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Re: [RFI] Grow Lights Coming to NJ - What can we do?

To: Bob Turner <n2scj-lists@outlook.com>
Subject: Re: [RFI] Grow Lights Coming to NJ - What can we do?
From: Michael Aust via RFI <rfi@contesting.com>
Reply-to: Michael Aust <wb6dji_dx@icloud.com>
Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2021 09:15:27 -0700
List-post: <mailto:rfi@contesting.com>
Here what to expect from Grow Lights 
73
Good Luck 
Mike
WB6DJI 

https://youtu.be/vm4lkQE6-QE


Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 3, 2021, at 9:03 AM, Bob Turner <n2scj-lists@outlook.com> wrote:
> 
> I grow tomatoes, peppers, cucs, and cantaloupe.  I start from seed on March 
> 1st and used to put up with VHF desense while my grow was in progress.  I did 
> not detect anything on HF, but I'm mostly FT8.  
> 
> This year for the first time I built a "grow box" out of foil lined Celotex.  
> I sealed the corners with aluminum foil tape (might not have been needed).  
> The foil lined box serves multiple purposes.  1) Keeps heat from grow lights 
> and mats inside the box. 2) The foil reflects the grow light onto the plants 
> and not into the surrounding room.   3) The box keeps the humidity in the 
> plant box and mostly out of my basement.   And #4, (drum roll please) the 
> foil lined grow box acts as a faraday cage to my noisy grow lights and I did 
> not have to hear them this year.  Perhaps the home growers will like my 
> grow/faraday box idea for reasons #1, #2, #3, and we get the bonus #4.  That 
> may be wishful thinking.
> 
> 7 3  Bob
> N2SCJ
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: RFI [mailto:rfi-bounces+n2scj-lists=outlook.com@contesting.com] On 
> Behalf Of Dave
> Sent: Wednesday, November 3, 2021 11:38 AM
> To: rfi@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [RFI] Grow Lights Coming to NJ - What can we do?
> 
> See:
> 
> https://www.nk7z.net/rfi-snapshots/grow-lights/
> 
> for SDR Spectrograms of several different grow lights...  Time runs along the 
> vertical axis, and frequency along the horizontal axes.  The B/W Spectrograms 
> show a 24 hour period of time.
> 
> There seems to be so many lights that are not compliant, that is has become a 
> loosing battle for me, and I suspect others...  With the lack of FCC and 
> customs intervention/enforcement on incoming, and existing items, it has 
> become a reactive issue for the FCC, not a proactive issue as far as I can 
> tell.
> 
> This places me, (and soon you), in the unenviable position of RFI first 
> contact.  We must locate, inform, try and solve, all prior to contact with 
> the ARRL or the FCC.  Given that the state of Oregon has said it believes 
> that most growers are "exporting" the product to areas where it is not legal 
> I may be placing myself in the unenviable position of dealing with an illegal 
> drug dealer when/if I contact the person(s) involved.  I truly dislike this, 
> and it is a crying shame that Amateurs are placed in that position.
> 
> It took about two years here in Oregon for the lights to become a real 
> pain...  In some areas, I find several grow light operations per block...  I 
> suspect they are the small tomato lights sold by the big box stores to people 
> for growing, for personal use.  They all seem to be driven by a high power 
> Switching Mode Power Supplies...
> 
> The ARRL took a lot of time, and documented several instances of Big Box 
> Stores selling non compliant lighting to homes, (Part 18 vs. Part 15), and 
> passed this on to the FCC.  As far as I know, the FCC did nothing... 
>  Perhaps Ed Hare can comment in more detail on that subject, as I believe he 
> was involved.  The ARRL is doing all it can as far as I see things, but the 
> problem is completely out of hand here...
> 
> I now work DX during the off hours of the lights.  They typically run for 12 
> to 18 hours a day, depending on where in the growing cycle their owners are.
> 
> Most seem to wipe out 40 meters, 80 Meters, 20 Meters, and in some cases 
> 15...  Usually all at once...
> 
> As you can tell, I am not happy about this at all...  I used to have an
> S4 noise level on 40 Meters-- looking at my S meter now, I see, S9 +10 db, 
> from a grow operation two blocks away.  This has gone on for five to ten 
> years, now.  At some point, my wife and I will pack up and move to the 
> country...  I contacted the person currently generating my strongest source 
> of RFI once several years ago, it got better for about a month, then returned.
> 
> Frankly I am a bit worried if he gets turned in, I will find a lit road flair 
> coming through my front window at 2 AM one morning...  This is one of at 
> least three grow operations all within a mile of me...
> 
> In working with some growers I have had great luck, but about 20% of them 
> could care less...  The entire process is now basackwards, as we are the 
> contact point, with teh grower, which is a horrid position to be in as far as 
> I am concerned.  So, I leave it alone, and operate when the lights are off, 
> as I suspect a lot of folks are doing.
> 
> Good luck...
> 
> 73, and thanks,
> Dave (NK7Z)
> https://www.nk7z.net
> ARRL Volunteer Examiner
> ARRL Technical Specialist, RFI
> ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources
> 
>> On 11/3/21 6:39 AM, Christopher Wawak wrote:
>> [please keep this topic ONLY to RFI of grow lights, and not politics, 
>> your thoughts on cannabis, your lumbago, or anything like that. I am 
>> replacing "cannabis" with tomato from now on.]
>> 
>> I recently read that NJ's Governor is open to TOMATO home-grow, which 
>> typically involves noisy lights (as I understand it). Tomatoes are 
>> recently legal in New Jersey. Whether growing them at home is 
>> ultimately allowed or not, grow light RFI is coming to NJ 
>> neighborhoods. I understand it's pretty bad!
>> 
>> From folks out west, what can I expect from grow light noise? Wiping 
>> out the entire spectrum, or a few spurs here and there? I live in a 
>> moderately tight suburban neighborhood.
>> 
>> Since we know that it's coming, how can I work with my lawmakers to 
>> make them informed of the impending impact of grow light RFI on the 
>> amateur radio service and other services? Can we teach grow light 
>> users and vendors about RFI-clean installations?
>> 
>> Thank you,
>> 
>> -- Chris KC2IEB
>> _______________________________________________
>> RFI mailing list
>> RFI@contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/rfi
>> 
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