Got ham operator messing up my tv.

[KC4RAF]

Yep, gotta agree with N5TWB, and jhooten. I was going to post just such a comment this morning but thought there would be many to flame the ell for such posting.....go figure.
Glad you posted it.

 

[KD9KSO]

And a hello from a former Minuteman II maintainer.

 

[Golay]

Helpful ham

I agree with those who say it's truly the ham's responsibility to resolve this issue. And telling the OP things to look at on his (or her) end isn't the solution. Legally the ham (if he's not in fact a freebander) has a obligation to look at, and try their best, to resolve this issue, even if it means pulling a few pennies out of his own pocket to install filtering at the neighbor's TV.

And the first thing I would do (and I didn't see it mentioned) is ensure good grounds all around. Before filtering, I would do that.

 

[Chronic]

But the moment you do ANYTHING to someone's tv or stereo and it quits working, or breaks or there house burns down , even from a un-related issue then you will become a target and some ambulance chasing lawyer will be hot on you tail to empty your wallet and bank accounts .

 

[RFBOSS]

But the moment you do ANYTHING to someone's tv or stereo and it quits working, or breaks or there house burns down , even from a un-related issue then you will become a target and some ambulance chasing lawyer will be hot on you tail to empty your wallet and bank accounts .

Yes, this.

 

[royldean]

Legally the ham (if he's not in fact a freebander) has a obligation to look at, and try their best, to resolve this issue, even if it means pulling a few pennies out of his own pocket to install filtering at the neighbor's TV.

What law states this?

 

[n5zxj]

I ran into this issue just a few years ago.

neighbor bought a new Samsung and Sony HDTV's that were huge. 60+ inches each.

I was coming through the speakers on both sets..

I discussed what I could do to assist, BUT it all comes down to he bought a Part 15 device that wasn't built well.

I brought in multiple other hams that have a lot more knowledge than I had at the time.

we found so many things in the guys house that helped make the issues worse that they should have been.

we called both Samsung and Sony for any help.. both advised they knew it was an issue on those models..
they did have a fix and were willing to send the parts to correct the problem.

Problem is... the neighbor wasn't willing to let us fix it... we handed him the parts since he became uncooperative.

gave him contact numbers for the FCC, ARRL and the manufactures of his tv's..

He called the local Police to shut me down, they tried to force me off the air, thankfully they had a higher ranking officer back off with the threats of arrest and so forth. He was an extra class, 40+ yrs...

he called the FCC, they called me and I provided everything I had available, witnesses on my side, the emails to the manufactures, etc..

FCC told the neighbor that if he refused the help to correct the problem, they would not get involved and he was on his own.


unfortunately the TV is the issue, not the ham... if the problem is coming through your speakers.. call the manufacture and have them fix it... adding low/high pass filters will not correct the speaker issue.


good luck regardless..

 

[KC4RAF]

'Chronic' (post 24) is correct. I use to work contracts and saw this happen several times.
And 'royldean' has a question for 'Golay'. There isn't any law that obligates the amateur to fix something that he has not damaged. If the amateur is completely legal, all he can do is tell the home owner what should be done on the home owners' part.
Most amateurs will work with the home owner to try resolving the problem, but again, if the amateur is legal, will.........

 

[KC4RAF]

Gerald, I've seen that happen also. The home owner will get nasty with threats, legal actions, etc.
That's why I love seeing the Part 15 label on TVs, phones, radios, etc. Not that it helps all that much, but it's on your side.

 

[N4BSH]

I agree with those who say it's truly the ham's responsibility to resolve this issue. And telling the OP things to look at on his (or her) end isn't the solution. Legally the ham (if he's not in fact a freebander) has a obligation to look at, and try their best, to resolve this issue, even if it means pulling a few pennies out of his own pocket to install filtering at the neighbor's TV.

And the first thing I would do (and I didn't see it mentioned) is ensure good grounds all around. Before filtering, I would do that.

Morally, Neighborly, Ethically maybe but Lawfully?

Says who lol?

 

[n5zxj]

ARRL sent me a crap ton of documentation to share with the neighbor.
FCC also gave me links to info to print and share..

the PD officers that told me to shut down or wear the nickel bracelets didn't want to hear what the ARRL or FCC had to say, nor did they care that I hold a Federal radio license... The Lt. that shut them down got me many apologies after the fact and a chance to educate them on the differences of Licensed and unlicensed ops...


the neighbor didn't care about the Part 15 info on his tv, radio, computer, etc. all he knew was I have killin his football game watching the Texas Cowgirls get stomped, and all he was hearing was CQ, CQ, CQ, de N5ZXJ...

