TopBand: electric fence noise

[Bill Tippett]

W1JCC wrote:

>Looking for info on electric fence noise. It's tearing me up on 160!

Most likely it is a poor connection causing arcing between wires.  First
locate the fence with a portable radio in the general direction of the
noise (i.e. direction of Beverage with strongest noise).  Then ask the
owner to turn it off temporarily to verify that you have the right
fence.  Then explain to the owner it is not working properly and volunteer
to find the problem for him.  Walk the entire fenceline while listening
carefully.  You can audibly HEAR the arc when you come close to it
(buzz...buzz...buzz).  The fix is usually to make a good electrical
connection between similar metals.  Sometimes you will find a farmer
who connects dissimilar metals (aluminum and galvanized steel for example)
and you should completely replace the dissimilar wire with a similar one.

This assumes it is a fencer of the older style (~1 second on and ~1 second
off of high voltage 60 Hz buzz).  The newer style of pulse fencers (tick..
tick..tick) are generally not a problem and most noise blankers will easily
remove them.  I probably had >100 fencers within 5 miles of me in 
Colorado and became expert at finding them since one was always going bad
at the most inopportune time!

                                                73,  Bill  W4ZV

P.S.  Poor ground connections at the fencer unit itself can also be a
problem but 99% of the time the problem will be as described above.


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