[OKDXA] Power Line Noise

Thu Feb 25 11:24:39 EST 2010

Kim,

You have already done the hardest part-finding the problem pole.  Shortly after I moved here I had PSO out because of noise I was having on 2m mainly but also some other bands.  They never could quite find it.  It eventually went away so I guess it got fixed somehow.

Anyways, find out which company owns that pole, and contact them about it.  We are in luck in that the law is on our side.  The FCC mandates that they have to investigate and fix power line noise complaints.  If they don't seem too responsive to your request, contact Ed Hare, W1RFI, at the ARRL.  He will point you to the necessary documents to provide to the power company which outlines their legal responsibilities.

73s John AA5JG

--- On Thu, 2/25/10, Rick vidmar - k9kk <k9kk at atlinkwifi.com> wrote:

> From: Rick vidmar - k9kk <k9kk at atlinkwifi.com>
> Subject: Re: [OKDXA] Power Line Noise
> To: "Discussion of OKDXA" <okdxa at mailman.qth.net>
> Date: Thursday, February 25, 2010, 10:11 AM
> 1st, good luck.
> Had 40/9 noise levels here 2 years ago for several
> months..
> Just when BS7H was about to come on.
> I pinpointed it with 2M and 440 beams.
> It was 1.5M away.  YES, and still 40/9 here.
> Found that HF antennas were much too broad and useless..
> MFJ sells a 136 MHZ DF setup for noise location.
> I almost bought it, but found mine just in time.
> I drew a line on a map in the direction the VHF/UHF
> antennas were 
> indicating.
> Then went and searched around along that line with an HT.
> My ears turned out to be the BEST DF'er.
> I could hear the sizzling when I got close to it.
> Turned out to be several broken lightning arrestor
> connections on the HV 
> lines.
> OEC was very responsive.  But it was not their lines.
> OG&E was not responsive until I exactly pinpointed the
> lightning 
> arrestor connections.
> They immediately met me at the site, an in minutes fixed
> all the arcing 
> broken wires
> by bending them away so they could no longer arc.
> To this day they have not been fixed beyond that.  But
> NO NOISE, so I 
> don't care.
> OG&E does have very sophisticated noise DF equipment
> including microwave 
> dishes
> to really zero in and pinpoint the noise source.
> Problem is getting them to use it.
> When you 1st make contact with either company--------
> Get a JOB NUMBER and keep a detailed log of each encounter
> with them.
> They seem to  respond when they realize your keeping
> track of them.
> I'll take a drive this afternoon and see what I can find.
> Rick
> k9KK
> 
> Kimberly Elmore wrote:
> > Recently, I've noticed some pretty severe,
> intermittent power line noise at my QTH. It had previously
> been a marvelously quiet place for radio, but over the past
> moth or two, that has changed. I had it again this morning
> and so decided to do some sleuthing.
> >
> > I live E of Norman in the center of a section bordered
> by Robinson on the S side, 48th St on the W side, Rock Creek
> Rd on the N side and 60th St on the E side. Both OG&E
> and OEC lines run down all roads. The OG&E lines run 35
> kV -- I don't know what the OEC lines run. My neighborhood
> is served by OG&E and all wiring is under ground; step
> down transformers are above ground on concrete pads.
> >
> > Here are the details: 
> >
> > I cannot detect the noise on any band above 40 m, but
> it's clearly apparent on 40, 80 and 160 m. My Orion II noise
> balnkre is ineffective on 40 m (either the software or
> hardware noise blanker) but is very effective on 80 and 160
> m. Because I cannot hear it above 7 MHz, I'm pretty sure
> that the source is not emanating from a neighbor's house or
> from a nearby step-down transformer.
> >
> > Using my K9AY loops, I can detect the noise when the
> loops favor either NE or SE, but not when they favor NW or
> SW. Thus, the source is either to my N or my E.
> >
> > Using my 2 el 40 m beam, I found sharp nulls with the
> beam pointed either N or S (probably nulls off of the
> sides), and less noise when the beam is pointed W than when
> it is pointed E (~S9+25 dB pointed E, ~S9+15 dB pointed W).
> So, F/B ratio favors a source to my E.
> >
> > I then got in my car, tuned my mobile rig to the
> aviation band and to a quiet frequency (Westheimer tower) so
> that I could use the AM detector at VHF and started driving
> E along Robinson to 60th street. I heard nothing of
> substance along Robinson. I turned N and drove along 60th
> and found a strong noise source. I double checked my
> traverse and found the same spot three different times. It
> was considerably weaker from across the road than it is next
> to the pole. There is a private going E from 60th street and
> away from the offending pole and driving down it 100 feet
> diminishes the signal strength significantly. The ground
> wire for the pole appears intact at the base.  I am
> absolutely positive that I have identified the pole holding
> the faulty hardware. I could see nothing obviously loose,
> but the culprit is most certainly there.
> >
> > The noise is intermittent: it starts and stops
> abruptly as the wind blows, though I can detect no obvious
> correlation to wind changes and the starting and stopping of
> the noise.
> >
> > What now? Whom do I contact with my information? And
> now for the cynical question: what are my chances that they
> will care?
> >
> > Kim Elmore, N5OP
> >
> >
> >
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