[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: (meteorobs) radio meteor detection question
At 10:30 AM 09/04/97 -0500, Becky Schultz wrote:
>My question is this, what about having
>the equipment set up near power poles with transformers
>on them.
[snip]
>Would that create some kind of static noise?
Power line equipment noise is one of the things that is most difficult to
pinpoint and eliminate. Not to say that I know much about what happens...but
I understand that often, dirt, salt spray from both ocean-side locations and
winter road salt operations (cars and trucks throw up HUGE roostertails of
water lying on the road sometimes), and other filth and grime eventually
coat ceramic insulators on the power transformers and poles. The high
voltage on the wires is always looking for a shorter path to ground and can
begin to arc across the insulator to whatever supports it. This arc,
although taking place usually in the high audio and ultrasonic range, often
will cause high frequency noise that can and does interfere with radio and
television operation.
The buildup of the dirt film is caused at least partly by the attraction to
high voltage of small particles. Ever notice how your TV screen attracts
dirt and dust? Same principle.
So the short answer is yes, electrical power line equipment can and often
does, at some time, cause noise that can interfere with radio meteor scatter
setups. I won't bore the reflector with descriptions of how to get the power
company to fix the problem other than to say that it is the power company's
responsibility, and they DO often fix such problems fairly quickly.
If you have a radio meteor scatter setup and you think you're having power
line noise problems, contact me directly by e-mail and I'll be happy to tell
you more about what you can do.
Before I drop this subject: DO NOT EVER ATTEMPT TO DO ANYTHING WHATSOEVER TO
FIX POWER LINE EQUIPMENT YOURSELF!! NEVER TRY TO CLEAN THE INSULATORS BY
SPRAYING THEM WITH YOUR GARDEN HOSE:
================
YOU WILL---ALMOST CERTAINLY---BE ELECTROCUTED!
================
Call your power company and ask for help.
Clear skies and bright trails,
SteveH