Anyone else in the group have any experience with the new "smart" KWH
meters being deployed
by many utilities?

We we arrived home after a fun filled visit to the family MD, I found a
hang tag on the door that
said RECC had replaced out meter with anew, udated, smart meter that
allowed for remoted
measurement of our eletric usage.

No big deal except this is the RFI jammer from hell.

Itut makes a firedrake jammer nice by comparison.

From below 100KHz to above 30MHz a low level, just below S1, hash wipes
out all weak signals.
Too late today to call and complain, but I thought everyone might want
a heads up on this. Just
whne it looked with BPL is dead hear abouts, here comes a new RFI
source from left field.

The only good thing is that I am an extra class so I could see what 1KW
AM does to it.

It is a:
Focus KWH
Type ALF
Form 2S CL200

I don't know if I am receiving mine, or the collective RF from all the
meters in the area.
All three of my prirmary antennas have about the same noise level.

I just aquired a Tek 7613 and a Tek 7704A frames with a 7L12 spectrum
analyzer.
If they had only waited another week I would have completed a noise
audit on all three of
my antennas.

Terry

Terry,
Thanks for letting us know. Might be a good thing to
forward to the ARRL as well.

Steve

wrote in message
ups.com...
Anyone else in the group have any experience with the new "smart" KWH
meters being deployed
by many utilities?

We we arrived home after a fun filled visit to the family MD, I found a
hang tag on the door that
said RECC had replaced out meter with anew, udated, smart meter that
allowed for remoted
measurement of our eletric usage.

No big deal except this is the RFI jammer from hell.

Itut makes a firedrake jammer nice by comparison.

From below 100KHz to above 30MHz a low level, just below S1, hash wipes
out all weak signals.
Too late today to call and complain, but I thought everyone might want
a heads up on this. Just
whne it looked with BPL is dead hear abouts, here comes a new RFI
source from left field.

The only good thing is that I am an extra class so I could see what 1KW
AM does to it.

It is a:
Focus KWH
Type ALF
Form 2S CL200

I don't know if I am receiving mine, or the collective RF from all the
meters in the area.
All three of my prirmary antennas have about the same noise level.

I just aquired a Tek 7613 and a Tek 7704A frames with a 7L12 spectrum
analyzer.
If they had only waited another week I would have completed a noise
audit on all three of
my antennas.

Terry

wrote:
Anyone else in the group have any experience with the new "smart" KWH
meters being deployed
by many utilities?

We we arrived home after a fun filled visit to the family MD, I found a
hang tag on the door that
said RECC had replaced out meter with anew, udated, smart meter that
allowed for remoted
measurement of our eletric usage.

No big deal except this is the RFI jammer from hell.

Itut makes a firedrake jammer nice by comparison.

From below 100KHz to above 30MHz a low level, just below S1, hash wipes
out all weak signals.
Too late today to call and complain, but I thought everyone might want
a heads up on this. Just
whne it looked with BPL is dead hear abouts, here comes a new RFI
source from left field.

The only good thing is that I am an extra class so I could see what 1KW
AM does to it.

It is a:
Focus KWH
Type ALF
Form 2S CL200

I don't know if I am receiving mine, or the collective RF from all the
meters in the area.
All three of my prirmary antennas have about the same noise level.

I just aquired a Tek 7613 and a Tek 7704A frames with a 7L12 spectrum
analyzer.
If they had only waited another week I would have completed a noise
audit on all three of
my antennas.

Terry

My KWH meter was upgraded to a digital remote reading model
Schlumberger-'Centron' about two years ago. Since then I've suspected
that some of the noise sources on HF might be coming from the meter. I'm
tempted to temporarily remove the meter and jumper the contacts in the
box to see if the noise goes away. I wonder if the power company would
let me have the old style mechanical meter back if I could prove that
the new one is an RF noise maker?

