{"id":50908,"date":"2021-11-17T22:23:18","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T02:23:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=50908"},"modified":"2021-11-17T22:23:18","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T02:23:18","slug":"off-the-shortwaves-unhappy-despondent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/11\/off-the-shortwaves-unhappy-despondent\/","title":{"rendered":"Off the Shortwaves: Unhappy & Despondent"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Guest Post by Troy Riedel<\/p>\n

Every radio enthusiast or ham\u00a0operator\u00a0knows this definition – something we all dread.\u00a0\u00a0Electromagnetic interference \u2013\u00a0<\/em>also known as\u00a0<\/em>radio-frequency interference\u00a0when in the radio frequency spectrum –\u00a0is a disturbance generated by an external source that affects an electrical circuit by electromagnetic induction, electrostatic coupling, or conduction (Source: Wikipedia).<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been \u201coff the shortwaves\u201d (in fact, off ALL bands!) for a few weeks (a reminder to those who do not remember – I\u2019m an\u00a0SWL\u2019er, I\u2019m not a ham operator so I\u2019m a listener only). \u00a0Here\u2019s my story:<\/p>\n

My house was built in 2004 thus the home\u2019s electrical is \u201cmodern era\u201d. \u00a0I\u2019ve never, ever had a significant problem with RFI \u2026 except when the dishwasher is\u00a0running\u00a0(if it\u2019s running, I have ZERO reception).<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t want this (I acquiesced only in an attempt to become grandfather of the year), but an in-ground\u00a0(vinyl liner)\u00a0pool has been installed in\u00a0my\u00a0backyard (yeah, I\u2019ve probably lost everyone\u2019s sympathy with this statement).\u00a0\u00a0If it\u2019s any consolation, construction started long before the summer and won\u2019t be\u00a0fully\u00a0completed until [hopefully]\u00a0next Spring<\/u>\u00a0(and what\u2019s left of my yard is a disaster zone\u00a0and something that will cost a fortune to mitigate\u00a0– maybe I\u2019ve gained back\u00a0just\u00a0a little\u00a0bit of\u00a0sympathy?).<\/p>\n

Pools are required to be\u00a0bonded<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(<\/em>the process by which the electrical and metallic components of the pool are joined together with a wire to form\u00a0a non-resistive path between the components. The goal of bonding is to connect, contain and prevent the transmission of any harmful electrical voltage to pool equipment,\u00a0people\u00a0and pets)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not an electrician, but essentially the pool is grounded by a copper wire \u2026 and a copper wire \u201cring\u201d encircles the pool (now covered by the concrete pool deck). \u00a0The copper wire\u00a0runs underground and resurfaces where the pump & filter are installed. \u00a0That copper bonding\/grounding connects to the remote master switch at the pump & filter (pictured here – note where the copper line connects to and grounds the unit):<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Electrical power line(s) run underground from the pump\/filter area until resurfacing just outside the garage wall where they enter my\u00a0home\u2019s\u00a0main breaker box inside the garage.<\/p>\n

There is an unfinished electrical component. \u00a0A conduit was installed to add a pool light when the project is completed next Spring (see below), but at this point there’s nothing connected thus a “pool light” is not yet present.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Throughout\u00a0the dig, installation of the steel walls, pouring the concrete bottom & steps,\u00a0liner installation,\u00a0the bonding, and covering the bonding “ring” with the concrete pool deck – all of this had\u00a0zero\u00a0negative\u00a0effects\u00a0on my SWLing.<\/p>\n

Once the pool electrician connected power (connected the pump\/filter) to the house,\u00a0ALL<\/em>\u00a0radio bands were knocked out due to very<\/strong><\/em> extreme RFI. \u00a0All\u00a0<\/em>bands – the complete spectrum (choose your letters \u2026 AM\/MW, FM, SW, VHF, UHF –\u00a0all<\/em>\u00a0bands).<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve\u00a0easily\u00a0spent double-digit hours trying to isolate the EMI. \u00a0This is what I\u2019ve done & discovered:<\/p>\n

(1)\u00a0Disconnected\u00a0the pool grounding: no effect.<\/p>\n

(2)\u00a0[Only]\u00a0Powered-off the two main breakers for the pool pump & filter:\u00a0no effect\u00a0(the pool equipment was tested, then the pool was winterized so nothing\u00a0has\u00a0been running).<\/p>\n

