Club 600

shnkrmn

Well-Known Member
Broken record time: I had a major security issue from radio interference from two digital ballasts last year. Really not worth it. Close to busted.
 

GemuGrows

Well-Known Member
My current room doesnt have any added ventilation, but I can just open a nearby window and let winter air in. You can see my grow space and my entire last grow in my sig, if anybody pops in there and thinks that my spot is not ideal for a 600w feel free to let me know! I grew with about 460w of flourescent (added a bunch of cfl mid-late flowering) by the end of my last grow in the hottest days of summer in the top floor of a house successfully. My grow will be moving to a basement in about a month, where I can ventilate all I want.

So right now I think i'm looking at the:
"- Complete system includes a 600 Watt HPS Sun System Hardcore ballast, Econowing reflector, and 600 Watt Ultrasun HPS lamp. ($189.95 + tax)"
or
"-Complete system includes a 400/600 Watt Sun System Galaxy Grow Amp switchable ballast, Econowing reflector, and 600 Watt Ultrasun HPS lamp. (264.95+ tax)"

I think i'm leaning towards the magnetic ballast one.
 

AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
Yeah it's such a bummer man, but at the same time it's people that are using the prop 215 marijuana law and kind of giving the people abiding by the rules a bad name. it sucks, but dang that's a lot of money! lol, it seems every week theres a bust like that, or bigger ones, in my area. Last month there was a bust and they had 400,000$ cash and 200 pounds and a bunch of plants. It's crazy, i can barely keep up with my little 5x5 grow tent, that would be A LOT of work lol
 

DST

Well-Known Member
It's not a very good picture, but you can get the gist. This was on offer at the local Weed Club. We found the Tutankhamon one of the best, along wiwth the Kristalica. The JAck Herer was not bad, and then Trainwreck and Special Queen were a bit behind them in taste and quality. As I said though, a lot of the weed seemed to have similar undertones to it, earthy (but not like the kush earthy). It was all outdoor weed.
20141108_142047.jpg
Don Gin got some nice bits of hash and pollem but they are not in the pic as I think they were out.
Peace, DST
 

AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
I think his digi ballast was giving off weird signal spikes and the cable and electric company came knocking at his door, if i remember correctly
 

TheBman24

Well-Known Member
Yeah it's such a bummer man, but at the same time it's people that are using the prop 215 marijuana law and kind of giving the people abiding by the rules a bad name. it sucks, but dang that's a lot of money! lol, it seems every week theres a bust like that, or bigger ones, in my area. Last month there was a bust and they had 400,000$ cash and 200 pounds and a bunch of plants. It's crazy, i can barely keep up with my little 5x5 grow tent, that would be A LOT of work lol
Haha I hear you I know a couple.guys out west who run big ops like that and that's all they do that's like there full time job lol this is a lot.work.for.just my 5 plants
 

shnkrmn

Well-Known Member
Digital ballasts can be powerful radio emitters, powerful enough to interfere with neighbors' cable and internet and, in my case, repeatedly fry the radio on my power meter that communicates with the power company. They replaced the meter repeatedly without my knowledge and began monitoring my home. I knew I had a problem, because my personal electronics kept frying for no reason but did not know it extended beyond my house (way beyond my house). I was very lucky the tech who came to my door was sympathetic and, without being too specific told me I was operating non-fcc compliant equipment and it needed to stop asap. Told me it was very easy for him to detect the interference from the street

This has been documented with many different brands of ballast, including lumatek. I was using digital greenhouse.

If you have a portable am radio, you can easily test your current ballast. Rf interference will drown the signal and you'll get nothing but static.
Check this out:

http://www.w0qe.com/RF_Interference/grow_light_electronic_ballasts.html
 

TheBman24

Well-Known Member
Digital ballasts can be powerful radio emitters, powerful enough to interfere with neighbors' cable and internet and, in my case, repeatedly fry the radio on my power meter that communicates with the power company. They replaced the meter repeatedly without my knowledge and began monitoring my home. I knew I had a problem, because my personal electronics kept frying for no reason but did not know it extended beyond my house (way beyond my house). I was very lucky the tech who came to my door was sympathetic and, without being too specific told me I was operating non-fcc compliant equipment and it needed to stop asap. Told me it was very easy for him to detect the interference from the street

This has been documented with many different brands of ballast, including lumatek. I was using digital greenhouse.

Check this out:

http://www.w0qe.com/RF_Interference/grow_light_electronic_ballasts.html
How long were you running it before they came to your door
 

shnkrmn

Well-Known Member
If you have a portable am radio, you can easily test your current ballast. Rf interference will drown the signal and you'll get nothing but static.
How long were you running it before they came to your door
A year, maybe. I don't know whether it was doing that the whole time, but I understand he replaced my meter three times during that period.
 

cannakis

Well-Known Member
Yeah it's such a bummer man, but at the same time it's people that are using the prop 215 marijuana law and kind of giving the people abiding by the rules a bad name. it sucks, but dang that's a lot of money! lol, it seems every week theres a bust like that, or bigger ones, in my area. Last month there was a bust and they had 400,000$ cash and 200 pounds and a bunch of plants. It's crazy, i can barely keep up with my little 5x5 grow tent, that would be A LOT of work lol
hahaha i love it i agree!
 

TheBman24

Well-Known Member
If you have a portable am radio, you can easily test your current ballast. Rf interference will drown the signal and you'll get nothing but static.


A year, maybe. I don't know whether it was doing that the whole time, but I understand he replaced my meter three times during that period.
Haha now you got.me paranoid
 

GemuGrows

Well-Known Member
Magnetic it is!

planning on picking up "Complete system includes a 600 Watt HPS Sun System Hardcore ballast, Econowing reflector, and 600 Watt Ultrasun HPS lamp" for $189.95 on thursday unless anybody has any reasons I should not go with that setup
 
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