[SEDXC] UVERSE COMES TO TOWN!!

[Mike Greenway]

It finally happened as I had expected from the inception of Uverse when I read they were using HF frequencies in their system.  Over the years I have been slowly accumulating small carriers throughout the bands but attributing most of it to neighbors electronic devices.  160 has been mostly unusable for the past year with 80 M being somewhat degraded but this week it went beyond that.  Up to 40 DB over noise on 160 and S9 up to 20 DB on 80 and slowing tapering off as you go up in freq.  20 M and up is not too bad.  This past week I had noticed ATT doing some work at a neighbors house and did not think much about it.  I had checked from time to time on the ATT site and it said Uverse was not available in this area. 

I did a lot of directional checks and the worst noise was always from the neighbors house where the ATT work had been done.  I decided to go up to the house and talk with them.  I could not believe it, they had just had Uverse installed!  Some of the wiring from the box was totally unshielded with just wires showing.  I caught a lineman on he road after leaving the neighbor and he said that Uverse had been in the area for a while.  I think that is the reason I lost the ability to use 160 originally and mostly 80 as there is another Uverse unit a little further out. 

Now the fun starts with trying to get them to fix the problems.  If you read some of the data on how Uverse works you will see how ham radio is going to be greatly affected over the long run.  I know their propaganda states it should not bother anyone, and that might be true in a perfect world, but it is going to get ugly with more and more installations unless they are done correctly.

Early on I wrote the ARRL about Uverse and they stated they did not think it would be an issue with interference.  I kept praying it would never come to this area but unfortunately it is here.  I have talked to several hams that tried to use it and found it interfered so badly they could not 
co-exist with it.  I am sure there may be some exceptions to the rule.  I just hope they can fix this problem.  Unfortunately that will not totally give me back 80 and 160 as there is another one further out.  It seems most of the energy from Uverse is concentrated in the BC band up through 40 M and and little 30 M.  

Anyone having any good Uverse/ATT contacts would be apprectiate.  I will start my climb up the customer service ladder on Monday.  I hope I don’t have to get the FCC involved in this.

73 Mike K4PI