Hi Joe,
Your method comes with significant risk to yourself and others...
Here's my story.
During a CQWW 160 contest circa 1980 we had intense RFI pop up
during Saturday night. I quickly isolated it to a power pole
1/2 mile away at the entrance to a veterans cemetery.
I used your guy wire method and it worked. For a while...
I returned to the pole and applied your method even more vigorously.
K A B A M !#*! Sparks flew from the top of the pole and the
all of the lights at the cemetery went dark.
But the RFI was gone for the rest of the night...
Next morning I drove past the cemetery and there was a long
line of mourners waiting for access the reception building...
That method is dangerous!
73
Frank
W3LPL
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe" <nss@mwt.net>
To: "David Eckhardt" <davearea51a@gmail.com>, "Mike Martin"
<mike@rfiservices.com>
Cc: "Rfi List" <rfi@contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2024 8:15:04 AM
Subject: Re: [RFI] Source power pole located - but wonder which components most
likely temperature sensitive
I understand this, and as a 50+ year Ham I also have done this Hammer Test.
BUT! I'll raise you by 10db! The vibrations made by the sledgehammer, is
TINY compared to what we used to do all the time.
We had one pole the power company just refused to fix, so at least once
a week we had to go out and quiet it down,
The Sledgehammer made changes, but rarely ever made it get quiet.
What we did was grab onto one of the pole GUY lines, and literally push
and pull on it, like 2 or 3 feet side to side, we would get the wires on
the poles between the poles bouncing up and down a couple feet! that
made them get quiet. we never had parts fall off.
Joe WB9SBD
On 1/29/2024 6:27 PM, David Eckhardt wrote:
> OK, Michael. I will cease spreading old and dangerous techniques for
> finding bad connections on power poles.
>
> Thank you. I stand corrected 50 years later.
>
> Dave - WØLEV
>
> On Tue, Jan 30, 2024 at 12:15 AM Michael Martin<mike@rfiservices.com>
> wrote:
>
>> You're right David 50 years ago is right about the time I started doing
>> this job. I was taught at that time that the method of choice was to listen
>> to the radio and hit the pole with a sledgehammer. I repeat what A wise man
>> once said, it was an acceptable practice. I've been doing this job full
>> time for 45 years. Over 30 years ago I was standing under a pole in College
>> Park Maryland and thought it was a good idea to put a hard hat on as I hit
>> the pole with a hammer because people were watching me through a cafeteria
>> window. I thought I would look more professional. I hit the pole with a
>> sledgehammer and a galvanized steel j-hook hit me in the head. Luckily I
>> covered my head with a hard hat. It could have just as easily hit me in the
>> shoulder and ripped my shoulder apart but a galvanized steel lag falling
>> from 40 ft overhead has a lot of force. About that moment the light came
>> on! I vowed to never do that again. And I haven't. But I can tell you there
>> has been many times since then that things have fallen from a pole and
>> could have easily fallen on someone's head. Nowadays they call that line of
>> fire. Part of my practice is to teach people to do the work from beside the
>> pole and across the street and I do my best to get the point across. I
>> think the RFI reflector is a very good place to point this out because
>> unfortunately there are a lot of people that think it's okay to do that. If
>> I'm ever in your area I hope you attend a presentation I give to a radio
>> club or one of the ham conventions and you see the slides that I show of
>> what happens when people hit poles. No offense meant in your statement and
>> I'm glad to hear that it was 50 years ago. Not everything we do nowadays is
>> not as good as it was back then. Be safe
>>
>> Michael Martin
>> RFI Services
>> 51 W Bay Front Rd
>> Lothian, MD 20711
>>
>> 240-508-3760
>> mike@rfiservices.com
>> www.rfiservices.com
>>
>> On Mon, Jan 29, 2024, 7:04 PM David Eckhardt<davearea51a@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Well, it was sme 50 years ago. So be it.........
>>>
>>> Dave - WØLEV
>>>
>>> On Mon, Jan 29, 2024 at 11:23 PM Steve London<n2icarrl@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>> "Believe me, it's
>>>> an accepted practice."
>>>>
>>>> No, it is not "an accepted practice". You are not to be believed. It
>> is a
>>>> dangerous practice.
>>>>
>>>> 73,
>>>> Steve, N2IC
>>>>
>>>> On Mon, Jan 29, 2024 at 2:32 PM David Eckhardt<davearea51a@gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> A standard procedure for physically exciting loose connections up top
>> a
>>>>> power pole: Take a big sledge hammer and beat on the pole from the
>>> bottom
>>>>> while monitoring for RFI. It looks brutile, but works if your hammer
>> is
>>>>> massive enough and you have a gorilla swing the hammer. Believe me,
>>> it's
>>>>> an accepted practice.
>>>>>
>>>>> Dave - WØLEV
>>>>>
>>>>> On Mon, Jan 29, 2024 at 8:04 PM K9MA<k9ma@sdellington.us> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 1/29/2024 12:47 PM, David Eckhardt wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> QUOTE: It may not even be a failed component, as any two pieces of
>>>>> poorly
>>>>>> bonded hardware can produce noise. That could explain the
>> temperature
>>>>>> dependence. In any case, have them check all the hardware on that
>>> pole.
>>>>>> An almost giveaway symptom for this type of failure is erratic
>>> behavior
>>>>>> of the RFI in a good gusty wind.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> True. It is possible to simulate that gusty wind, but power
>> companies
>>>>>> frown on that.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 73,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Scott K9MA
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Scott K9MA
>>>>>> k9ma@sdellington.us
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>>
>>>>> *Dave - WØLEV*
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> RFI mailing list
>>>>> RFI@contesting.com
>>>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/rfi
>>>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> *Dave - WØLEV*
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> RFI mailing list
>>> RFI@contesting.com
>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/rfi
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>
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