WARNING! Digital/ Electronic ballasts can get you busted! The A.M. radio test!

Crazy.. I knew I couldn't have been the only poor bastard this happened too.. crazy.

I've since learned that what other posters said is right on... the problem isn't the ballast.. it is the exposed cable wire in the same general area of your ballasts... that wire picks up the RA from the ballast, gets in the loop, and gets the Cable Dicks at your door.

HeartIandhank said:

Crazy.. I knew I couldn't have been the only poor bastard this happened too.. crazy.

I've since learned that what other posters said is right on... the problem isn't the ballast.. it is the exposed cable wire in the same general area of your ballasts... that wire picks up the RA from the ballast, gets in the loop, and gets the Cable Dicks at your door.

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Been a shitty 2 weeks for me. I have an empty tent in that room now and had to cram them into other tents (only lost 3).

Do you think since he took that cable "offline" I should be good? My hydro guys had an RF blocker you can buy also. I'm about to get 2 magnetic ballasts for that room and call it a day.

Had my cable discount. Cable guy said every night my blocks cable would mess up? He also said they, spent a month tacking the problem.

Had a loses cable wire. Which was the cause. Crazy

209 Cali closet grower said:

Had my cable discount. Cable guy said every night my blocks cable would mess up? He also said they, spent a month tacking the problem.

Had a loses cable wire. Which was the cause. Crazy

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Yeah my guy said he spent about a month tracking it to me too. Insane man. Who would have ever thought.

Haven't read the whole thread yet, but can't you just make a tin foil hat for your ballast?

A tech came by my house, and my area was a curtain away from the modem. Apparently a splitter was bad and was ruining the signal for the neighborhood. I run a magnetic ballast, but still, I know that feel, bro.

Copper box shield for the ballast. Expensive but it works.Then you have to cool the thing. Tin foil is not even dense enough to stop the waves.

Lord Kanti said:

Haven't read the whole thread yet, but can't you just make a tin foil hat for your ballast?

A tech came by my house, and my area was a curtain away from the modem. Apparently a splitter was bad and was ruining the signal for the neighborhood. I run a magnetic ballast, but still, I know that feel, bro.

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You had this problem with a magnetic ballast!? Fuck me.

Bob Zmuda said:

You had this problem with a magnetic ballast!? Fuck me.

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I would call BS on this to the cable company. It's the bandwidth that SOME digital ballasts interfere with and usually that relates to the router the customer who's complaining has. They would be fishing.

http://www.gelighting.com/LightingWeb/na/images/GE-EMI-from-Electronic-Ballasts-Whitepaper_tcm201-78523.pdf

That is the GE Whitepaper on the subject.

hotrodharley said:

I would call BS on this to the cable company. It's the bandwidth that SOME digital ballasts interfere with and usually that relates to the router the customer who's complaining has. They would be fishing.

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They said it was a splitter. Or not even, it was a coupler

The paper I posted shows there are far more digital ballasts around than just grow lights. They need to shield their own shit better. Supposedly there is WiFi blocking paint. I have no experience with it. But I know with Fender guitars thin copper sheet lining of the pickup and control cavity and a piece backing the pickguard sure cuts RFI and 6-cycle interference. Hum in those single coil pickups. This was going on where I lived before north of Anchorage.

Scary shit, thats another reason why LED's are the fuckin champ son!!!

lol

joking, I know the haters will lose their panties on that one.

hotrodharley said:

I would call BS on this to the cable company. It's the bandwidth that SOME digital ballasts interfere with and usually that relates to the router the customer who's complaining has. They would be fishing.

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Totally agree with you. My tent is below where my cable comes in, in my basement have 2 splitters above tent with one open space on it. Run a digital and always had a problem, even when I capped off the open port I had in the one splitter. Made sure it was tight etc, new wiring still problem, even got a "shield" at the store to help. Moved tent to smaller room on other side of basement. Never fixed anything. Got my magnetic back out, no problem what so ever. I don't think I'll ever switch to digital until they start making them better with some kind of block built into it for the interference.

I am an amateur radio operator and can drive around and point out possible grows very easily. Both of my ballast's generate a signal that can be detected a few hundred feet away. In other words I can drive down my street with my 10 meter radio on and as I pass my house I detect the signal then it is gone as I pass the next house.
Most of that signal is using the cord between the ballast and light fixture as an antenna. Shield that cord and you will cut that signal strength considerably! That cord is where you would install a choke to trap that signal.

ButchyBoy said:

I am an amateur radio operator and can drive around and point out possible grows very easily. Both of my ballast's generate a signal that can be detected a few hundred feet away. In other words I can drive down my street with my 10 meter radio on and as I pass my house I detect the signal then it is gone as I pass the next house.
Most of that signal is using the cord between the ballast and light fixture as an antenna. Shield that cord and you will cut that signal strength considerably! That cord is where you would install a choke to trap that signal.

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Is the case with magnetic ballast too? If so what's the best way to shield the wire?

jin420 said:

Is the case with magnetic ballast too? If so what's the best way to shield the wire?

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The magnetic ballast's aren't as bad as the digital ones. You can use a hand held am radio tuned between stations to check for the RF signal or a CB radio if you happen to have one. The best way to shield the cord between the light and ballast is with braided wire covering. It has to be made of stainless not plastic. http://www.cableorganizer.com/stainless-steel-braid/

It really depends on the brand of ballast. I run an Apollo and a Thunder ballast. The Apollo is very dirty in regards to RF radiation and is the one responsible for the RF as I pass my house.

After much research I've found out that Phantom ballasts come with a CSA certified RF blocker built into each ballast. They aren't even that pricey. Ordering several tonight.

ButchyBoy said:

The magnetic ballast's aren't as bad as the digital ones. You can use a hand held am radio tuned between stations to check for the RF signal or a CB radio if you happen to have one. The best way to shield the cord between the light and ballast is with braided wire covering. It has to be made of stainless not plastic. http://www.cableorganizer.com/stainless-steel-braid/

It really depends on the brand of ballast. I run an Apollo and a Thunder ballast. The Apollo is very dirty in regards to RF radiation and is the one responsible for the RF as I pass my house.

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so is it the cord that causes the interference? I have an apollo digital ballast and was thinking of getting another for growing some veggies in my house.

driel said:

so is it the cord that causes the interference? I have an apollo digital ballast and was thinking of getting another for growing some veggies in my house.

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Yes. The cord between the ballast and light acts as an antenna radiating the harmful signal. I hardly doubt any of the people around you are having issues because of your ballast unless someone has a two-way radio set up next door. The only things in my house that are effected are my radios. I have to be within 100 feet or so before my vehicle radio picks it up.

i bought two used lumatek ballast and they caused RF problems bringing the cable company to my home due to neighbor complaints, since i didn't have cable i unhooked all my loose wires and capped all the ends to everything in my house and voila my problem went away. since i didn't need those lights jus yet i unhooked them, waiting for when the next batch of girls to veg. well sure enough i go to power them up for showtime 2 weeks ago and bam! instantly my netflix stops loading FML the problem was not resolved, so i bit the bullet coughed up money and grabbed 2 nanolux filters, and guess what.... these fuckers still aren't doing the job, they definitely help, netflix is running but i now have bad pixelation which tells me my internet is still slower then during lights off also file uploads are noticeable slower.
I doubt its strong enough to affect the neighbors now but what about me

does anyone understand faraday cages? im thinking to build a box with 30 gauge venting duct metal and cover the top with chicken wire since i got no copper money. is this legit? would it work?
should i put metal mesh around the wire from ballast to hood instead? im soooo fucking lost now and im a programmer so i need my internet running as fast as possible.