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Author Topic: Hi tension wires near my next house  (Read 393 times)

KC6RWI

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Hi tension wires near my next house
« on: October 15, 2022, 12:38:28 PM »

I may move into a house on a hillside, above the house up the hill  are those large metal towers carrying hi voltage. I
looked on google maps and the wires are 1,000 ft away. I plan to bring a radio over there probably powered temporarily
by my car to check to see if the HF bands will be affected.
What can I expect with these wires? Also I wonder then the summer comes and power capacity is at a hi point, will the
possibility of rfi be greater.
Is there are band that is more effected than others so I can check?
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AA4PB

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Re: Hi tension wires near my next house
« Reply #1 on: October 15, 2022, 01:06:09 PM »

The road to my son's house passes directly under one of those lines on steel towers and I've never heard any increased noise on my HF mobile radio when passing under it. I suspect that those lines are much better maintained than the old wooden poles that run through many neighborhoods. An old AM band radio tuned to the low end away from any stations would make a good worst case test.  The lower frequencies tend to travel farther along the lines than higher frequencies.
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Bob  AA4PB
Garrisonville, VA

K6SDW

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Re: Hi tension wires near my next house
« Reply #2 on: October 15, 2022, 01:08:43 PM »

I would start with an AM portable radio tuned to different frequencies and walk around the wires listening for noise...ur not supposed to do this, but I take a 1lbs hammer and wack the poles. This sometimes shows if there are loose hardware on the poles.

The MFJ856 is designed for this purpose, but very pricey. I have the older model and have loaned it out to several ham friends who were able to locate problems on specific poles. The next process, and probably the most difficult, is getting the local power company to respond and do their own testing...some do, some don't.

GL/73
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KC6RWI

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Re: Hi tension wires near my next house
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2022, 01:38:24 PM »

Thanks, the towers are high, and 1000 ft away, I maybe overthinking this, I will take an AM radio, in fact I have an old shirt pocket
transistor radio and I'll try it out. I haven't tried this before, it will be interesting.
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WE8Q

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Re: Hi tension wires near my next house
« Reply #4 on: October 15, 2022, 03:03:11 PM »

I had 200 ft power poles on my property with high voltage wires on them.  The wires were as big as my arms...I know because the power company had to drop the wires twice to replace poles when I lived there.  I had three different towers up over the 30 years that I lived there.  Had LP, tri-bander, wire antennas, and VHF antennas on the towers.  The closest tower to the power lines was 70 feet tall and had the LP antenna on it and VHF beams for 6 meters and two meters as well as wire antennas.  This tower was about 70 yards away from the power lines.  I worked 160 thru 2 meters and never had any noise problems from those power lines.  You're more likely to get noise from the lines feeding your house than from the high-tension lines which are maintained very well.
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W0BCG

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Re: Hi tension wires near my next house
« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2022, 06:19:42 PM »

One warning!  DO NOT EVER EVER EVER strike a power pole with anything, or violently shake a guy wire.  The very least that can happen is to create noises that weren't there before, and a hardware problem could arrive on your head.  GENTLY shaking a downguy can give you an indication of something amiss.  The AM radio is the best tool to use from the ground.

David R. DeSpain PE   W0BCG  First Class Radiotelephone License w/ Radar Endorsement.
Registered Professional Engineer, Missouri
Registered Professional Engineer, Illinois
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W9WQA

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Re: Hi tension wires near my next house
« Reply #6 on: November 03, 2022, 10:59:47 AM »

i live within2-300 feet.  never hear anything..
near the in.  south shore rr.
chi to south bend in.
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WA3SKN

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Re: Hi tension wires near my next house
« Reply #7 on: November 05, 2022, 09:10:02 AM »

"What can I expect with these wires?"... nothing!
Any noise is caused by loose connections, and the power company cares about loose connections on high voltage lines... Lost power is lost revenue!  It is the local feeds that end up with noise troubles.
Any noise is isolated between transformers though, and the distance between transformers on the high voltage lines are considerable.

-Mike.
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