[SBE] FCC R & R 73.318: FM Blanketing Interference

[chscherer at everestkc.net]

I've handled my share of FM interference complaints over the years. Some of the steps I always took:

- Inform the consumer of the station's responsibility/liability to resove the interference.
- Offer to assist as a good neighbor even if no action from the station is required.
- Some stations had a document that outlined the responsibilities of the station and included some hold-harmless wording (in case my work knocked the lamp over or broke the phone) for the consumer to sign.

I asked about known products as a possible action. I know that some consumers will not be cooperative or accept reason. But, if a simple equipment swap is accepted, it would be nice to of some products that have worked well.



----- Original Message -----
From: Dennis Sloatman <dsloatman at sloatmanassociates.com>
Date: Sunday, September 20, 2009 7:20 pm
Subject: Re: [SBE] FCC R & R 73.318: FM Blanketing Interference


> Thanks, Chriss.

> 

> This is the sort of thing every engineer dreads dealing with.  The 

> engineer(who often has no management or interpersonal skills 

> training whatsoever) is

> thrust into potentially volatile situations with liability 

> exposure (see my

> previous responses to emails and my thoughts on liability).  It 

> seems to me

> many in our business, management AND we engineers, often do not 

> take that

> into consideration.

> 

> You raise an excellent point when you said: "Would it be cheaper 

> and quicker

> to purchase for the neighbor another set of PC speakers or a new 

> telephoneto eliminate the problem? Possibly."  Yes, it would be, 

> but as is often the

> case, you may find yourself dealing with an intransigent 

> complainant who

> takes the "why should I have to change my computer speakers 

> because of your

> station being off-frequency and running over-power" (an quote from 

> a real

> instance).  When I jokingly, with a big smile, replied that our 

> transmittercould barely make the licensed power as it was, this 

> led to the retort, "So,

> you admit you have problems, eh?"  It's funny, but the lesson of 

> this is you

> have to choose your words as if you were on the witness stand in a 

> trial.

> A lot of questions to be answered indeed and in my view, the FCC 

> is vague on

> this rule (a new rule was proposed a few years ago to clarify the 

> BlanketingInterference rule, but it's still not in the rules).

> 

> We should write a comprehensive "toolbox" book on this when it's 

> all over.

> 

> Best Regards,

> 

> Dennis L Sloatman

> Sloatman Associates

> MCSE/CSRE/AMD/CBNT/CNE

> 

> 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: sbe-bounces at sbe.org [mailto:sbe-bounces at sbe.org] On Behalf Of

> chscherer at everestkc.net

> Sent: Sunday, September 20, 2009 2:25 PM

> To: sbe member discussion mail list

> Subject: Re: [SBE] FCC R & R 73.318: FM Blanketing Interference

> 

> As was noted, the good neighbor approach is often the better 

> course of

> action than strict adherance to the rule.

> 

> Mike Langer noted installing ferrites in equipment. Like many 

> solutions,this involves time and testing for success. Would it be 

> cheaper and quicker

> to purchase for the neighbor another set of PC speakers or a new 

> telephoneto eliminate the problem? Possibly.

> 

> As part of this discussion I would like to hear about specific 

> products that

> have shown to be immune or resistant to RF blanketing.

> 

> 

> ============

> >From   Dennis Sloatman <dsloatman at sloatmanassociates.com>  

> I am now, for the first time in a nearly forty-year career, 

> dealing with FM

> RFI complaints from a new FM station facility (15kW ERP/ 400' 

> HAAT).  

> 

> These complaints include demodulated audio in PC speakers, garage door

> openers that no longer work, as well as the customary "I can no 

> longer pick

> up a station I used to hear that's 95 miles away," etc.  My 

> experiences in

> this area have all been with AM stations as the facilities over 

> the years

> I've had with FM have been operating from towers in wide-open 

> farmland or in

> the swamps of Florida (I always seemed to be the C.E. for an AM  

> with its

> site located in densely-populated residential areas).  AM RFI in some

> respects, is easier to resolve inasmuch as good grounding can 

> resolve most

> complaints.

> 

> I'd like to hear of the experiences/solutions from all of you on 

> this board.

> I believe sharing these would be of benefit to all of us.

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