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

[Robert Combs]

Went through this just a couple of years ago when we moved an AM and built an FM tower in its place. First thing I would check is your RF levels in the neighborhood. Ended up mine were very, very high. Fixing that fixed 75% of my problems.

I can tell you that you might as well go ahead and replace the garage door openers. The older ones use only one frequency where the new ones usually have a couple. I carried cheap telephones from the Shack around in my truck for a year just in case I had to show a "neighbor" that their expensive, top of the line telephone was a piece of crap and they could replace it or I would give them one that works but was not "as pretty". I could not fix the talking scales in one ladies bathroom but I did prove to her that it was not my fault she and 3 other neighbors were using the same frequency for their wireless internet and knocking each other out. We also found a lot of problems with the cable system like loose grounds and cut shielding, so make sure you get them involved as well.

My main advice for you is to make sure the neighbors see you or someone from the station. If they have a home owners association, ask to speak at the next meeting and give everyone a phone number they can call. DO NOT make this your cell phone or they will drive you nuts. Whenever anyone called me, I would always call back to make an appointment to check out what is happening. I refused to take anything apart that way I was not liable for any other repairs. As long as they feel you are not ignoring them, they will cooperate a lot easier and it will stave off that call to the FCC. Oh and keep notes. I did have one neighbor call her friend the "Senator" who called the FCC in Washington and then everything flowed down hill. Luckily I had made notes of everything I had done when the FCC inspector arrived. She read my notes and determined that I was doing everything I was required to do and told the neighborhood to be patient.


Robert Combs
Market Chief Engineer
Cumulus Broadcasting - Savannah/Albany
robert.combs at cumulus.com<mailto:robert.combs at cumulus.com>
912-961-9000, x4000

-----Original Message-----
From: sbe-bounces at sbe.org [mailto:sbe-bounces at sbe.org] On Behalf Of Dennis Sloatman
Sent: Sunday, September 20, 2009 12:45 PM
To: 'sbe member discussion mail list'
Subject: [SBE] FCC R & R 73.318: FM Blanketing Interference

Hello to the collective brain:

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.

Thank-you!

Best Regards,

Dennis L Sloatman
Sloatman Associates
MCSE/CSRE/AMD/CBNT/CNE


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