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[RFI] AF4O Power line arc Suggestions to do next

To: RFI List <rfi@contesting.com>
Subject: [RFI] AF4O Power line arc Suggestions to do next
From: Charles Plunk <af4o@twc.com>
Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2021 19:42:32 -0500
List-post: <mailto:rfi@contesting.com>
Hi All. Some may have been following my hunt. Weeks ago I triangulated with monitoring retransmitted audio from my station and matching by listening to both it and my 2m HT on AM with tape measure yagi which lead me to the pole in my back yard. To make sure I was tracking the right noise. It got dark that day and the arc was almost non existent for weeks after that day until yesterday.

This morning with the arc still active, I got out my W1TRC/QST Ultrasonic dish. I took the picture on the top of my QRZ page of the pole and a red circle of where I am hearing the arc. 180 degrees on the other side of the pole I hear nothing but getting in the spot where the picture was taken, I hear it the strongest. The picture is not good due to sun angle. Will try to take another soon.

In the red circle is bracing hardware, turnbuckles, and an insulator. I do not think its the insulator as I cannot hear the arc on the other side of the pole where the insulator is located.

Before I contact the power co, will check aiming of my dish & take a better picture. The dishes aim in the past though has been spot on.

My small local util has stated they will get TVA out (the distributor that has RFI location equipment) but I fear with the highly intermittent nature of this arc, it will be gone when they get here.

So my question is, when I recheck the dish and do another spot check, is it too much to ask the util to tighten the hardware in the circle and apply dielectric grease? They used grease on other poles and it seems to help. Or should I risk having TVA verify my findings possibly waiting weeks and they possibly (probably) arrive to no arc?

Are my findings reasonable enough? Any other suggestions?

It rained tonight and the arc has subsided. Prior to the rain it was a whopping 25db over s9 on 80 meters although one end of my doublet is within feet of the pole. Another doublet is further away but its almost as strong. If it had not rained, I was going to go out in the dark and see if I could see the arc as there is no street light back there.

Thanks,

Chuck

AF4O

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