[RFI] Experience negotiating with Solar Panel RFI Owners

r55stan at gmail.com r55stan at gmail.com
Sun Mar 14 22:54:19 EDT 2021


Every 200 kHz sounds like SolarEdge.  They are usually worst on 20 meters with the harmonic that falls on 14.199 (tune 14.198 USB).  Their 200 kHz harmonics do miss 17 meters, and can be on 15 meters, but depending on the wiring is usually not as bad as the 14.199 MHz harmonic.  When close, SolarEdge systems can spew RFI all over the band at frequencies other than the 200 kHz harmonics.  It will be gone in darkness.  To raise awareness of the SolarEdge problem, I wrote an article in QST in May 2019, the link is here  http://www.arrl.org/files/file/QST/This%20Month%20in%20QST/May2019/Standke2a.pdf
I need to take another walk around my neighborhood to identify the new SolarEdge installations that have been installed over the last eight or so months.  I have had them rewire about ten houses within about a 800 foot radius of my house.  They have virtually stopped fixing them claiming limitations due to Covid.  But that is not stopping them from installing new systems.  SolarEdge knows the FCC could care less about interference to amateur radio and they are taking advantage of that situation by continuing to install high RFI systems they have known are a problem since at least 2016 when a previous QST article was written on the extremely high RFI SolarEdge systems produce at HF bands.  I have talked to my neighbors about the SolarEdge problem and asked them to check with me if they plan on getting solar systems.  Four of them installed new systems.  Each time the installer suggested SolarEdge and each time I managed to change their choice to Enphase microinverters.  I hear nothing from Enphase.

Randy KQ6RS


-----Original Message-----
From: RFI <rfi-bounces+r55stan=gmail.com at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Christopher Wawak
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2021 3:13 PM
To: Rfi List <rfi at contesting.com>
Subject: [RFI] Experience negotiating with Solar Panel RFI Owners

Hi RFI List,


I'm faced with S7-S9 noise across 40m-15m at 200khz intervals. I'm looking for assistance resolving this RFI I suspect is coming from a neighbor's solar installation. The owners are elderly, and I'm not sure they'll understand and be able to remedy the situation. HF is next to unusable.


Some questions:

0. So far, do I seem on the right path?

1. What tactics have worked in the past with getting owners to respond? I can't imagine "hey your solar panels are broken" will work very well.

2. Right now I have an AH-4 tuner with a wire antenna, roughly 90'. If I switched to, say, a vertical, fan dipole or a beam antenna would i be able to reject the solar panel noise? If my antenna were higher up, would that help?

3. Am I doomed to not have workable HF at home?


Thanks all!


73 Chris KC2IEB


(if the pictures are filtered, click here <https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSKoiPx-5huAG5M1gLmYFyMPRZ_WY0PxxoC-CH7c-dpXMQZzHuvLzNX2AB8_nb8RIsN7Ri0rmXJp6Ju/pub>
)

RFI Location

Appears to be coming from solar panels on a house behind my own, about 275’
away. I traced this with a loop antenna and a cheap AM radio following to where the noise seemed loudest.

Characteristics

Heavy S7+ “hash” noise every ~200 khz, starting around 40m and going all the way up through 15m.


Generally starts an hour or two after sunrise, and shuts down before sunset.

Noise Log

3/13/2021

4:00 PM Local - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQZr1xXIf0Y whole house power off test @ 3:14 in the video - no improvement


Gone by 7:53 PM

3/14/2021

8:38 am

Some squiggles

Showed up almost on the dot at 9am

It’s moving down the band some

Most noticeable from 20m on up

.



--
-- Chris
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