[RFI] Underground Power Cable RFI

[N3GPU]

When I come home in the evening I'm usually listening to a strong local AM
broadcast station.  The spot where I park is directly over the underground
power feed to the house.  During the past week or so, as I approach my
parking spot, AM broadcast signals have been obliterated by high-pitched
interference -- I'd say a raspy 1500 Hz or so.  I pull within literally 10
feet of the parking spot before it starts.  I've also begun to notice it in
my receivers on the low bands (160 and 80 especially) in the shack, about
S7 so far.

All cable is buried for well over a mile.  The RFI is on the house side of
the transformer.  The transformer is about 70 feet from the house and
things are quiet there.  The problem is limited to about a 15-foot section
starting about 10 feet away from the meter.  It's that isolated.  Things
quiet down again as you get closer to the meter.  

I plan to call the power company, but wondered if anyone among the
assembled mind has experienced this type of underground-cable RFI, and has
any suggestions on probable cause.

Thanks and 73,
Paul Elliott N3GPU
Westminster, Maryland USA
The N3GPU Web Pages http://www.flash.net/~pelliott


--
Submissions:              rfi@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  rfi-REQUEST@contesting.com
WWW:                      http://www.contesting.com/rfi-faq.html
Questions:                owner-rfi@contesting.com