Unintentional Interference

[W3NE]

Here is an instance of the FCC coming down hard on the owner of a business with emissions from fluorescent lighting that interferes with operations of a major corporation. Too bad hams can't get comparable relief once in awhile.

 http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2013/db1028/DA-13-2077A1.pdf


Bob - NE

[flintstone mop]

And do not mess with a 911 call center either.
Someone in an apartment was wiping out a radio system in Mercer Pa. on the 450 band with a charger for a scanner radio. The scanner radio was turned off. FCC called because the Motorola shop who had the contract for the 911 center did not know how to look for interference.
The Kenwood shop I worked at, had a tech out there snooping and searching and had an idea where the problem was, but the Moto guys didn't want our help. So the 911 call center was off the air a couple of days before the FECES arrived.
OK pay thrice the price for a Moto product and the little Kenwood (business radio, fire and rescue, etc etc) radio, which is only Ham radios, does the same as the high priced spread and more. The receive audio was always better and louder in a Motorola, compared to a Kenwood. My boss didn't like me for that.
Fred

[W3GMS]

Here is an instance of the FCC coming down hard on the owner of a business with emissions from fluorescent lighting that interferes with operations of a major corporation. Too bad hams can't get comparable relief once in awhile.

 http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2013/db1028/DA-13-2077A1.pdf


Bob - NE

Yes, I have seen similar action by the FCC.  I was involved as a consultant with an EMI test lab in the Pottstown area that was having severe high ambient noise problem on their open test range.  We traced the problem to a business near that EMI lab.  It was a bad florescent electronic ballast.  The owner of the adjacent business would not do anything until the FCC got involved.  Not only did the FCC field office verify the problem, but read the offending business owner the riot act.   Within a month, the lighting was replaced and the problem was resolved.  This all occurred about 2 or 3 years ago.

Joe - GMS   

[n3lrx]

I had a similar problem. My neighbor in Bowie, Md. kept complaining about me making his stereo, TV, etc.. talk while it was even turned off. 

He complained to me countless times so I called the FCC to see what I could do. They told me to work with the guy and install filters and the like on the devices in question and as long as I was operating legally there was nothing to worry about and If he refused help tough luck.

Consumer Beware!

He refused my help, even refused the help of a friend that I asked to help (Bob, KC3VO) who happens to be the engineer for a TV station. After several complaints and his refusal to accept any help I turned the tables on him. He had an electrostatic air cleaner attached to his furnace. So every time his furnace interfered with my enjoyment I went knocking on his door. When he asked how I knew I told him I can hear it, and he prevented me from listening to my radios.

After a few times of knocking on his door like he did mine, the complaints stopped. I guess he was still baffled how I could actually tell his furnace was on. 

Although I can relate. Every time I operated 160 meters my phone in the shack would ring off the hook. Evidently I was adding enough induced voltage in the telco line to make the telephone think it was ringing. An inline filter solved that.