[PVRCNC] Anybody know an RFI tech at Duke Energy?

[Curt Milton]

 Bill
my reaction is that this behaves as white noise - but I don't have an explanation for the shifting levels.  when it drops how does this compare to the regular noise level at your QTH - do both levels seem to be above that?  
I am having trouble blaming this on the power company.  my guess it is from equipment in a nearby dwelling or business.  
when we moved into my last QTH in Maryland - the local noise was much lower than where I previously lived. well until one time discovering noise that peaked on 20m.  it was from our kitchen lighting -- they were halogens containing an unfiltered DC-DC converter -- and the tracks were the size of a 20m dipole.  
I imagine your noise on 17 and 30 meters is similar, just a little lower?  
Curt WB8YYYretired EE FWIW
    On Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 04:47:08 PM EDT, William Schrader via PVRCNC <pvrcnc at mailman.qth.net> wrote:  
 
 Hello:
I have a strange RF interference that is being detected by my HF antennas
on all bands.

I've tried reporting it to Duke Energy thru their Customer Service lines,
but it is difficult to drill into someone who can even understand my
situation.

I wonder if anybody in NC happens to know the name and contact for someone
at Duke Energy?

I don't want to bore you all to death with this story, but if any of you
are experts in RFI and want to talk, send me an email off-line from this
thread and I'll reach you that way. I'm K2TNO at ARRL.NET

In brief, here is the story:
1. K3 and P3. The noise floor I see on the screen is about -130 db on 20M
CW. The noise suddenly appears for about a minute, raising the noise floor
to -110 dB. After about 30 seconds, the noise abruptly goes away. If I view
the P3 spectrum display to include the waterfall, then the noise appears as
unstructured "white noise" all across the band, and it is on all bands, and
can be heard on my 20m Delta loop, my OCFD and my 80m EFHW.
If I disconnect the antennas, the K3 is completely silent.
The noise noise has no characteristics such as ignition hash, motor arcing
hash, etc.

Last info FYI:

The noise is independent of my power mains, I have a LiFePO battery pack,
and have shut off the main 200 amp service to the house entirely. I ran the
station entirely off of that battery pack--- the interference is 100% the
same!  I have also put another hf radio [IC7300] into my SUV with a 20M
Hustler whip-- and can hear the same noise on that rig.

Im attaching a single screen-shot of the noise on 20M CW band. The vertical
cascade of the waterfall takes about 50 seconds to proceed to the bottom,
so that clue lets you see how the noise appears and then abruptly
disappears for about 30 seconds.

The noise NEVER is louder or weaker!  When it appears and disappears, the
levels go back and forth between -130 and -110.

Any ideas ? --I am also attaching a link to a video I shot
<https://youtu.be/MfpebRQ_h1w?si=z0Pgjb3LtcT5cfk3> of my spectrum display.
I posted it onto my K2TNO YouTube playlist.
73, Bill K2TNO
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