[RFI] Noise gone but don't know why

[Bill Turner]

On Wed, 3 Jul 2002 15:55:50 -0500, Wendell Wyly W5FL wrote:

>The reason they like to fix the power line arcs, is that they usually
>completely burn something up and then the arcing stops.
>
>Unfortunately my powerline has been arcing for months and refuses to burn up
>and quit and it is S9 +20 on 10 meters!

_________________________________________________________

You probably don't have an arc in the actual powerline itself.  If it's
at a bad joint in a current-carrying conductor, it will indeed burn
itself out before long in a quite spectacular manner.  Often, arcs are
between pieces of hardware not directly in the current path.  With HV
lines, there is such a strong electric field that voltages are induced
in any nearby conductor such as a brace or even nuts and bolts.  If they
are loose, there will be small arcs between the loose pieces.  This kind
of arc does not burn itself out and will go on it's merry way for years,
maybe decades.  And this kind is also likely to be very erratic.  When
humidity increases, the wood swells and forces the arcing parts together
and presto, no arcs!  Of course, the swelling wood might force the parts
apart instead of together, and again, no arcs.  It all depends.

Hope this helps with understanding the nature of the cussed things.

73, Bill W7TI