[SFDXA] Pot growers’ lights interfering with ham radio chats

[Mickey Baker]

Tom also has a great web site with a compendium of his earlier articles and
detail on the ballast issue.
http://www.tomthompson.com/radio/projects.html



On Sat, Jun 7, 2014 at 10:57 AM, Kai <k.siwiak at ieee.org> wrote:

> Tom's comprehensive QST article on "Locating HF interference" is scheduled
> for the November 2014 issue of QST.
> 73
> Kai, KE4PT
>
>
> On 6/7/2014 9:11 AM, Bill wrote:
>
>> Thanks to QRZ:
>> Bill W2CQ
>>
>>
>> BOULDER – A few years ago, retired electrical engineer Tom Thompson
>> noticed it was getting harder and harder to hear his friends across the
>> country talking to him on their ham radio sets.
>>
>> So Thompson built a portable antenna system he could use to walk his
>> neighborhood and track down whatever was interfering with his radio
>> transmission. The culprit? Marijuana grow operations, where powerful grow
>> lights can emit interference blocking radio broadcasts on the ham and AM
>> spectrums.
>>
>> The first grower he encountered wasn’t pleased to know Thompson, now 73,
>> could tell exactly what was going on.
>>
>> “He said, ‘What are you going to do, call the cops?’” Thompson said. “And
>> I said, well no, it’s a federal matter.”
>>
>> With 22 states and the District of Columbia allowing medical marijuana,
>> and Colorado and Washington permitting recreational use, there’s been an
>> explosion in the number of people growing their own pot, much of it indoors.
>>
>> With that growth has come increasing interference from the grow lights,
>> which suck down huge amounts of electricity to shine upon budding marijuana
>> plants. Growing pot indoors is usually more secure and gives the grower
>> more control over light, water and insects, which results in higher-quality
>> plants commanding a premium price.
>>
>> The interference problems from one type of system have gotten so bad that
>> the amateur radio association, ARRL, filed a formal federal complaint on
>> behalf of the country's 720,000 licensed ham operators. The problems are
>> worst in Colorado and California, said Sean Kutzko, an ARRL spokesman.
>>
>> The interference is caused by what are known as “ballasts,” electronic
>> systems controlling the grow lights. Unless they’re properly shielded, the
>> ballasts can throw off a wide range of interference. For ham radio
>> operators in the area, it’s like trying to have a conversation during an
>> intense thunderstorm.
>>
>> “We’re not concerned about what people are using the grow lights for,”
>> Kutzko said. “But we’re seeing numerous cases ... and that’s causing us a
>> problem. We just want to make sure the manufacturers are in compliance with
>> FCC laws.”
>>
>> The Federal Communications Commission has the power to regulate anything
>> that interferes with licensed radio transmissions, such as ham sets, but
>> also cellphones and AM radios. It often sends letters to people suspected
>> of causing interference, and also can send agents out to knock on doors,
>> Kutzko said.
>>
>> In a statement, FCC spokeswoman Kim Hart said she couldn’t address the
>> specific complaint filed by AARL, but said the FCC is aware of the problems
>> caused by certain grow lights. Thompson said he’s also tracked down
>> interference from traditional halogen lamps and even a neighbor's camcorder.
>>
>> Thompson said he recognizes that federal regulators probably have better
>> things to do than force marijuana growers to change their lights, so he
>> found his own solution: He created a $20 cable shield he gives out to
>> anyone whose operation is interfering with his radio.
>>
>> “If I can track this down, anybody can track this down,” he said. “If I
>> listen long enough, I can tell when they turn the lights off ... you can
>> tell exactly when the harvest is.”
>>
>> http://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/local/2014/06/05/pot-growers-lights-
>> interfering-ham-radio-chats/10015757/
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> South Florida DX Assoc.
>> SFDXA WebSite: http://www.SFDXA.com
>> SFDXA Repeater 147.33+ 103.5 Tone
>> To Post: mailto:SFDXA at mailman.qth.net
>> To UNSUBSCRIBE or Subscribe:
>> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/sfdxa
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>
>>
> ______________________________________________________________
> South Florida DX Assoc.
> SFDXA WebSite: http://www.SFDXA.com
> SFDXA Repeater 147.33+ 103.5 Tone
> To Post: mailto:SFDXA at mailman.qth.net
> To UNSUBSCRIBE or Subscribe:
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/sfdxa
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>