(3)\u00a0We used a handheld EMI detector over every inch of the\u00a0interior and exterior of the house. \u00a0Yes, there are sources but nothing to the level that should cause a radio blackout.<\/p>\n

(4) Turned\u00a0off the main breaker, all power to the house: this\u00a0is the only thing that eliminated the EMI\/RFI<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

(5) Multiple times<\/em>,\u00a0I\u2019ve painstakingly turned-on one breaker at a time (isolating each circuit, on\/off then proceeding to the next breaker). \u00a0I\u2019ve found that for whatever reason, extreme RFI returns (and is present) on these three circuits: (upstairs) Master Bedroom (my\u00a0Listening Post), the other upstairs bedrooms (combined on another circuit), and the (downstairs) Family Room circuit. \u00a0Note<\/strong>: Even if\u00a0everything\u00a0is unplugged on one of these circuits, just turning on the breaker introduces the extreme RFI (thus it must be coming from the breaker & not introduced from a device plugged-in). \u00a0Ferrite chokes have been installed on nearly everything plugged-in to outlets on the three “trouble” circuits. \u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not saying the house was an RFI-free zone before the pool – but these three circuits only produced light-to-manageable RFI prior to the pool equipment being connected to the house\u2019s main breaker box. \u00a0After 6000+ days of living in this house with no significant RFI issues, I’ve been in a complete radio blackout with very extreme RFI since the moment the live electrical line was connected between my pool pump\/filter and my main breaker box.<\/p>\n

And before you ask:\u00a0No, there have not been any\u00a0new electronics, no new devices, no new appliances, no LED lights, and all big screen TVs and other notorious RFI unfriendly devices are unplugged – nothing new has been plugged-in or added to the household except for the pool equipment<\/em>. \u00a0There have been no new utilities in my area that could have caused a coincidental problem (no DSL, no fiber optic – nothing).\u00a0 I cannot see how this situ could be caused by a neighbor,\u00a0because the problem ceases when my power is off. \u00a0And \u201cno\u201d, I can\u2019t move my Listening Post because even though the majority of the RFI is\u00a0introduced<\/em>\u00a0over those three circuits, the entire house is impacted and it’s a complete radio blackout.<\/p>\n

To\u00a0reiterate, I had no radio-related problems during the entire construction (I listened to my radios as I pleased) and the problem did not start until the pool\u2019s electrical line was connected to the main breaker.<\/p>\n

Could the new wiring – at\/inside the breaker box – be improperly shielded? \u00a0Could something be touching(?)\u00a0that shouldn\u2019t be? \u00a0Could something be loose inside the breaker box? \u00a0The three circuit breakers that are introducing the\u00a0extreme\u00a0RFI are\u00a0in close proximity to\u00a0each other in the breaker box and in close proximity to the two new pool breakers – could there be contamination from one to another?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t make it a habit to play with electricity. \u00a0The pool company could frankly care less about my radio woes (it\u2019s my problem, not theirs). \u00a0My power company supposedly checked their utility line coming into my house (I didn\u2019t see them here, but they said the problem is not on their end).\u00a0 \u00a0And local electricians all essentially\u00a0say, \u201c[from their prospective] EMI sources are hard – if not impossible – to find\u201d.<\/p>\n

I have an electrician lined-up but we both thought it might be best to \u201cput this out there\u201d because someone may have an idea that he hasn\u2019t thought of. Thus far, I’ve done almost<\/em> everything myself that they stated they would do (minus opening-up the breaker box). \u00a0I’m hoping to solicit ideas from the SWLing Post Nation<\/em> before I put the electrician on the clock. \u00a0And on the clock = $$$.<\/p>\n

