digital ballast

thowedoff1994

Active Member
did some research and im glad i did...i did not know that the ballast interfere with radio, television etc...so i did have a question on how to use the ballast and what the settings were for ...but know im seriously wondering how can i tell if the ballast i ordered is rf shielded???does anyone know how to tell...i ordered 2 600 watt apollo horticulture digital ballast
 
How recent were those reports?
I'm using 1 in the city where every1 has cable or dish and no problems here. I would just make sure they are r/f shielded I think it is which I'm quite sure all digital ballasts are made like that now.
 

thowedoff1994

Active Member
How recent were those reports?
I'm using 1 in the city where every1 has cable or dish and no problems here. I would just make sure they are r/f shielded I think it is which I'm quite sure all digital ballasts are made like that now.
shit just made me paranoid....ill check and see how old the post was...but it freaked me out when the post started talking about digital ballast being detected by smart meters and the utility company....im like dam!!!! then everybody started saying buy a magnetic ballast and shit...this just got crazy to me...im starting to think about my cfl's again dam!!! i just checked the post it was started dec 23 2011
 

Hugo Phurst

Well-Known Member
Get your hands on an AMFM Radio, put the radio near the ballasts as they're running. Tune the radio up and down its frequency ranges, and listen for any loud static.
Record those frequencies, when you're done...turn off the lamps, and check the frequencies where the sataic was.

If the static is still there when the lights are off, the ballasts are not emitting any RF energy and are properly shielded.

If the ballasts are causing the ststic, move the radio away until the static fades, if it's 5feet or less...no worries. More than 20 feet...you need to shield it.
A box lined/covered with aluminum foil (faraday cage) connected to "ground" will take care of any emissions that you might have.

Have fun
 

thowedoff1994

Active Member
I think you should be fine with the newer models.
what about this smart meter issue ive been reading all day and keep finding different things..i have 2 concerns. is 1800 watts on 12/12 a red flag? and can rf signals interfere with my smart meter??? other than that i have one simple question.when my 600's make it.do i have to use both ballast for each light or can i run both 600's on 1 ballast???
 

thowedoff1994

Active Member
whatever the case i use 1900kwh per 30 day period so i doubt if 280 bucks a month is a problem....after all the reading now i think smart meters help keep meter readers out your yard sooooooo!!!
 

Someguy15

Well-Known Member
Biggest concern is for people with cable tv or internet services. Working for a cable company, on more then one occassion technicians randomly showed up at a growers home to determine source of rf interference. You see if its bad enough it will not only knock out your services, but also backfeed into the local system causing other people problems. They refer to it as 'killing the noise floor'...One case customer was using 4 Solis Tek digital ballasts, which should be shielded well. Only flaw seemed to be they were located 5 foot from where his drop from the poll entered the home. But it's easy enough to test...if your having tv issues or internet speed issues while your ballasts are on, and not when they are off, you have a pretty good hint. Satellite, Wifi, DSL all seem to be immune based on their operating frequencies. Something about cable networks that makes them prime to pickup the noise.

Oh and in case your wondering... the solution was typically to install rf filters on the cable in home, effectively reducing the 'antennae' effect of the home wiring. As far as I know, our company had no interest in reporting the grows, simply wanted a working cable network for the area. People who denied entry to home for privacy reasons had services terminated to prevent the back feeding.
 

DemonTrich

Well-Known Member
I run 2 Apollo 600w digital ballasts in my basement. my 55" plasma with comcrap cable is in the living room almost directly above my grow. no probs here since I turned on the lights on may 2nd this year. no complaints from neighbors either. I also have an extensive home theatre setup, 2 laptops, a PS3, older home PC, and 2 cell phones. no issues from those either.
 

thowedoff1994

Active Member
I run 2 Apollo 600w digital ballasts in my basement. my 55" plasma with comcrap cable is in the living room almost directly above my grow. no probs here since I turned on the lights on may 2nd this year. no complaints from neighbors either. I also have an extensive home theatre setup, 2 laptops, a PS3, older home PC, and 2 cell phones. no issues from those either.
have you ever heard of any problems being caused from the smart meters and do you run your lights on seperate ballast?? and do you ever use the 100% setting on the ballast??
 
Should not be a problem with the smart meter and your ballasts. Are you going to be growing next to it?

1 lamp per ballast unless you have a flip box.

And why not run your ballast 100% all the time? The only reason I would use the dimming option would be for heat or starting young plants and working them up to full blast.
 

thowedoff1994

Active Member
Should not be a problem with the smart meter and your ballasts. Are you going to be growing next to it?

1 lamp per ballast unless you have a flip box.

And why not run your ballast 100% all the time? The only reason I would use the dimming option would be for heat or starting young plants and working them up to full blast.
no my meter is like 30 + feet from my grow ..they spooked me for a moment tho wyteberry lol......now im just ready to see what everybody has been talkin bout how bright hps is....some say im gonna need goggles.and i measured 42" X 13" with my tape measure and 2 of those reflectors are right at 7 feet ...i got to see it to believe it....my next step is to try out these co2 bags and see what they do
 
no my meter is like 30 + feet from my grow ..they spooked me for a moment tho wyteberry lol......now im just ready to see what everybody has been talkin bout how bright hps is....some say im gonna need goggles.and i measured 42" X 13" with my tape measure and 2 of those reflectors are right at 7 feet ...i got to see it to believe it....my next step is to try out these co2 bags and see what they do
haha. You are going to be a believer once you get those lights.
 

TheSnake

Well-Known Member
safe bet, return that shit and get magnetic ballasts... I'm having issues with my 1k and RF, cable company etc... not worth the hassle.
 
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