[RFI] RFI Digest, Vol 203, Issue 15

[Eddie Edwards]

Wes, 

Our utility has both the dish ultrasonic (hand held dish) and the one for up close use on the hot stick (both by radar engineers).   Both work well for what they're designed to do and both have the same limitations with line of site required to the source.  However, only linemen can use a hot stick, but that's a safety issue, not a union issue.  Nearly all utilities follow the same safety standards today when it comes to line work.  Only qualified workers are allowed to do line work.  

Ultrasonic dishes can be used to narrow the search to the exact pole once you are that close.  And in some cases down to what hardware is the RFI source.  Sometimes a hot stick ultrasonic is needed, but not very often.  It's been used rarely at our utility.  Simply walking around the pole/structure 360 degrees can lead to the needed resolution over 99% of the time without the hot stick unit.  

73, de ed -K0iL

-----Original Message-----
From: RFI <rfi-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Wes Stewart via RFI
 I'm friendly with the RFI sleuth with our local electric coop (also a ham).  He tells me that ground level ultrasonic sniffers are pretty worthless.  Any physical obstruction attenuates the signal, according to him.  They do use one but on a hot stick where it can sniff up close.  Unfortunately, it's a union shop so he can't do it and has to have a line crewman do it.  The logistics of this are really detrimental to efficiency.  (Unspoken opinion of unions goes here.......................................)
Wes  N7WS