CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[mack1]

Here is a question for all the experts.We are using a hard line 2way radio communication on our equipment here at work--its a Set com system--and on some jobs we are 1/8th of a mile from a radio tower and we pick up interference over our lines.They are about 150' in the air to the top of the reactor we are working on.They--the cable--have 4 small wires in them.My question is this what would you recommend we do to get rid of the interference.It's really bad

[JustGreg]

I'm not an expert by any means. I didn't even stay at a Holiday Inn Express. I'm just curious.

Reactor? Nuclear? Under construction or operating? Inside the containment building or outside? If inside and it's operating then the use of radio frequency emitting devices is strictly controlled as alot of instrumentation works on telemetry and could result in erroneous readings (or worse...a SCRAM). If outside but you're cabling is close to off line switch gear, and the cabling isn't shielded, you're screwed. Basically that's 150' of antenna you've got running without shielding.

We used Comtex systems when I worked the nukes. They worked well enough in an environment where radio emissions were rigidly controlled but dragging wires around in addition to breathing air lines was a PITA. It's all they would allow us to use tho. We used something like this:



You could also look into intrinsically safe radios. They're used alot in chem plants with telemetry based instrumentation...perhaps they'd work out for you. Wires suck anyway...but it's a cheaper way to go.

BTW...you mentioned towers. What kind of towers?

[mack1]

I work for a company called Catalyst Services Ltd.We go into refineries and empty &fill reactors with catalyst in them.about 2/3 of them are under a nitrogen atmosphere so we use a locked on helmet with 3 air supplies and a com line into it.It comes of the back of our trailer--L.S.(life support)and goes up to and into these reactors.The one we have the interference with is one in Toronto.The local radio station has their tower almost beside the refinery and it inerfears with our communications.The tower is a 150' tall hydrocracker.We use the radios for all outside work with no issues

[jask]

you have a serious antenna right next to a high power emitter, you could convert to shielded cable but I am guessing it would be quicker and cheaper to filter at the ends. Try contacting the radio stations engineering people and let them know you are having RF problems and need advice, or you could talk to the folks at radioworld on Steeles Ave. http://www.radioworld.ca/ they may be able to build you a plug and play box if you have the cable end connection information.