[TowerTalk] Proximity to power lines

[Roger (K8RI)]

On 8/5/2010 1:15 AM, Cqtestk4xs at aol.com wrote:
> I'm looking for land in the Tampa Bay area and have hit upon  a 30 acre
> parcel very nicely priced.  However, scanning the area with  Google Map I found
> a BIG power line running east to west to the north of  the property by
> about 2500-3000 feet at the closest point.  Of course this  is the worst
> direction for contesting.  It appears, judging from the size  of the transmission
> line towers, to be maybe a around a 100 KV  run.
>
> Any thoughts on this line being as close as it is?  Any first  hand
>    

Look up 521N Clyde Road, Midland MI and then go NE (0.24 miles at 50 
degrees) to the power line.  As far as I know (AFAIK) I've never heard a 
sound out of it and I've been here over 25 years.  It's a pretty old 
map/image. The resolution is not high enough for any of the antennas to 
show and only the big transmission line towers can be found .  This is a 
tad closer than what you are looking at.  I should add though, that 
every instance/location/power company is different.

I get most of my interference from an arc of roughly 110 to 170 degrees 
and when it's on I might as well take a nap. It covers from roughly 
6-meters down through just above 20 to 40 meters...it does vary a 
little. It shows on the 756 Pro scope as a series of fairly close spaced 
pulses that have a slight sinisoidal shape to the amplitude, but over 
all it's pretty constant in amplitude across the whole range.  Yet I've 
never been able to find it.  Every time I get the mobile rig out and 
start tracing it, the darn thing disappears. It's not on all that often. 
On rare occasions I hear an electric fence over half a mile to the SE, 
but it's on lower frequencies.  The real irritant is the one that 
disappears every time I look for it. I make it to the main road about a 
100 yards to the South of me and whether I turn right or left it stops. 
If I back up and go home it's still gone.   I can't tie it to weather or 
temperature, day or night.

Lately I've been hearing what I believe is QRM between 7.150 and 7.180. 
It's just a rushing noise. Sounds like receiver white noise but it wipes 
out anything less than S9 and somethings stronger. It starts abruptly 
and ends abruptly. It doesn't sound like digital as it's too strong and 
broad but it could be. What ever it's not very friendly.

At any rate, with the power line the only thing you can do is take a 
rig, or rigs that will cover from 160 through 440 on CW or SSB and check 
it out preferably at least on day or night and in good weather and bad.

BTW I lived on a farm about 30 miles SW of here 66 through 80 with a 
medium voltage transmission line running through about 600 feet to the 
South of me. Under that line was the residential distribution line to 
which I was connected by a maximum span to the pole at the back of the 
property. We were nearly the third house on the line (IIRC) and it 
extended for something like 14 miles so we never did suffer from low 
voltage. Had a few bouts of short lived light bulbs though.  I never did 
hear that one either and I had a contest station with legal limit 
stations (  http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/boatanch.htm - first 
three photos) and monobanders on each band. However my uncle had 380 
acres that bordered a 1/4 mile to the South of us. The lane to their 
pasture for dairy cattle was over a half mile long with several pastures 
running to the South of the lane and probably 160 acres in the middle of 
the section.  It had an electric fence around all of those fields and 
both sides of the lane. Only if thee was a short did I hear it and with 
that much wire for an antenna I did hear it. But I was able to show them 
that  every time I heard it the cows got out. So all it took after that 
was a call and the noise would disappear quickly.  But that was from 30 
to 50 years ago and every one over there new every one else. I hunted or 
tipped a few with most of the guys in the area.

I still own that farm, but I rent it to the same family that rented it 
from my dad after his second heart attack. He lived nearly another 30 
years after that.
At any rate, I hope it works out with the 30 acres and you are able to 
put up some good sized towers. I understand Florida is not an tower 
friendly state.

73 and good luck,

Roger (K8RI)
> experience with lines this close?  I  intend to check out the  property first hand
> when I hit the mainland, but I value members' of this  reflectors opinions.
> I want to be able to hear signals not  RFI.
>
> Bill KH7XS
>
>
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