[RFI] Solar Panel RFI Video

[Dave Cole (NK7Z)]

Hi Dale,

It actually might be cheaper to do just, fly an engineer out to a few 
RFI events to create a service bulletin.

Lets say the vendor sells a thousand of these PV systems each year, (and 
I bet is is quite a bit more), if each one takes two ferrites, and one 
hour of time to install, that is say-- 10 bucks in ferrites, and 10 
bucks in installer time, or 20 bucks per system.

If they sell a 1000 of these a year, that is 20K a year they save by not 
installing RFI suppression on every system as it leaves the factory.  A 
good business decision.

Once the engineer gets a fix, and puts it in writing, making it a 
service bulletin when RFI is reported, it will be a lot simpler, (read 
that as cheaper for the vendor), for the install tech to do it next time 
someone gripes about RFI...

It will also be a lot better for us, as the installers can suddenly fix 
the RFI sooner than later, which is a LOT faster than flying anyone out 
to do anything...

This in fact is probably a very good business decision to have the 
engineers fly out and get hands on with actual RFI event and meet an 
actual Amateur operator.

I am sure that is why the engineers are flying out-- to see the actual 
issue as it happens.  This means that the vendor has put a high priority 
on fixing RFI, and is willing to spend some money to fix it.  This is 
great news for us!

This by the way, is a very good bit of customer service by the vendor. 
We need to be very thankful that they are not dragging things out as 
say-- W6WBJ has done.  The vendors could do just that, and they are 
choosing not too, they are choosing to help us in this...  Even though 
the vendor is responsible for the RFI, they are still our friends.

As much as I like the idea of having every solar PV system have RFI 
suppression installed from the get-go, that is simply not going to 
happen-- period.  No matter how mad we get, no matter how loud we carp 
about RFI, the vendors are simply not going to do that.

It is far cheaper to correct the relatively few problems the Hams report 
  than to proactively fix every system as it leaves the factory.

We MUST maintain a good relationships with the vendors that take the 
time, and money to fly out engineers to solve a problem that for them, 
is nothing more than a costly pain in the ass.  They are helping us by 
listening to and responding to our problems.

We need to support the vendors that help us removed RFI issues by 
sending high cost engineers across the country to make an RFI issue go 
away...  They could always just ignore the issue and not help...


73s and thanks,
Dave
NK7Z
https://www.nk7z.net

On 07/14/2018 01:14 PM, Dale Johnson wrote:
> I should think it would be a good practice for this company to fix their installation procedures so they don’t have to fly an engineer out to fix things.  Seems like a poor way to run a business.
> 
> Dale, K9VUJ
> 
> 
> 
> On 14, Jul 2018, at 14:34, Tony <dxdx at optonline.net> wrote:
> 
> On 7/14/2018 2:43 AM, Randy Standke wrote:
>> Most of the SolarEdge house rewire jobs I have had around me solved the
>> problem on the first attempt.  One took about four visits before it was
>> finally solved.  On that final visit an engineer from SolarEdge came out.
>> He discovered that they missed a couple of the optimizers.  Even one
>> unfiltered optimizer will cause RFI 100s of feet away.  So, keep after them
>> since they probably missed at least one optimizer.
>>
> Randy:
> 
> I've been in touch with Solar Edge field tech Tom Simpson who will be flying in from the west coast to inspect the work. He thinks the installers missed something which, as you mentioned, isn't the first time this happened. He tells me he's handled many cases and said the noise will be gone once he finds the issue.
> 
> Will keep you posted.
> 
> Tony -K2MO
> 
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