Topband: Re. RFI - lots of it

[Tom W8JI]

> Rain on the way so will know for sure what conditions are best. Hopefully 
> not the same as Tim or Kriss since this is big Lake effect snow country 
> although you'd think snow would melt at an arcing area. We are expecting 
> 60mph winds tomorrow and rain. Regardless, power company is sending 
> someone "to take a look". Noise is still down but not gone since the wet 
> weather stopped.jim/k2hn
> _________________

Wet weather noise is often corona related, but sometimes defective 
insulators, cracked, scored, or dirty. I had problems with 345kV line corona 
in Ohio when the weather was damp.

Dry weather noise is often slack spans allowing the metal pin joints or ball 
and socket joints in insulators to arc from capacitive coupling. The metal 
on metal corrodes and makes a tiny layer of oxide that arcs from capacitive 
coupling and leakage.  Hitting a pole with a hammer finds that, because it 
shakes the wires and wiggles the metal joints.


There are so many different things that can cause noise, however, that any 
Internet diagnosis is mostly a wild guess.

The best thing to do before doing anything is try to track it with a VHF AM 
radio, like a portable aircraft radio. I have commercial noise locating 
equipment, but the last time I lent it out it came back broken.  :(

73 Tom