I was trying to keep a long story short. In looking back, I did almost
everything correct right from the beginning. The only thing I did that I
shouldn't have was to actually put ferrite chokes and filters on my
neighbors electronics. There was never any harm done but I easily could
have gotten the credit for their eight year old TV going on the blink or
some such nonsense. I'm still going to keep a LONG story short. My
neighbors didn't want to hear that their cordless phone was RFI susceptible,
or that their thermostat was poorly engineered or that their remote
controlled ceiling fan was RFI susceptible. In other words, there was no
telephone RFI without the cordless phone hooked up. There was no heater
problems with a good thermostat hooked up. They decided it was my station
causing the problem so they got the city involved. Now they can live with
any RFI they might have. They're not getting any more help from me. That's
the way it's been for several years now.
73,
NM6R - Ray
Check out our web site!
http://www.netfeed.com/~kt6ra
----- Original Message -----
From: EDWARDS, EDDIE J <eedwards@oppd.com>
To: <rfi@contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 1999 08 35
Subject: RE: [RFI] Need Help With RFI Problem with Neighbor
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > I have previously tried to help my neighbors solve their problems. NO
> > MORE.
> > They can resolve their problems by themselves. I spent a lot of time
> > helping them. They didn't appreciate it one bit. All the while they
just
> > knew the problems were on my end so the two neighbors that had RFI got
the
> > neighborhood together and involved the city. To make a long story
short,
> > I
> > prevailed and they can live with their RFI. End of story. It seems the
> > more you do to try to help them, the more they figure you're helping
> > because
> > it's your problem. They're going to get mad at you sooner or later, so
> > why
> > waste your time? GL.
> >
> [Ed-K0iL] Dealing with RFI is always easier than dealing with
> neighbors. After giving some thought to this posting, I have to ask some
> questions. (and please do not take any personal offense at what I'm about
to
> write--I certainly don't mean any.)
>
> These questions are assumptions since I don't know anything about
> your specifics. I'm simply trying to point out some pitfalls all of us,
as
> hams, might be making in general when dealing with a neighbor!
>
> 1) When offering to help did you say something like "We CAN or WILL
> eliminate the interference by placing some filters on your equipment"? Or
> "Adding these filters WILL eliminate the interference"? If so, these
> sounds a little bit like promises. DO NOT promise anything.
>
> 2) When you "helped them" did you solve the interference problem or
> not? If not, and if you promised you would, I can see where they might
get
> mad at you.
>
> I always tell them we can try to reduce the interference by adding
> filtering and that it "might" work, but I never promise to solve "The
> Problem" at all. I usually explain that "The Problem" is that the TV (or
> phone, etc.) is interacting with my radio signal, and that it is not
> supposed to do this!! I explain that almost all TVs (or phones) do this
and
> that it is normal. Also, if they're still listening, I state that the FCC
> won't do anything about it because the US Congress won't make any laws to
> force the TV/Stereo/Phone manufacturers to make better products that do
not
> interact in this way.
>
> IF they won't talk with you or listen to you about "The Problem",
> maybe there's some other reason why they don't like you already, or there
> might not be a good reason to like you to start with. Are you a
> neighborly-type of neighbor saying "Hi! How are you?" once in a while?
Lend
> a hand when they obviously need it?
>
> I had one neighbor (2 doors down) who never complained about any
> interference for 7 years (before cable) until I moved out of my parents
> house. When asked by my mom why he never said anything, he said, "Because
> he was one of the good kids in the neighborhood!"
>
> My current next door neighbor has never said anything to me, but his
> daughter complained once during a DX contest about me getting into their
> phone--and in a rather snotty way I might add. I explained that phones
are
> not supposed to pick up radio waves; mine doesn't, and if hers was, she
> should call US West an complain about it!!! I then went right back to
> contesting. After five years her dad has not said a thing about it. Why?
> perhaps because I mow his front yard when it gets a little too long. I
also
> shovel his walks in the winter while I'm out with my snow blower. Just
> being a good neighbor...ya know?
>
> Maybe things are different on the coasts then they are here in
> Nebraska. I have heard horror stories from NJ & CA about battling
neigbors
> and court battles, and it seems to be spreading inland to some degree. No
> need to circle the wagons until they've made their first real attack. So
> lets all go out there and be nice to our neighbors and see if we can make
> some friends.
>
> 73,
> de ed -K0iL
> "Won't you be my Neighbor?" --Mr. Rodgers
>
>
> >
>
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>
>
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