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ARRL News Hotline

Jun 17th 2014, 00:09

AC0XU

Joined: Oct 30th 2011, 02:35
Total Topics: 0
Total Posts: 0
Last night I heard the ARRLs new hotline on grow lamps and RFI. The ARRL suggests that AROs not try to contact owners but file reports with the FCC.

If it were April 1 I would assume that was a joke. Or maybe the FCC has a bigger presence on the east coast. I have spoken with Denver FCC field office. As I recall, they told me they have 3 field investigators to cover a 5 state area. If you are an emergency services provider, a broadcaster or a cell operator, maybe the FCC will investigate your RFI problems. I have identified the sources of my RFI problems, all from local homeowners and the city of my residence, and I have not been able to get the problems fixed. I find my neighbors mixed as to cooperativeness, but they seem to think that it I am a nuisance. The City of Aurora is not interested.

I have found my Trane furnace and my Champion garage door opener to be huge sources of RFI. I have fixed those problems (thanks to other hams for info about the terrible Trane variable speed induction motors). I contacted both manufacturers - they did not want to hear about the RFI. I also had RFI problems from my SGC antenna tuner - but SGC did not want to hear about the problem nor would they even fix the problem under warranty. I filed reports with the FCC multiple times. I have also removed all noisy lights from my premises - and all the CFLs I have tested are noisy as heck.

Regarding the recent concerns about RFI from grow lights - I posted a complaint about a specific product on Amazon. All I have received as a result is abuse from people with alleged "questions" about the product. One guy said that he was going to make a point of creating all the ham radio interference he possibly could.

It feels like it is a battle to keep HF communications viable in my metro area. I understand why many hams have given up and only do VHF and higher.

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