Thanks in advance for your input. \u00a0If I can’t get this mitigated, a liquidation event may be in my future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest Post by Troy Riedel Every radio enthusiast or ham\u00a0operator\u00a0knows this definition – something we all dread.\u00a0\u00a0Electromagnetic interference \u2013\u00a0also known as\u00a0radio-frequency interference\u00a0when in the radio frequency spectrum –\u00a0is a disturbance generated by an external source that affects an electrical circuit by electromagnetic induction, electrostatic coupling, or conduction (Source: Wikipedia). I\u2019ve been \u201coff the shortwaves\u201d (in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[9222,8969,453,8465,4581],"class_list":["post-50908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-ferrite-chokes-rfi","tag-guest-post","tag-rfi","tag-troubleshooting","tag-troy-riedel"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-df6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19942,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/rfi-from-solar-power-installations\/","url_meta":{"origin":50908,"position":0},"title":"RFI from solar power installations","author":"Thomas","date":"July 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Southgate ARC) The Netherlands national amateur radio society VERON reports on the pollution problems caused by Solar Panels installed on homes Electrical systems such as solar panel installations must comply with EMC (Electro Magnetic Compatibility) standards. That means that there is a limit to the electromagnetic fields (EMF) that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"PV-Solar-Panels","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/PV-Solar-Panels.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/PV-Solar-Panels.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/PV-Solar-Panels.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/PV-Solar-Panels.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45798,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/steve-tracks-down-the-source-of-persistent-radio-interference-and-gets-it-addressed\/","url_meta":{"origin":50908,"position":1},"title":"Steve tracks down the source of persistent radio interference and gets it addressed","author":"Thomas","date":"October 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Steve Allen (KZ4TN), who shares the following guest post: Tracking Down Radio Frequency Interference by Steve Allen, KZ4TN I first noticed the RFI in late November 2019 as a steady buzz at around S9. It was present over most of the high frequency spectrum.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/power-substation-e1602004330569.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/power-substation-e1602004330569.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/power-substation-e1602004330569.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/power-substation-e1602004330569.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51771,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/radio-waves-bbc-license-fee-frozen-battling-rfi-warning-to-rtl-sdr-users-in-ukraine-and-wrd-special-broadcast\/","url_meta":{"origin":50908,"position":2},"title":"Radio Waves: BBC License Fee Frozen, Battling RFI, Warning to RTL-SDR Users in Ukraine, and WRD Special Broadcast","author":"Thomas","date":"February 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Braun-T1000CD-Front-Dial-e1554814225364.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Braun-T1000CD-Front-Dial-e1554814225364.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Braun-T1000CD-Front-Dial-e1554814225364.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Braun-T1000CD-Front-Dial-e1554814225364.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51636,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/01\/the-conclusion-to-off-the-shortwaves-unhappy-despondent\/","url_meta":{"origin":50908,"position":3},"title":"The conclusion to “Off the Shortwaves: Unhappy & Despondent”","author":"Troy Riedel","date":"January 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"From SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel: I\u2019d like to thank the SWLing Post Nation for their input re: my EMI\/RFI issue (see: this previous post). It\u2019s been a long 4-months and I\u2019d like to share the results and outcome of my situation. I will pick up where the last post\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_7156.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_7156.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_7156.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_7156.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IMG_7156.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45501,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/09\/faulty-tv-to-blame-for-18-month-broadband-outage\/","url_meta":{"origin":50908,"position":4},"title":"Faulty TV to blame for 18 month broadband outage","author":"Thomas","date":"September 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jeremy, who--in light of our recent discussions about RFI--shares the following news item from the BBC: The mystery of why an entire village lost its broadband every morning at 7am was solved when engineers discovered an old television was to blame. An unnamed householder\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Flat-Screen-TV-RFI-e1600785553370.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Flat-Screen-TV-RFI-e1600785553370.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Flat-Screen-TV-RFI-e1600785553370.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Flat-Screen-TV-RFI-e1600785553370.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50625,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/ham-radio-workbench-episode-explores-diversity-reception\/","url_meta":{"origin":50908,"position":5},"title":"Ham Radio Workbench episode explores Diversity Reception","author":"Thomas","date":"October 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I just finished listening to the most recent episode of the Ham Radio Workbench with John Fallows (VE6EY) as a guest. John is an SWL and Ham Radio operator and speaks at length about how he uses diversity reception to mitigate persistent local RFI (radio frequency interference). If you have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/SDRplay-RSPduo-Antenna-ports.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/SDRplay-RSPduo-Antenna-ports.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/SDRplay-RSPduo-Antenna-ports.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/SDRplay-RSPduo-Antenna-ports.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50908\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}