[NCham] Interference complaint regarding Progress Energy Phase II BPL

Sat, 13 Mar 2004 07:11:37 -0500

This is a copy of my complaint of interference from the Progress Energy BPL 
site.

For information on filing a complaint (IF you have heard interference 
yourself), go to this site:
http://www.qsl.net/w4fal/smithchart/bpl.html

73,
Gary KN4AQ

=======================================================

Len Anthony, Progress Energy Regulatory Affairs

cc:
Bill Godwin, Progress Energy
Anh Wride, FCC
David H.Solomon, FCC
James R.Burtle, FCC
Riley Hollingsworth, FCC (FYI)
Ed Hare, ARRL
Frank A. Lynch, ARRL

Saturday, March 13, 2004

This e-mail letter is a formal complaint of interference received from 
several Broadband over Power Line (BPL) installations operated by Progress 
Energy in the Wake County, North Carolina area.

I am:

Gary Pearce KN4AQ
116 Waterfall Ct.
Cary, NC 27513
919-380-9944
[email protected]

I encountered all of this interference while mobile, or visiting the 
stations of other amateur radio operators.  I do not hear any BPL 
interference at my home in Cary at this time.

November 16, 2003.  I first encountered BPL interference on this date, near 
the Wakefield subdivision in north Raleigh, along Falls of the Neuse Road 
near Wakefield Pines Rd.  The interference appeared as a series of closely 
spaced RF carriers, approximately 1 kHz apart, covering the lower half of 
the 10 meter amateur radio band, from 28 to near 29 MHz (and some spectrum 
below that band, including the 40 CB radio channels near 27 MHz).  Some of 
the carriers had a little "tik-tik-tik" sound at about a 2 Hz rate.  The 
interference was strong - S-9 - for about a half mile along Falls of the 
Neuse Road, and obliterated several amateur radio signals that I was 
monitoring.

I understand this was the Phase I trial area, and the test has been 
discontinued.

January 15, 2004.  On this and several subsequent dates, I received 
interference while driving along Holland Church road between 1010 Road and 
Pagan Rd. in southern Wake County, specifically in the vicinity of Feldman 
Dr.  The signature of the interference was the same: closely spaced 
carriers, about 1 kHz apart, some with a tik-tik-tik modulation, and 
occasionally a longer burst of what sounded like data.  The interference 
covered two blocks of spectrum, from 23.44 - 26.08 MHz (including the 
amateur radio 12 meter band) and 27.9 - 31.7 MHz, (including the amateur 
radio 10 meter band).  The interference was strong - S-9 - for about a half 
mile along Holland Church road, and audible in places along Pagan Rd.  It 
obliterated several amateur radio signals that I was monitoring as I drove 
through the area.

I also received interference with the same signature in several spots along 
Feldman Dr., in various other segments of the high-frequency spectrum - 
near 11 and 15 MHz in particular.  The signals were weaker, but plainly 
audible.  Onc caused a "beat note" against the 15 MHz WWV time and 
frequency reference signal.

I have subsequently been through this area several times, and the 
interference is still present.  My last visit was on February 28th.

February 20, 2004.  On this and several subsequent dates, I received 
interference while driving along NC Highway 55 and James Slaughter Rd, just 
north of the town of Fuquay-Varina.  The interference was strongest along 
James Slaughter Road, opposite the Woodchase subdivision.  Again, the 
signature of the interference was RF carriers, about 1 kHz apart, with a 
bit of digital modulation now and then, including the tik-tik-tik at about 
a 2 Hz rate.

This interference was across 21.9-25.7 MHz (including the amateur radio 12 
meter band) and 27.5-30.0 MHz (including the amateur radio 10 meter 
band).  The interference was S-9 along James Slaughter Road, and S-5 in the 
Food Lion parking lot at NC-55, and obliterated several amateur radio 
signals that I was  monitoring.

In the Woodchase subdivision, I also heard the "BPL signature" signals on 
several other points in the high frequency spectrum.  The signals were 
weaker, but plainly audible.  I also heard signals in the 7 and 24.5 MHz 
area about a mile further north on James Slaughter Road, near the 
Whitehurst subdivision.  These signals were S-6 to S-9 for about 1/4 mile 
along James Slaughter Road.

I most recently heard this interference on March 5th, 2004.

Finally, on February 28, 2004, I personally visited the homes of three 
amateur radio operators who live in the vicinity of the Progress Energy 
Phase II BPL trials, and observed interference as received at their 
stations as follows:

Mike Payne KM4UT
5813 HEATHILL CT
Raleigh, NC
Mile lives .7 miles south of the trial site on Holland Church Road.  He is 
using a dipole antenna at about 30 feet.  I observed that he was receiving 
a clear but weak BPL "signature" in the top half of the 10 meter band, 
above 28.8 MHz, and many smaller clusters of individual carriers in the 
band below that.

Ted Root N1UJ
509 WYNDHAM DR
Fuquay-Varina, NC
Ted is about a half mile southwest of the James Slaughter Road site.  He is 
also using a dipole antenna at about 40 feet.  He was receiving weak but 
clear BPL signature signals across the 25 and 28 MHz areas.

Roland Erickson WA0AFW
201 WILBON ROAD 301B
Fuquay-Varina, NC
Roland is about a half mile south of the James Slaughter Rd. site.  He is 
using a dipole antenna in the attic of a retirement village building.  He 
has a very high ambient noise level (S-6) across the 25 and 28 MHz bands, 
but was receiving the BPL signature signals clearly above that noise level 
across those bands.

You might ask if my complaint of interference while mobile, some distance 
from my home, is justified.  I contend that it is, for several reasons.

First, amateur radio is a very "mobile" service.  Tens of thousands of 
amateur radio operators have and use high frequency mobile equipment, and 
we can be found anywhere, using all hf bands, at completely unpredictable 
times.

Second, the Progress Energy Phase II trials are in very limited area 
tests.  There are no amateur radio operators living inside the 
neighborhoods being served, though there are several within interference 
range - about a mile.  We are justified in traveling to the sites with 
normal amateur radio equipment, operated in a normal manner, to observe and 
complain about interference we receive.  This observation must be 
extrapolated to a wider geographic area to anticipate the kind of 
interference that would be received if BPL were to be widely deployed, 
especially in denser suburban and urban neighborhoods.

You might also ask if weak BPL signals constitute harmful interference.  I 
contend that they do.  Amateur radio operation is unlike most other radio 
operation, in that amateurs tune across their band segments looking for 
signals.  Often we are looking for weak signals from distant parts of the 
world.  Our predominant modes are single sideband and cw.  In those modes, 
a series of carriers 1 kHz apart presents a most irritating series of "beat 
notes" - tones that vary in pitch as the spectrum is tuned.  At 1 kHz 
spacing, they are continuously present in a receiver using customary 
bandwidth filters.  And even weak BPL signals can make weak amateur radio 
signals difficult or impossible to receive.

The presence of any BPL signal of any strength at either a home or mobile 
station at any location is an unwarranted incursion in the amateur radio 
bands, and is also a problem for anyone tuning shortwave broadcast or other 
radio services.

Thanks for your consideration.  I look forward to hearing the results of 
the investigation into my complaints.

Sincerely,

Gary Pearce KN4AQ

__________________________________________________________________________
        Gary Pearce KN4AQ        editor, SERA Repeater Journal
        Cary, NC                 www.sera.org
        919-380-9944             [email protected]
        [email protected]
         AOL/Yahoo Instant Messanger: KN4AQ
         (send e-mail to be put on my "buddy list")