What are the legalities of carrier current in a non education setting. using it to from a private residence via neutral loading.
How do you measure compliance?
What are the legalities of carrier current in a non education setting. using it to from a private residence via neutral loading.
How do you measure compliance?
At what points do you measure for compliance?
for instance i live on a suburban block and there is maybe 300 ft between the utility on my street and the utility on the street behind my house and also at points where the utility braches to another street you will get leakage from multiple points simultaniously.
if i ran on the low end i could have 15uV/m @ 300ft from the utility.
is carrier current legal to use or does the signal have to be a certain f/s from the property line reguardless. meaning 2 blocks from the injection site i can't have a legal amount of f/s radiating from the utility line?
As I read the rules, campus operation provides for an alternative mode of operation to the rules for other carrier current operation. Since you are not a campus this will apply:
Section 15.221 Operation in the band 525 - 1705 kHz.
(a) Carrier current systems and transmitters employing a leaky coaxial cable as the radiating
antenna may operate in the band 525-1705 kHz provided the field strength levels of the radiated
emissions do not exceed 15 uV/m, as measured at a distance of 47,715/(frequency in kHz) meters
(equivalent to Lambda/2Pi) from the electric power line or the coaxial cable, respectively. The field
strength levels of emissions outside this band shall not exceed the general radiated emission limits in
Section 15.209.
(b) As an alternative to the provisions in paragraph (a), intentional radiators used for the
operation of an AM broadcast station on a college or university campus or on the campus of any other
education institution may comply with the following:...etc.
So it appears that you can operate residential carrier current but you will need to somehow confirm that you do so within the limits imposed here to assure compliance. It would also be wise to document the field strength measurements to present if asked.
I see nothing in the rules (for non campus use) that specifies a property line. It specifies FS at a distance from the utility lines. It also does not specify line vs. neutral injection.
You apparently have done some homework on this since you cited the field strength limits from this part of the rules which seems to apply.
Of course, the difficulty for the small operator is to obtain defensible field strength measurements.
Just my no legal education thoughts.
Neil
my Friend has access to a calibrated FIM that covers to 1600khz. when all set up measurements would not be a problem. I would eventually need a FIM for myself as i beleive you are required to make annual proofs just like the local licensed blowtorch does.
Thank You,
Rev. Robert P. Chrysafis
Universal Life Ministries
http://www.ulc.org
Moderator Hunterdonfree
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Note that the rules have no provision for validating compliant operation. It would be your responsibility, as I see it, to verify the field strength measurements. Whatever one does, keep in mind how you would defend the measurements.
A general principle in engineering is that the measurement techniques and tools need to be properly used and "tracable", in other words, if you make a measurement, you need to know, for legal purposes, that the instrument is traceable to NIST and that the instrument was used in an accepted manner. I did this for many years and never had a problem since I had the paperwork and the trail back to NIST. That being said, ultimately, the FCC agents' measurements will most likely prevail.
Not simple is it?
Neil