Topband: HVDC

[Jim Brown]

On Tue,2/10/2015 10:27 AM, Mike Waters wrote:
> That sounds almost too good to be true, doesn't it?

Not if you understand the physics and the details of how the lines are 
built and maintained. ARRL publishes Marv Loftness's book on AC power 
noise issues, which I added to my library a decade or so ago. The major 
point he makes is that power line noise is almost universally the result 
of arcing, which in turn is the result of some fault -- some part 
becomes defective. That noise, which is broadband by virtue of its 
imnpulsive waveshape, is then conducted to wires that radiate the noise.

Power companies are publicly owned corporations, and they make more 
money for their stockholders if they don't spend money to fix their 
infrastructure. My neighbor, NI6T, made friends with the guy who did his 
RFI investigations. He learned that lower level managers are rewarded 
for not spending all of their budget each year, so even when issues are 
identified, they tend to NOT get fixed. The only way to change that is 
to exert outside pressure, either from the FCC or from the state's 
public utility regulatory agency.

73, Jim K9YC