Friday, January 17, 2020

Grow Light Interference

Grow lights cause interference to ham radio

The Lansing State Journal reports amateur radio operators have been complaining of interference from marijuana grow lights

The newspaper says:
The rumbling and buzzing would start like clockwork.

Gregg Mulder WB8LZG noticed the static each evening when he finished dinner and turned on his ham radio. The noise made it impossible for Mulder to communicate with other amateur radio enthusiasts.

So Mulder, who lives in Dimondale, built an antenna device called a sniffer and tracked the interference to a house a few doors down. The problem, Mulder determined, was a high-powered light used by his neighbor to grow cannabis.

It's legal for Michiganders to grow marijuana in their homes under certain circumstances. But some amateur radio operators complain that grow lights are interfering with their signals.

Problems can arise from products that exceed emission limits from the Federal Communications Commission. The uncertified products, typically the ballasts that send power to light bulbs, are often manufactured overseas.

Read the full story at
https://eu.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2020/01/14/amateur-ham-radio-marijuana-cannabis-grow-lights-interfering-signals/4448968002/