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Ham Discoveries Dealing With Interference by Kirk Kleinschmidt, NTØZ |
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Unlike during the Golden Age of Radio, modern hams are surrounded by RF devices and electronic gadgets that all seem to be waiting to pounce when it comes to radio interference. And all that stuff doesn’t even begin to include the somewhat humorous fact that, as hams, we even interfere with ourselves!
Thankfully, most interference issues can be
solved or minimized. Running low power is an excellent first step. If
interference is really ruining your day, check out a recent edition of The
ARRL RFI Book. This phone-book size reference is a comprehensive resource
for fixing every imaginable interference problem in your home or mobile
shack. Check your local library or pay the few bucks required to get your
own copy. You’ll use it during your entire ham radio career When interference rears its ugly head, who’s to blame, anyway? And who is responsible for cleaning up the mess? The answers are varied. Before we examine specific solutions, let’s look a few interesting RFI facts. Hams must operate their transmitters in accordance with all appropriate FCC regulations. Make sure your station equipment is properly installed, has a good RF ground, uses a good low-pass filter at the station output, etc. Hams are not required to help their neighbors with RFI complaints that do not involve their transmissions (although they may elect to do so). The FCC considers telephones, VCRs, alarm systems, CD players, audio amplifiers, etc. that receive RFI to be improperly functioning as radio receivers. These design inadequacies are manufacturer issues (despite what your neighbors may say!). The RFI susceptibility of consumer electronic devices is limited only by the manufacturers’ voluntary compliance with committee-developed standards. The voluntary standards do not address operating the equipment in close proximity to powerful transmitters. Transmitter operators are not responsible for RFI in such situations. In general, equipment owners are responsible for proper operation of their equipment. As an example, if your neighbors experience RFI from your properly licensed, engineered, and operated ham station, they are responsible for any corrective measures. FCC regulations require that ham transmitters not emit spurious signals that interfere with other radio services. This is the ham operator’s sole regulatory requirement, and it doesn’t apply to interference to non-radio consumer devices. |
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