He finally got the store he bought the TV's from to take them back and wound up spending some 2K more for better designed sets...
The cable company also completely rewired his entire home.. the cable was really bad, from the pole even..

he had a contractor come in and drill holes to add grounding in the house in several places...

after all of the work, different TV's so forth.. I still got into his new surround sound system, that by the way had, and I kid you not, 22 to 18 gauge wires to the speakers... see through wire for the speakers...

I told him, every weekend that there is a contest or special event that I wanted to work or participate with, I was going to be on the air, operating from 5 watts to 1000 watts...

he'd leave, go to the local VFW or American Legion post and watch the games there...

over the last few years, he has finally stopped B***** about things and life goes on...


again, tried to be the good neighbor, but he didn't want to face the facts, or accept the help..

 

[CM1]

Like others have said just try and be neighborly and talk it out (calmly). No need to get excited.

If that goes nowhere check with your local authorities (building codes). Someone had to recently erect the antennas. If it's anything like where I live we need to get permits/inspections for just about everything. So I would investigate that option if it applies where you live. I usually complain about what a pain in the neck it is, and the extra cost etc...but it does reduce/prevent this sort of stuff from happening.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

But the moment you do ANYTHING to someone's tv or stereo and it quits working, or breaks or there house burns down , even from a un-related issue then you will become a target and some ambulance chasing lawyer will be hot on you tail to empty your wallet and bank accounts .

Not to mention, that the mere act of "helping" is perceived in many courts as your being responsible for the problem. I would communicate all in writing and make sure the TV owner knows the problem is their equipment. The ARRL is an excellent source of this information as is the FCC.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I agree with those who say it's truly the ham's responsibility to resolve this issue. And telling the OP things to look at on his (or her) end isn't the solution. Legally the ham (if he's not in fact a freebander) has a obligation to look at, and try their best, to resolve this issue, even if it means pulling a few pennies out of his own pocket to install filtering at the neighbor's TV.

And the first thing I would do (and I didn't see it mentioned) is ensure good grounds all around. Before filtering, I would do that.

How is the ham in any way legally responsible for the proper grounding and filtering of his neighbors equipment?

I had a problem with the local Spanish AM station getting into my phone answering machine. I could not hear the problem on a normal call, but every recording had Spanish talk radio superimposed on it. Did I call the AM station's engineer and tell them to turn down their power? No I eliminated a rats nest of excess phone wiring, properly bonded the NIC and put chokes on the wires to the answering machine.

 

[mmckenna]

How is the ham in any way legally responsible for the proper grounding and filtering of his neighbors equipment?

I had a problem with the local Spanish AM station getting into my phone answering machine. I could not hear the problem on a normal call, but every recording had Spanish talk radio superimposed on it. Did I call the AM station's engineer and tell them to turn down their power? No I eliminated a rats nest of excess phone wiring, properly bonded the NIC and put chokes on the wires to the answering machine.

The ham isn't responsible for proper grounding and filtering of his neighbors equipment.

However, a good ham IS responsible for making sure his own equipment is properly installed, grounded and operating in such a way that there isn't inappropriate amounts of out of band signal.

Assumptions that simply because the guy has an amateur radio license plate, he's done a full check on his equipment, isn't running a CB with an amplifier, isn't doing something outside amateur radio bands, isn't being a LID, has checked for spurious emissions, etc. are all just assumptions. We all know that passing a 35 question multiple choice test (see other threads regarding "Ham Cram" sessions…) doesn't make someone an expert. Neither does applying for the license plates at the DMV.

I'd hope that any of the amateur radio operators on this page would take a more adult approach to this issue. Being a good neighbor goes a long ways to improve relationships. Being afraid of getting sued? I get it, but talking with your neighbor won't get you sued. Representing the amateur radio hobby in positive light goes a long way to improve the hobby.

Sure, their are crappy TV sets out there. It's likely that's the culprit, but completely absolving someone of wrongdoing simply because he/she shares the same hobby as yourself is not helping.

@ the OP.
If you return after this $4!† storm of a thread, I'd recommend grabbing a 6 pack of cold beers, walk over to your neighbors house, and strike up a conversation. The scanning hobby, CB and Amateur radio are all compatible. Talk to your neighbor about the amateur radio hobby. If you are interested in getting your amateur radio license, bring that up. Talk with him openly about what's going on with your TV. Don't blame, but ask him for his input and help in resolving it. It would be pretty easy for you guys to cooperate and figure out if this issue is just happening on a specific band, frequency, power level, beam heading, or other variable. Working together as adults you can likely find a solution to this issue. Don't expect your neighbor to give up his hobby, and do expect that any resolutions may very well fall on you to finance. Resolving this shouldn't be difficult. A careful approach will not only lead to a positive resolution, but also a friendship and a new hobby.

