So, an I setting myself up for RFI from these new fixtures in the shack? 
  I do like to have a lot of good light in a work area like that and in 
the operating vicinity and I've always liked florescent lighting anyway 
as it's so white and cool.

Any comments, any alternatives??

Thanks, Bob

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