[whitenack]

I have a buddy who lives next-door to a big time ham radio operator. This guy has several large antennas on his house, an entire room filled with electronic equipment, etc.. Everything this neighbor does is legal, and appreciated (he helped people in our area contact their families in Haiti).


However, all that radio activity absolutely wipes out my neighbor's TV. The screen will go completely black for a time. My friend and his neighbor have a good relationship, but my friend wants to watch TV and his neighbor wants to use his radio, and typically this happens at the same time of day.


My friend contacted the cable company and they were no help.


Is there a solution? Is there anything that can be done to shield the radio interference? Is it an issue with the cable or the TV?


Thanks,

 

[RandyWalters]

I'm wondering exactly how the radio transmissions make the TV go completely black, especially considering that his source is cable. Your friend and his neighbor are going to have to do some thorough testing together to determine the exact cause of his screen going black. It could be something completely unrelated to the ham radio operation.


It is not legal for a ham operator to interfere with his neighbors' electronic devices. There are laws to protect the citizens from invasive radio frequencies. If they can't work it out together, your friend can file a complaint with the FCC and they will investigate it. They may be able to work with the operator to get his equipment into compliance.


Many many years ago (when almost everybody was using roof antennas) we had a ham operator in the neighborhood and we could see and hear his transmissions over our TVs. He completely denied that it was him (he was the only one with a 40 foot radio tower in his back yard) and he wouldn't work with us to correct it so we reported him to the FCC and within a few weeks the interference completely stopped for good.

 

[whitenack]

thanks for the reply.


I talked with my friend, and he said the screen actually doesn't go completely blank, it flickers on and off and gets jumbled/fuzzy. He said it only happens when his neighbor uses the radio.

 

[atarbell]

Nonsense. The ham radio operator is not necessarily responsible for correcting the interference.


The FCC has stated time and time again that unless the radio operator is transmitting out of band or over power limits, the operator is in compliance.


More than likely the fault is due to lack of or inadequate filtering inside the tv or a break in the cable system. FCC Part 15 specifically states that the tv user must accept any unintential interference from transmitters operating within specification. Check youR user's manual.


That said, the vast majority of radio ops will go to great lenghts to mitigate an interference issue EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT.

 

[whitenack]

I don't guess I am wanting to lay blame to either party, I'm just wanting to know if there is a fix. Is the interference at the TV itself, or is it in the cable, or something else? Is this something that can be shielded, or something he is just going to have to live with?

 

[bd1]

i would test by disconnecting coax cable & try diff source (dvd/vcr) when this happens & see if you still get flickers/jumbled pic. if yes, then it could be tv's shielding (or excessive power levels from ham.)


if issue only happens w/ coax hooked up then i would call cable company back & schedule for a tech to come out around same time this happens. issue could be due to leakage somewhere in your friend's cabling allowing interference. if so tech should be able to isolate & fix - cable co has vested interest re e/ingress w/ their plant.


if issue is due to excessive power levels from ham equipment - tech usually will be able to let you know, then you'll have to work w/ neighbor to resolve or proceed per Randy's suggestion.

 

[arosenau]

Let us know what you find out, i'm interested to hear the outcome. As atarbell stated the ham radio operator is not responsible for correcting interference which is probably most likely caused by improper shielding on the TV or a break in the cable line. However most all operators will be more than happy to help find the issue and correct. Most of the time things like this are not caused by the HAM operator, but rather some other means like bad shielding, or a faulty microwave or something of the sort.


Of course if the HAM operator is operating over the legal power limit, then he or she may be causing or contributing to the issue.


bd1 had some excellent troubleshooting steps to follow, just work with with ham radio operator to test with him transmitting when the cable is not hooked up to see if it still affects the tv or if it is only when the cable is hooked up.

 

[glaufman]



Quote:
Originally Posted by atarbell /forum/post/18153633


The FCC has stated time and time again that unless the radio operator is transmitting out of band or over power limits, the operator is in compliance.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arosenau /forum/post/18156902


Of course if the HAM operator is operating over the legal power limit, then he or she may be causing or contributing to the issue.

A few years ago the FCC started imposing new restrictions on hams including scanning their emissions for unintended directionality and the like. I believe every ham was required to scan the area for their particular modes of operation.


It is always true that there may be a few bad apples, and things have changed the last decade or two, but it was back when I was an active and avid operator that most hams would gladly work with you (and have the knowledge) to work out any problems. Many I knew paid for filters on neighbors equipment to make problems go away.

 

[istandalone]

Old thread, but a good ham should know how to mitigate the problem. Was the issue ever resolved?

 

[Mike21401]

Nonsense. The ham radio operator is not necessarily responsible for correcting the interference.


The FCC has stated time and time again that unless the radio operator is transmitting out of band or over power limits, the operator is in compliance.


More than likely the fault is due to lack of or inadequate filtering inside the tv or a break in the cable system. FCC Part 15 specifically states that the tv user must accept any unintential interference from transmitters operating within specification. Check youR user's manual.


That said, the vast majority of radio ops will go to great lenghts to mitigate an interference issue EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT.

GET Filters from Amazon
Not the fault of the Radio Operator
It the lack of Selective Filters in the TV System
Search Amazon for a TV High Pass Filter
HYC-05 and a Dual BandPass Filter

Mike

 

[Mike21401]

GET Filters from Amazon
Not the fault of the Radio Operator
It the lack of Selective Filters in the TV System
Search Amazon for a TV High Pass Filter
HYC-05 and a Dual BandPass Filter

Mike

Here the required High Pass Filter

 

[Mike21401]

Here the required High Pass Filter