Brenda Ann wrote:
Only S1? Not to belittle you or anything, but I suffer with a solid S-9 (or
higher) from 100 KHz through about 15 MHz, and it drops off slowly from
there. That's just an almost white-noise-like impulse noise, presumably it's
pretty much everywhere in town, due to the ungrounded electrical system used
here... makes DX nearly impossible. Going to try a shielded loop as soon as
I can build one..

Given that I have spent considerable time and energy reducing the QRN
and
trying to build the quitest atenna system possible, then to have this
(these)
unexpected RFI sources if frustrating and more then a little
irratating.

At S9 your location beats a friend who lives in a downtown condo. You
are in
RF hell.

I found and downloaded the service manual for the meter and it has the
standard FCC
part 15 notice. Shall not cause harmful RFI. I suspect my call to the
RECC people
will not go well.

Terry

Brenda Ann wrote:
Only S1? Not to belittle you or anything, but I suffer with a solid S-9 (or
higher) from 100 KHz through about 15 MHz, and it drops off slowly from
there. That's just an almost white-noise-like impulse noise, presumably it's
pretty much everywhere in town, due to the ungrounded electrical system used
here... makes DX nearly impossible. Going to try a shielded loop as soon as
I can build one..

Given that I have spent considerable time and energy reducing the QRN
and
trying to build the quitest atenna system possible, then to have this
(these)
unexpected RFI sources is frustrating and more then a little
irratating.

At S9 your location beats a friend who lives in a downtown condo. You
are in
RF hell.

I found and downloaded the service manual for the meter and it has the
standard FCC
part 15 notice. Shall not cause harmful RFI. I suspect my call to the
RECC people
will not go well.

Terry

Electric meters,,, what's next? gas and water meters? Cable and
satellite meters,,,, anything that can be electronically meterorized and
read by anybody from who knows where.Meteorized
vehicles,phones,radios,tv,computers,Meteorized roof tops and meteorized
yards so they can read how much Sunlight,rain,snow,so they can tax us
for that.Folks,I don't doubt that sort of B..L...t is coming.
cuhulin

wrote:

Anyone else in the group have any experience with the new "smart" KWH
meters being deployed
by many utilities?

We we arrived home after a fun filled visit to the family MD, I found a
hang tag on the door that
said RECC had replaced out meter with anew, udated, smart meter that
allowed for remoted
measurement of our eletric usage.

No big deal except this is the RFI jammer from hell.

Itut makes a firedrake jammer nice by comparison.

From below 100KHz to above 30MHz a low level, just below S1, hash wipes
out all weak signals.
Too late today to call and complain, but I thought everyone might want
a heads up on this. Just
whne it looked with BPL is dead hear abouts, here comes a new RFI
source from left field.

The only good thing is that I am an extra class so I could see what 1KW
AM does to it.

It is a:
Focus KWH
Type ALF
Form 2S CL200

I don't know if I am receiving mine, or the collective RF from all the
meters in the area.
All three of my prirmary antennas have about the same noise level.

I just aquired a Tek 7613 and a Tek 7704A frames with a 7L12 spectrum
analyzer.
If they had only waited another week I would have completed a noise
audit on all three of
my antennas.

I've had a new meter installed here in the last couple of years, brand on it
seems to be 'Icon' or 'Sensus'. Also had a new box installed which apparently
sends the signal out and it appears to be of the 'Star' brand by Hexagram, Inc.

I had installation held up until I could figure out if it would pose an RF
problem. Seems as though it broadcasts in the VHF/UHF range at least once a day.
I did have the freq. written down, but can't find it.

Bottom line here is that it has caused no problems at all RF wise, elsewise I
probably would have had them yank it.

dxAce
Michigan
USA

Drake R7, R8, R8A and R8B

I never mess around with the electric and water and gas meters here.I
had a water pipe leak earlier this year and I turned the water off at
the meter so I could repair the leak.As far as I know,all of my meters
are the good old fashioned kinds of meters and I hope they stay that way
too.
It's raining cats and dogs here.Good thing my roof top and yard aren't
meterized.
cuhulin