[NCARC] Interference update

[Justin King]

Well a lot has happened the last 24 hours.  I asked for help and boy did I
sure get it.  Duff stopped by with the spectrum analyzer and really cool
variable 120 db attenuator.

 

The problem has been pinpointed down to a user device inside a home.  The
homeowner was more than willing to cooperate with what I was trying to
accomplish which says something about your fellow human beings.  A complete
stranger approaches and explains the problem and you welcome them into your
home.  I didn't even ask and he said come right on in.

 

I thought for sure I had this narrowed down to the city of Loveland
switching box that was attached to his Air Conditioner outside the home.
Those do emit radio frequency to communicate back when to turn on and off
the condenser, and it was installed about the same time this noise began.but
alas I was wrong.  He let me check things inside the house and we did find
that the coax for TV was radiating, but not on its own, when unhooked it
stopped.  As I got closer to the PC it got louder and louder, but again not
the issue.  I looked over at the Motorola MT61 remote handset in the
charging cradle and with no antenna on the HT was reading almost full
signal.  I picked it up and the noise went away completely.

 

This cordless phone operates on 5.8 ghz, but the charging mechanism is
apparently messed up on it somehow.  I cleaned the contacts and put it back
on the base and no noise came back.  The homeowner gave me his phone number
and said if the interference comes back to call, and he'll take it off the
base and we'll see if it goes away again.  If so, he said the other remote
based phone is broke and can't dial all the numbers anyway so he will just
replace the whole system.  He was thinking about replacing it anyway too.

 

Amazing gentleman with the willingness to help out someone he didn't even
know.  And he learned about direction finding and how that works to boot.
The best part was when I told him how far I tracked the signal away from his
house.1/2 mile.he couldn't believe that phone from inside the house was
interfering that far away.

 

So we have a resolution in place, and some day ask me about the Comcast
phone call I made to "try" to have them come check for leakage in their
system.that is a whole other funny story.

 

Thanks for all your input,

Justin King
N0AOL