(Source: Southgate ARC via Mike Hansgen)
LED Bulb RF Pollution – Elektor Magazine investigates
DARC, the German national amateur radio society, are requesting amateurs to send LED bulbs which pollute the RF spectrum to the magazine Elektor for investigation
A Google English translation reads:
Elektor-Verlag GmbH calls all readers and especially all radio amateurs to send non-compliant LED bulbs including power supplies. Elektor wants to investigate this EMC-technical and then forward it to the competent market surveillance of the BNetzA.
The reason for the action: As a result of a press release of the DARC in September 2017 on the significantly increasing interference of radio communications, other radio services and the DAB reception by non-EMC compliant LED bulbs Elektor had investigated such lamps (as well as LED strips). The result showed a progressive electromagnetic pollution.
The Federal Network Agency as competent authority for market surveillance in accordance with the EMVG has welcomed the call for the submission of suspicious copies. In addition, the Federal Agency would like to be informed if disturbing lamps attract attention. She then wants to investigate this situation and take the products out of the market, if they are still offered.
Please send suspicious copies
Elektor-Verlag GmbH
Kackertstr. 10
52072 AachenPlease enclose a note with the words “EMC LED lamp” so that everything runs correctly in the inbox. You can also announce your submission via e-mail to [email protected] with the subject “EMC-LED-Lamp”. Elektor Verlag GmbH then checks the lamp, publishes an update if necessary and informs the Federal Network Agency.
Here the link to the Elektor article from 23.04.2018
https://www.elektormagazine.de/news/bundesnetzagentur-zu-schicken-sie-uns-verdachtige-led-lampenSource DARC http://darc.de/
2017 RF pollution from LED bulbs in Elektor Magazine
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2017/september/rf-pollution-from-led-bulbs-in-elektor-magazine.htm
The DARC does even more: It is planning a long-term project with some 50 automatic monitoring stations with standardized, calibrated antennas and according to standardized methods to document the changes.
Every monitoring station will scan the bands for free frequencies and measure the background noise there. Every 15 min it will send its findings to a central database where the data will be colleced and evaluated.
This way the DARC wants to document the ever increasing interferences in a way that is valid according to the relevant standards. Most monitoring stations are planned to be placed at fixed locations all over Germany. But a few are planned to be placed for a limited time in especially interesting locations.
Presently relevant findings are collected. If you live in Germany see https://www.darc.de/der-club/referate/emv/emv-abhilfemassnahmen/. Also see the DARC magazine cqDL 12-2017, p. 15.
To emphasize it again: Informal reports to your dadio club are good. But if you wish to communicate with the legislative bodies you must do your measurements according to the standardized rules using calibrated equipment. Otherwise the authorities will not accept your findings.
See:
https://www.itu.int/dms_pubrec/itu-r/rec/p/R-REC-P.372-13-201609-I!!PDF-E.pdf
https://www.itu.int/dms_pubrec/itu-r/rec/bs/R-REC-BS.560-4-199710-I!!PDF-E.pdf
I guess I’ve been pretty lucky so far. I’ve got LED lights in two bedroom ceiling fans, in one bathroom and in a few lamps scattered through my residence, and none spew RFI on HF or other bands that I can tell. I have to be only 3-4 inches from them to hear anything on HF.
Wall warts are a much bigger issue here. A Roku I own spews noise whenever its wall wart is plugged up, but an older model is totally quiet. An air ionizer is even worse and trashes the entire HF band up to about 8.5 MHz. The washing machine makes all kinds of intermittent noises on HF, too. Dimmer switches on the other side of the home are a nightmare. But LED lights are not an issue.
Ok what is the shipping address?
I wish that the FCC would use its resources to track down RFI offenders rather than Radio Pirates.
I agree totally. If pirates don’t interfere with another broadcaster on any given frequency, the FCC should butt out.
From my experience, the FCC like all governmental agencies relishs control, not responsibility. This observation has been formed over decades and a recent experience with the Dallas FCC just confirmed it yet again.
These so-called “green” alternatives to incandescent lighting are another example of governmental foolishness. I won’t necessarily discount alternatives if they’re thoroughly vetted, but the FCC in the USA does a poor job of doing so. I’m pleased that my German ancestors in Europe are concerned enough to act. Maybe, the result will gain traction with the US government in another 50 years. 😉