WARNING! Digital/ Electronic ballasts can get you busted! The A.M. radio test!

[thatsmessedup]

Thanks for the good read!

 

[miztaj]

I recently switched isp providers and have trouble with interference. When my light ( 1000 watt digital switchable lumatek) is on it knocks out my internet. gotta figure out a solution and quick. I may just go pick up a magnetic ballast.

 

[miztaj]

I bought my 1000 watt lumatek dimmable ballast in January of 2011 and this bitch is throwing some interference with my ATT uverse system.

Lumatek users should be ok if you have a fairly new ballast, this is right off of their website
R.F emissions

Lumatek E-Ballasts are now internally RF shielded and can be used with standard System Cord sets as available in each country worldwide. Our ballasts produce the least amount of EMI (electro- magnetic interference) of any electronic ballast and conform to all international Electro-magnetic emission standards. This applies to all blue and purple models of the Lumatek. The older silver models which employed earlier technology (at the time industry leading) can be upgraded for current models (and the highest EMI standards) at reduced purchase costs; for details please contact us by e-mail or if you are in the USA or Canada tel U.S 1 415 233 4273

 

[209 Cali closet grower]

well I have a JD light digital ballast, plus I know people with grows on here with that ballast, and everyone has zero interferes with there jdl ballasts.

Sucks to be dealing with that.

 

[superfoxwon]

Much love, CFLs rule and anyone who says different is a liar.

 

[duderugs]

I went with a magnetic ballast after reading this thread. I didn't want to be stuck with an electronic ballast that interfered with RF. The 400w magnetic ballast is great, even if its older technology. Doesn't run very hot either.

 

[TheTokingKing]

in all honesty i feel u over reacted and screwed the pooch on this one. lol.

I have to agree, I am legal grower but I had an officer standing directly in from of my first grow closet and he looked up at the light leaking out and continued dealing with my unruly daughter. If you dont draw attention to yourself it wont come.

 

[TheTokingKing]

Oh I forgot, heres a stoner idea, build a sealed aircooled lead box for it to set inside. lol

 

[dbkick]

internally rf shielded would be the key words to look for when buying a ballast, solis tek or hydrofarm phantom .

 

[ginnzy]

to the OP, CFL's are junk. 1000w HPS is the only way to go if you want to produce something worthwhile, CFL is a waste of time.

 

[mc130p]

Has anyone tried building a "Faraday Cage" around their grow room? I think a pretty effective one could be made with some sort of metal mesh like chicken wire or maybe a little smaller to enclose the grow volume and shield any incoming or outgoing RF waves.

 

[TheTokingKing]

I like my lead box idea better......lol. If designing a room from ground up that would be a great idea above there.

 

[209 Cali closet grower]

lol, Gale I don't have to worry. Most people on riu know what I got.

 

[Tokindaily37]

When in the military working in classified underground bunnker silo's, i noticed once that acouple engineers at a particular bunker had tooken a microwave and cut the power cord on it and left their smartphones and other electronics in it so in case an EMP attack his the States they could contact their families and loved ones, if alive lol but yeah they said it worked because they have shield to not allow waves out while cooking food, so if you could get a large microwave even a normal one could fit 2 or 3 ballast, youd have to drill holes for the cords but still a good amount of shielding

 

[torkrench]

Before going to the trouble of trying to shield the room, consider that often the interference generated by poorly designed ballasts is not radiating from the ballast chassis alone, but through your wiring. In fact the chassis may be a great shield, but the noise can ride the wire, using it as an antenna, all the way back to your utility company’s transformer or even further. This of course can attract unwanted attention.

This thread started out with a story about the cable company knocking on the door investigating interference reports. That person at the door could also be from your power company. A neighbor getting fed up with not be able to use their A.M. radio may call the utility to investigate. The electric company is obligated to check it out. Very localized A.M. interference is usually found within the complaining customer’s residence, and that’s always where the primary search starts. The most common practice is the obvious: Shut the power off to the house and see if the problem goes away. If that isolates the trouble the customer needs to go on their own search and find the source. If shutting the power off doesn't fix it, then the search heads to the street (poles, wires, etc.)
If you have an amateur radio operator (ham radio) nearby, watch out. I’d bet over half the interference complaints come from hams. They are quick to call the power company when they think any interference is electrical.

Consider that your ballast may be designed properly but not be “intended” for use in a residential area. Any device that uses clocking or processing above 9KHz is regulated under part 18 of the FCC rules (you may also see reference to part 15 on some devices). “Class A” devices are NOT intended to be used in residential areas – they are meant for industrial/commercial areas. They are supposed to have a notice affixed to them stating that they are not intended to be used in residential areas, and warn that use in a residential area can cause harmful interference.

“Class B” devices are those that meet specs to mitigate potential harmful interference in residential areas – but it is not a guarantee.
You can’t hide behind an FCC sticker. Even if it is labeled as a compliant device (some cheap imported devices may have bogus labeling - or it can just be defective), if it is causing harmful interference, you are required to correct the problem. My suggestion is to monitor conditions around you and correct problems ASAP as not to attract attention to your house. Do not assume that because your TV seems OK that you can’t be doing something to the TV next door. Dial around on your AM radio in the car in your drive. If you hear loud buzzing sounds, turn off the lights to see if it goes away.
Don’t shoot the messenger. By the time the power company shows up at your door, they may have a suspicion about what you are doing, but most of your front line workers are only interested in getting rid of the interference. If it doesn’t get resolved, then the complaining customer may go to the applicable government agencies . . . then the utility starts getting asked about what they know . . . and so on.

 

[KidKid1950]

question. I have a 400 watt digital ballast. Is this to low to cause any problems?

 

[70's natureboy]

See if it affects your AM radio in your car. Sometimes it's not a problem if your neighbors aren't too close.

 

[tsboss1]

Would this be a problem if you don't have cable/internet service but your neighbor does?

 

[Spittn4cash]

I'm so glad I saw this thread....but I'm good. My ballast is good.

• Shielded component to protect against Radio Frequency Interference to other equipment.

iPower Grow Lights Dimmable Electronic HID Ballast - 400W

+Rep for the heads up!

-Cash

 

[70's natureboy]

Would this be a problem if you don't have cable/internet service but your neighbor does?

I don't think so. AS far as I know it only affects AM radio. If you have a neighbor that listens to talk radio or baseball games he won't like your digital ballast. I haven't seen any that are really shielded yet but it should be possible. My Lumenace and new Lumatek leak RFI. I haven't tested my new Solistek yet. I don't have neighbors but it is still detectable from the road which is not cool.