W5JGV
join:2001-02-03
Natchitoches, LA | reply to TODDRICK
Re: RE:Interferance to Ham Radio Operators said by TODDRICK:Moonpuppy, I beg to differ. If you send a complaint to the FCC regarding interference from a Ham Operator to your consumer electronic equipment, two things will happen. Todd Most Amateur Radio Operators (and I am excepting a few ornery characters I have known) are considerate of their neighbors, after all, Hams don't want interference either, as have co-exist in the same neighborhood - preferrably without tar and feathers.;).
Living with crappy consumer electronics can be done, but it's not easy. I have lived at this location now for 20+ years, and during that time I have operated extensively on HF and VHF with power levels from a few milliwatts to the maximum power allowed. In all that time, I have not had a single interference complaint. And all the neighbors know who I am, what I do for a hobby, and where I am - after all, it's hard to miss the 65 foot high tower in the back yard and the tri-band beam on top f it. (Well, it WAS, at least until Katrina came through!) Heck; I even enlisted their help to erect my antennas!
Good engineering practices and common sense can eliminate almost all the interference should it appear. Keep your transmitted signal clean, use a properly installed antenna, and uses the minimum power necessary for effective communications, and make sure you don't interfere with your own consumer electronics.
However, in some cases, you run across a piece of real consumer electronics JUNK that nothing - and I mean NOTHING seems to fix. One neighbor near my previous home had a cordless phone that heard everything from Hams to CB'ers and commercial stuff. The only fix for that was for them to replace it.
I also once bought a brand name VCR that turned out to be a fantastic receiver on 160 meters - if I fired up my transmitter with more than one watt, it would curl up and die. After a lot of testing and trying to clean up the interference, I simply tossed it in the trash and bought a different brand.
You can't win 'em all, but you can try!
Ralph W5JGV WC2XSR/13 WD2XSH/7 |