 

[royldean]

However, a good ham IS responsible for making sure his own equipment is properly installed, grounded and operating in such a way that there isn't inappropriate amounts of out of band signal

I doubt any ham that has defended the OP's neighbor expects him to just sit on his butt and say "Tough noogies, bro - I'm legal. So go pound sound."

Most of us have also pointed out that the ham MUST BE OPERATING WITHIN Part 97 requirements to be protected. All we are saying is that IF the ham IS operating with part 97 (ie, legal), then he has ZERO responsibility LEGALLY to fix (or elliminate) the problem. It sure would be nice if he tried, though.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

The ham isn't responsible for proper grounding and filtering of his neighbors equipment.

However, a good ham IS responsible for making sure his own equipment is properly installed, grounded and operating in such a way that there isn't inappropriate amounts of out of band signal.

Assumptions that simply because the guy has an amateur radio license plate, he's done a full check on his equipment, isn't running a CB with an amplifier, isn't doing something outside amateur radio bands, isn't being a LID, has checked for spurious emissions, etc. are all just assumptions. We all know that passing a 35 question multiple choice test (see other threads regarding "Ham Cram" sessions…) doesn't make someone an expert. Neither does applying for the license plates at the DMV.

I'd hope that any of the amateur radio operators on this page would take a more adult approach to this issue. Being a good neighbor goes a long ways to improve relationships. Being afraid of getting sued? I get it, but talking with your neighbor won't get you sued. Representing the amateur radio hobby in positive light goes a long way to improve the hobby.

Sure, their are crappy TV sets out there. It's likely that's the culprit, but completely absolving someone of wrongdoing simply because he/she shares the same hobby as yourself is not helping.

@ the OP.
If you return after this $4!† storm of a thread, I'd recommend grabbing a 6 pack of cold beers, walk over to your neighbors house, and strike up a conversation. The scanning hobby, CB and Amateur radio are all compatible. Talk to your neighbor about the amateur radio hobby. If you are interested in getting your amateur radio license, bring that up. Talk with him openly about what's going on with your TV. Don't blame, but ask him for his input and help in resolving it. It would be pretty easy for you guys to cooperate and figure out if this issue is just happening on a specific band, frequency, power level, beam heading, or other variable. Working together as adults you can likely find a solution to this issue. Don't expect your neighbor to give up his hobby, and do expect that any resolutions may very well fall on you to finance. Resolving this shouldn't be difficult. A careful approach will not only lead to a positive resolution, but also a friendship and a new hobby.

The point is that Consumers (The ones buying consumer grade entertainment equipment) are being ripped off by sales of equipment that has been "cost reduced" and "minimal parts count" to the point where even a cellular phone will aggravate them. Most hams have some minimal amount of station grounding and generally operate equipment with respectable OOB suppression. And yes they should make sure their 80 meter powerhouse station isn't introducing RF current into the cable TV system.

By most local electrical and fire codes, only a licensed electrician can come into another persons home and improve their grounding. If you offer to ground stuff or install filters, that may be great PR, but at the end of the day, the best thing is to hand them some ARRL or FCC pamphlets show them what was done to fix their own TV or stereo and wish them well.

 

[mmckenna]

but at the end of the day, the best thing is to hand them some ARRL or FCC pamphlets show them what was done to fix their own TV or stereo and wish them well.

I think that's an excellent approach.

A good ham would see this as an educational opportunity, or a way to bring someone new into the hobby.
But then there are those that would face it with trepidation.

To each his own.

 

[RiverCity45]

Just recently had a couple move in next door.
now every night my smart tv picks up his transmission.....cq cq cq is annoying.
Had my son talk with his son about it.No change in a week now...Found he was talking on 10 meter and
12 meter...What can i do?
He does have amateur radio tag on his car.

So long as the ham is operating equipment that meets FCC Part 97 requirements, he isn't obligated to fix the poorly engineered devices in *your* home. You may want to look into attaching rf filters to the inputs (e.g., the cable TV coax coming into your home) of the devices that are picking up the rf. Lots of info available on the web about ways uou can solve the priblem

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[prcguy]

Yea, but a number of us including me think the radio operator might be using a CB radio with amplifier which takes things a completely different direction and in favor of the TV owner. More info is needed to get to the bottom of this problem.

So long as the ham is operating equipment that meets FCC Part 97 requirements, he isn't obligated to fix the poorly engineered devices in *your* home. You may want to look into attaching rf filters to the inputs (e.g., the cable TV coax coming into your home) of the devices that are picking up the rf. Lots of info available on the web about ways uou can solve the priblem

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk