Damn; will have to re-evaluate my career path!!
Pat, K9JAUAt 01:49 PM 6/5/2014, you wrote:
>BlankRan across this in USA Today.
>
>Radio airwaves get buzzed from pot By Trevor Hughes,
>
>A few years ago, retired electrical engineer Tom Thompson noticed it was
>getting harder and harder to hear his friends across the country talking to
>him on their ham radio sets. So Thompson built a portable antenna system to
>track down whatever was interfering with his radio transmission.
>
>The culprit? Marijuana grow operations, whose powerful grow lights can emit
>interference blocking radio broadcasts on the ham and AM spectrums.
>
>The first grower he encountered wasn't pleased to know Thompson, now 73,
>could tell what was going on. "He said, 'What are you going to do, call the
>cops?' Thompson said. "And I said, 'Well no, it's a federal matter.
>
>' With 22 states and the District of Columbia allowing medical marijuana,
>and Colorado and Washington permitting recreational use, there's been an
>explosion in the number of people growing their own pot, much of it indoors.
>With that growth has come increasing interference from the grow lights,
>which suck down huge amounts of electricity to shine upon budding marijuana
>plants. Growing pot indoors is usually more secure and gives the grower more
>control over light, water and insects, which results in higher-quality
>plants commanding a premium price.
>
>The interference problems from one type of system have gotten so bad that
>the amateur radio association, ARRL, filed a formal federal complaint on
>behalf of the country's 720,000 licensed ham operators. The problems are
>worse in Colorado and California, said Sean Kutzko, an ARRL spokesman.
>
>The interference is caused by what are known as "ballasts," electronic
>systems controlling the grow lights. Unless they're properly shielded, the
>ballasts can throw off a wide range of interference. "We're seeing numerous
>cases ... and that's causing us a problem," Kutzko said. "We just want to
>make sure the manufacturers are in compliance with FCC laws. The FCC has the
>power to regulate anything that interferes with licensed radio
>transmissions, such as ham sets, but also cellphones and AM radios.
>
>Steve, K8SP