[RFI] Grow Lights Coming to NJ - What can we do?

[Michael Carter]

Chris,

NK7Z's direct experience indicates that without LOCAL
regulation of non-commercial tomato growing operations
New Jersey is likely to be overwhelmed by new RFI sources.

If the state legislature opens up the law to permit unregulated
home tomato growing, there's little to be done.  Education of
individual tomato growers and local grow light suppliers is
likely to fail.  Bob's (N2SCJ) innovation of the reflective grow
box is a great idea, but won't solve the RFI problem unless
the SMPS driving the grow light is inside the Faraday cage and
its AC line source is properly filtered and common-mode choked.

I don't know if the political culture of NJ fosters individual
community ordinances, but you might engage your town/city
legislators to see what they think of an ordinance aligned with
any state statutes but also imposing civil penalties (e.g. fines,
which increase with time/non-responsiveness) on the tomato
grower if the home installation does not meet FCC radiated
emission limits for unintentional radiators.  The radiated field
strength measurements would not need to be performed by
the FCC in order for the ordinance to have teeth.

Another avenue of approach to your legislators on both the
local and state level: engage law enforcement and other
first responder agencies' support because their communications
at VHF and UHF using modern digital radios may be
subject to grow light RFI.  That would get the legislators'
attention.

Mike, K8CN

________________________________
From: RFI <rfi-bounces+mike.carter=unh.edu at contesting.com> on behalf of Christopher Wawak <kc2ieb at wawak.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 3, 2021 9:39 AM
To: Rfi List <rfi at contesting.com>
Subject: [RFI] Grow Lights Coming to NJ - What can we do?

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[please keep this topic ONLY to RFI of grow lights, and not politics, your
thoughts on cannabis, your lumbago, or anything like that. I am replacing
"cannabis" with tomato from now on.]

I recently read that NJ's Governor is open to TOMATO home-grow, which
typically involves noisy lights (as I understand it). Tomatoes are recently
legal in New Jersey. Whether growing them at home is ultimately allowed or
not, grow light RFI is coming to NJ neighborhoods. I understand it's pretty
bad!

>From folks out west, what can I expect from grow light noise? Wiping out
the entire spectrum, or a few spurs here and there? I live in a moderately
tight suburban neighborhood.

Since we know that it's coming, how can I work with my lawmakers to make
them informed of the impending impact of grow light RFI on the amateur
radio service and other services? Can we teach grow light users and vendors
about RFI-clean installations?

Thank you,

-- Chris KC2IEB
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