Smart Meter

[flintstone mop]

Hello
Resubmitting an expired post about Smart Meters. Penn Power, First Energy, Whatever.
Informs us of installation of a Smart Meter.
I read old posts and some online chatter about RFI from these things. Have those issues been fixed??
RFI, like popping sounds heard in wireless headphones, cordless phones, security lighting acting weird from the interference from the electrical wiring in a residence?
Opcom had a post in October 2014 and discovered an energy HOG in use. That post has expired and suggestion was to start a new post.

Fred

[Opcom]

Meters have not been modified, apparently, and are not removed. Any electronic pestilence is up to the victim to cure.

[W6TOM]

  I work for a utility company as a communication technician, the technology that my company uses for its electric smart meters operates in the 902 to 928 MHz spread spectrum band. The residential meters send a data burst once an hour, commercial meters do it more frequently, these are in the 902 to 928 band. The data is received by units called a Data Collection Unit which saves the data and is then down loaded several times a day via the cell phone network. 

  Spread Spectrum is an unlicensed radio service, all that you need to do to legally operate is follow the FCC regulations for spread spectrum, these have to do with power, ERP, time on frequency and how much you must hop between frequencies. As as user in the spread spectrum band you accept the fact that it is a SHARED band and that you WILL be interfered with.

   There are a lot of consumer electronics that operate in the 902 to 928 band, baby monitors, cordless phones I know and I'm sure many other devices. These devices also interfere with electric smart meters.

   There are probably a number of electric smart meter technologies, this is the one I'm familiar with.

[W3GMS]

Our local utility company went to Smart Meters some time ago.  They do generate some broadband as observed on 80 meters.  The noise does diminish rapidly when you get away from them.  Up close it just sounds like a sizzling sound.  My open wire line is with 4 or so feet and its the cause of my elevated band noise.  The line was there long before the smart meters and I need to move the line.  To make matter worse I have two of them on my house!

Joe GMS   

[flintstone mop]

Thanks Joe
For the recent info. My OWL is about 50 feet away from the smart meter location. Now maybe we'll get more consistent readings and billing. I hope the meter they are retiring has been telling them the truth...
I remember getting winter bills around $85.00. Now, that has almost doubled.

Fred