[Boatanchors] Low Noise (RFI) LED lightbulbs, an update.

[Phil]

OK, rather than clutter up the list with what to many would be OT posts, 
I decided to wait until I'd bought and tried one (or more) before updating.

Thanks goes out to all who answered my questions.

Recap:  I had a 60W equivalent CFL in the floor lamp directly over my 
operating position.  I'd tried a 100)W equiv one but it was extremely  
noisy!  Also a couple CFLs in the ceiling lamp.

This is a floor lamp with a crookneck at the top and a triangular metal 
shade reminiscent of the old style desk lamps, bulb is horiz to the 
floor.  I've used it for years and like it because it places the light 
directly over the operating position work area (keyboard, radios etc).  
The actual bulb was about 4.5 inches from the front of the Softrock SDR 
receiver (in a plastic case), with the base of the lamp (where the 
electronics are) about 7.5 inches (somebody asked about the distances).

This coupled a LOT of RFI directly into the SDR, visible on the 
waterfall.  For best results when recording and having the light on I'd 
slip a 60W incandescent lamp in place of the CFL.  The lamp is also 
about 16 inches above the operating table, and when listening to ANY 
portable radio on the table, if it was in the AM or Longwave band and 
using the built in loopstick antenna got a LOT of RFI from the lamp 
(unless the lamp was off ;-)

So today I went down to Lowes (we have a Costco, but I don't have a 
card) and looked at their LED lamp offerings.  As I expected they had a 
large variety of them, from a low cost 3 pack for ~$9.00 for 60W units 
to about $18.00 or so each (Sylvania).  From what I read here I wanted 
to avoid the REALLY cheap ones as some reported them to be 'noisy'.  
Also, I wanted to put a 75W equivalent unit in the one over the 
operating position, and a pair of 100W equivalent units in the ceiling 
lamp. All three had CFLs, and if I walked around the radio room with a 
portable radio and the ceiling lamp on I could hear it's 'hash' anywhere 
in the room. . .

The ones I settled on were a brand I'd never heard of, "UtiliTech Pro" 
soft white.  75W for the bench and 2 100W ones for the ceiling.  They 
were what I'd call "mid-priced", $8.98 for the 75W and $9.98 for the 
100W ones.
Specs:
75 W one draws 12W and gives 1100 Lumens.
100W one draws 16.5W and gives 1600 Lumens (the pair in the ceiling 
should then be 3200 Lumens if I calculated right).

How low is the RFI to my Radios?

75W one over the bench:
   NO trace from the lamp electronics visible in the SDR waterfall at 
all.  With a portable radio on the bench-top, NO audible RFI. Put a 
portable radio up to the "bulb" part (light area) and with no station 
tuned in can't hear ANY RFI.  Move the portable to the base area of the 
lamps there is SOME RFI, but I won't be putting the radio that close to 
the lamp, move it a couple inches away and the noise disappears.

100W ones in the ceiling lamp, NO audible RFI in the portable when 
walking around the room, RFI just barely perceptible right next to the 
light wall switch that turns the lamp on, again, audible IF I put the 
radio right up to the base of the lamps, not a likely real-world scenario!

Upshot?  Based on the sample of three that I bought and the almost 
non-existant RFI from them I'd consider the UtiliTech Pro lamps to be a 
good product and suitable for use in the radio room.  I consider them 
good value for the ~$30.00 I spent for three.

-- 
73 de Phil,  KO6BB
http://www.qsl.net/ko6bb/  (Web Page)

PRESENT RADIOS:
Grundigs:    S-350 (~2006), G6 (2011) & S450DLX (2014).
HOMEBREW:    7 Tube+Rect Regenerative RX for LF (built 2015)
Icom:        IC-735 Transceiver (~1990).
Icom:        R-75 With Cascaded 250 & 125Hz CW Filters. (~2005)
Icom:        IC-7200 Transceiver (~2015).
Radio Shack: DX-380 digital portable (~1990).
SDR:         Softrock Ensemble II LF (built from a kit 2015).
Zenith:      Royal-7000 Transoceanic Portable (~1968).

ACCESSORIES: HOMEBREW LF-MF Pre-Amp, MFJ-993B HF Auto-Tuner.
              HOMEBREW 8 Hz Audio Filter.

ANTENNAS:  88 foot Long Ladder-line fed dipole at 35 feet AGL for MW/SW.
            HOMEBREW Active Mini-Whip at 36 Feet AGL for LF/MW/SW.
            HOMEBREW 37 foot "Low Noise Vertical" at 11 feet AGL for LF/MW/SW.

Merced, Central California, 37, 18, 37N   120, 30, 6W CM97rh


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