[RFI] RFI via Florescent Lights

[Mike - KM0T]

Mike, you will probably never get the RFI suppressed from those high freq ballasts.   Replace the ballasts with 120V only rated ballasts that have a label on them that says for 'residential use'.  Those are typically quiet RFI wise.  The ones you have are probably commercial fixtures with a dual voltage ballasts where they can take multiple input voltages.  Impossible to fix from my experience.
Short of replacing the fixtures with residential grade shop lights (which should have 120v residential ballasts in them) changing out the ballasts is all you can do.
I always open the box at the store and take the covers off the fixtures to look at the ballasts before I buy them.  Residential use should be marked on the box and on the ballast. 
73 and good luck.
Mike King - KM0T(Professional electrical engineer, PE.  Involved in lighting specification and consulting for the building construction market)
Sent from my iPad Pro

    _____________________________
From: Robert Nobis <n7rjn at nobis.net>
Sent: Monday, April 4, 2016 9:44 PM
Subject: Re: [RFI] RFI via Florescent Lights
To: Mike & Becca Krzystyniak <k9mk at flash.net>
Cc: RFI List <rfi at contesting.com>


Mike,

If these were in my garage, I would replace them.  Using ferrite chokes might help, but is really a band-aid approach.

73,


Bob Nobis - N7RJN
n7rjn at nobis.net


> On Apr 4, 2016, at 15:42, Mike & Becca Krzystyniak <k9mk at flash.net> wrote:
> 
> Greetings All,
> 
>   I just moved into a new QTH.  My detached garaged has Florescent shop
> lights and unlike the old QTH the RFI from these are pretty darn bad.  Hash
> goes up into the FM broadcast band.
> 
>   I did some reading through the RFI archives and I am not sure of the
> physical DNA of these units (classic or modern or cheap import).  They are
> compact offering high energy output suggests solid state ballast but I have
> not popped one of them open yet to see what might be spewing the hash.
> Instead I find myself in a panic pondering in line filters (like Mousers TE
> Connectivity offerings), or maybe some snap on ferrite, or maybe
> combinations of both. 
> 
>   Sanity must prevail.  There are four offending H-E-F's so I'm wondering
> what is the most prudent approach to killing or resolving the problem?
> Short of ripping them out, what might yield the biggest bang for bucks
> already sunk?
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Best 73     Mike    K9MK/5
> 
> PS: I do intend to get up there tonight and see if these are rated for
> commercial or residential lightings.
> 
> 
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