[RFI] RFI and Smart meters

[Peter Laws]

On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 15:51, KD7JYK DM09 <kd7jyk at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Two type of meters have been identified as far as I know, I've seen one, the
> LowFER boys talk about the other.
>
> One type sends data over the power line, simlar to an X-10 home control
> systems, this is low frequency, about 120 KHz and data is sent on regular
> intervals.
>
> The other type, which we have here operate around 903 MHz and only send data
> once a month as a reader with a hand-held data terminal drives by and
> interrogates the meter.


Our neighborhood's two power providers each have different types.  The
coop I'm in has had "smart" meters for years and years (long before we
moved in 5 years ago).  Data runs over the powerlines.  No noise that
I can attribute to the system, but currently (ha!) they only read
once/day around midnight.  That changes in the next month as they
implement time of use rates system wide, so reading will (presumably)
be hourly.  I'll be listening.

The other company, an investor-owned company, just put in a system
that seems to use pole-mounted repeaters, like the old Ricochet system
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricochet_%28Internet_service%29).  Can't
attribute any noise to it.

That's not to say I don't have *any* noise, because I do, but none of
it makes entire bands unusable.  Except the Whirlpool Duet washer.
:-)


-- 
Peter Laws | N5UWY | plaws plaws net | Travel by Train!