[RFI] WOW!!!!!!!

[Pete Smith]

At 08:52 AM 3/9/02 EST, you wrote:
>Tom,
>
>Congratulations on getting their attention!
>
>Since they will be having lawyers on their side, they might be arguing the 
>law, not the facts.  (i.e.. whether they really need to do anything, not
what 
>they can do to solve the problem.)

Actually, I suspect Allegheny is probably fairly typical.  I first wrote to
them 4 years ago about RFI.  They assigned me to work with a total drone of
an engineer whose reason for living was to avoid work.  When I got wise to
this last summer (and no, I hadn't been pressing very hard), I went around
him and found another guy who was willing to work the problem.  He brought
their part-time, scantily-equipped RFI guy down from Pennsylvania for
several days' work, and they have spent a number of days since working
various pole problems in my area.  Things are getting better.

I found the real key has been to give them pole numbers (I use a 10m
battery-powered receiver to do that, because I don't have one for the
aircraft band) and then to follow up.  I've developed a fairly educated
ear, and find that now I can drive down the road with my car radio between
stations at the high end of the AM band, and usually identify the rough
center of a given noise, then zero in on a particular pole with the HF radio.

Sorry that Tom had to go to the PSC, but I guess sometimes it takes that.
As for the utility's legal obligation, if you go to the ARRL TIS web site
you can find samples of letters the FCC has sent to various utilities tht
spell out their obligations in the RFI area.  It's a very strong position
to argue from.

Lots more info at http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/rfi-elec.html

73, Pete N4ZR

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