[RFI] Tesla's Response to Solar Panel RFI

Sun Dec 15 20:31:58 EST 2019

I am glad someone finally said this..

"Also, Solar Edge is the vendor, not the retailer, so they (Green Solar 
Tech) need to get involved....."

OR Installer, and I guess that makes a MAJOR difference.

My Son works for a local Solar Installer. And I mentioned this to him, 
and he said his boss (the owner) is all up on that and their systems are 
RF Quiet. and 99% of what they install is "Solar Edge"

I wasn't sure if his Boss really knew what RF quiet is or not. BUT....

My Son this summer installed a somewhat Large system that is only like 
1000 feet from me.
It is two rows of panels that are like 16 feet tall and close to 200 
feet wide!
thats 6400 square feet of panels!

I was dreading it being powered up. But NOTHING! and I mean absolutely 
NOTHING. And my location is semi rural.
My noise floor is S=0  and I mean ZERO! If my S meter isn't sitting on s 
zero on 40 or up I'm not happy.

So I really wonder, how much is Solar Edge,  and how much is shoddy 
installs? Because this BIG system I even walked right up to with a 
general coverage portable recvr, and NOTHING standing right under the 
panels!

Joe WB9SBD

On 12/15/2019 7:08 PM, Jamie WW3S wrote:
> I've had good luck contacting Paul W1VLF at the ARRL, I think he is 
> the new (relatively) RFI guy.  Paul started the case with Solar Edge, 
> and I was later contacted by TJ, a senior field engineer with Solar 
> Edge. Its my understanding TJ, and a couple of installers, visit 
> installation like my neighbors to retrofit them with updated 
> components. Now, a couple of flies in the ointment, it hasn't been 
> fixed....yet....parts were supposed to be ordered in mid August, with 
> a 10 week delivery time. That should have been early November but he 
> was involved with a service emergency in CA, due to the wildfires.  
> Also, Solar Edge is the vendor, not the retailer, so they (Green Solar 
> Tech) need to get involved.....now, the final fly, and one that 
> concerns me the most is I sent TJ a copy of the QST article from April 
> 2016, by Tony K1KP, that details the fix for Solar Edge systems, and 
> the response I received was "Yes, I'm familiar with the article, and 
> it is wrong".....so.....I'm still cautiously optimistic that this will 
> be resolved, but I'm concerned the method they will be using.....so 
> contact Paul at the ARRL (copy your director as well)...Paul is very 
> responsive and has the contacts with Solar Edge to get the process 
> started, and he has been up front during this whole process......Merry 
> Christmas to all.....
>
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From: "Stan Zawrotny" <k4sbz.stan at gmail.com>
> To: "Dave Cole" <dave at nk7z.net>
> Cc: "<Rfi at contesting.com>" <rfi at contesting.com>
> Sent: 12/15/2019 5:59:35 PM
> Subject: Re: [RFI] Tesla's Response to Solar Panel RFI
>
>> Our "class action" vehicle, as was already pointed out, is the ARRL. As
>> part of their charter to protect our spectrum and represent their 
>> members
>> in all aspects of the hobby, they need to step up to the plate and take
>> charge of the Solar RFI problem. They, in turn, need  to (1) contact
>> offending companies, and (2) pressure the FCC to become aware of the 
>> entire
>> noise level problem and start enforcing their rules.
>>
>> Stan, K4SBZ
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Dec 15, 2019 at 4:58 PM Dave Cole <dave at nk7z.net> wrote:
>>
>>>  Hi Jim,
>>>
>>>  Respectfully, in every case here but one, (and I have been involved in
>>>  maybe 10 to 15 in the past three years), the RFI from grow ops were
>>>  unheard on the AM band with a local station tuned in, and while in 
>>> front
>>>  of the offending grow op.
>>>
>>>  I am sure that in some cases it is hearable on an AM channel, but 
>>> so far
>>>  here, (and I have expressly, checked at each location), I have had 
>>> very
>>>  little luck with this.  It is one of the first things I check for, 
>>> so I
>>>  can involve the CE of the AM station being affected...
>>>
>>>  73, and thanks,
>>>  Dave (NK7Z)
>>> https://www.nk7z.net
>>>  ARRL Volunteer Examiner
>>>  ARRL Technical Specialist
>>>  ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources
>>>
>>>  On 12/15/19 11:26 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
>>>  > On 12/15/2019 6:40 AM, Dave Cole wrote:
>>>  >> The problem with that approach is that most AM stations are strong
>>>  >> enough to override RFI, in most locations, on the AM broadcast 
>>> band.
>>>  >
>>>  > That's not even close to being true. More than 30 years ago, a 
>>> colleague
>>>  > who was Chief Engineer at WLS, a 50kW clear channel station 
>>> licensed to
>>>  > Chicago with a transmitter site SW of the city center, found that 
>>> his
>>>  > station could not be heard through the noise in Ford vehicles in the
>>>  > northern parts of the city. Noise conditions are FAR worse today.
>>>  >
>>>  > Growing up in WV in the '50s, our NBC radio affiliate was WLW, a 
>>> 50kW
>>>  > clear channel station on 700 kHz, 125 miles away.
>>>  >
>>>  > 73, Jim K9YC
>>>  > _______________________________________________
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