One down, eleven more to go ...
Today is another nice, bright, beautiful sunny summer day in Saint Kitts. The ideal visitor destination this time of year, for guests of the Anthem of the Seas, the Norwegian Epic and the Viking Sea, three cruise liners berthed at the Port Zante Cruise Piers in Basseterre, the Capital City of the Federation. Amateur Radio Operators frequently visit our island on cruise liners, but I am told that ham operators cannot use their amateur radio equipment on the cruise liners. It is their liner and they make the rules, but smart amateur radio operators get a license from the countries that they plan to visit, so that they can operate their amateur radio equipment, mobile, portable or otherwise, when they are on the island. I am happy for these visiting amateur radio operators because there is practically no RF interference, noise or frequency jamming on their signals when they operate from the beaches, or the hilltops in Saint Kitts.
The snap above was made around noon today from my front lawn where I had a great view of the cruise pier itself until someone built a 3-storey house, in the view. The building is now a church and not going anywhere soon. Notwithstanding, I still enjoy the view of the Basseterre Bay.
2020 is winding down real fast, and I am still experiencing the RF interference apparently caused by SKELEC and their smart meter system, on the amateur radio frequencies that I wish to use to make contact, and exchange information and data with other amateur radio operator and stations at home and overseas. My amateur radio transceiver allows me to both see and hear, and also gives me the opportunity to share those observations with you.
The above is a screen shot of the radio display where there is no frequency interference. This is 20-meters or 14 MHz. It is outside the band of frequencies used by the SKELEC smart meter system. Please notice the meter, labeled 'sig' in blue, in the top right hand corner of the radio indicating -124 dBm. This indicate a signal strength of 1,where the frequency is not in use by anyone or anything.
The above is a screen shot which display 80-meters or 3.8 MHz and the signal meter in the top right hand corner is stuck upscale and indicating -92 dBm. This frequency is within the frequency range used by the SKELEC smart meter system.
The above is screenshot which display 40-meters or 7.1 MHz. and the signal meter in the top right hand corner is stuck upscale and indicating -100 dBm. This frequency is within the frequency range used by the SKELEC smart meter system.
If blogger allowed posting of mp3 files you could get a sample of the noise heard on all these frequencies all the time. The noise which makes it impossible to communicate with anyone.
I am still hoping that SKELEC would do the only right thing to do, which is to obey the LAW and stop transmitting RF interference and noise, thus jamming radio frequencies legally allocated to other services. What SKELEC is doing is illegal, but there is apparently no LAW in Saint Kitts anymore, so that business and entities like SKELEC can do as they please, to make all the money that they can from subscribers and customers, and break the laws of the land while doing so. It is indeed a sad state of affairs for Saint Kitts.
Some amateur radio operators are of the view that NOTHING will change in relation to this illegal matter, irrespective of which political party forms the next Government in Saint Kitts and Nevis following the General Elections in the next 30 days. I do not share that view. I believe that the NTRC will come through for the Amateur Radio Operators in Saint Kitts and get the SKELEC entity to obey and uphold the law of the land. SKELEC has been causing this interference for 3-years now, according to some amateur radio operators, and it is way past time that they stop transmitting these illegal signals on these protected frequencies.
I am done with this RF interference topic for February, but I will be back next month, March or sooner, hopefully to provide a positive update. Enjoy your day. Enjoy your Amateur Radio today, and pray that you never come off like us in Saint Kitts, getting our faces busted by people who do not know or care one iota about Amateur Radio, until a category 5 hurricane hit the Island hard ... again.
Have a nice day.
.
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| View of Port Zante cruise port from the lawn up on the hillside at V44KF |
The snap above was made around noon today from my front lawn where I had a great view of the cruise pier itself until someone built a 3-storey house, in the view. The building is now a church and not going anywhere soon. Notwithstanding, I still enjoy the view of the Basseterre Bay.
2020 is winding down real fast, and I am still experiencing the RF interference apparently caused by SKELEC and their smart meter system, on the amateur radio frequencies that I wish to use to make contact, and exchange information and data with other amateur radio operator and stations at home and overseas. My amateur radio transceiver allows me to both see and hear, and also gives me the opportunity to share those observations with you.
 |
| There is no RF interference on this frequency |
The above is a screen shot of the radio display where there is no frequency interference. This is 20-meters or 14 MHz. It is outside the band of frequencies used by the SKELEC smart meter system. Please notice the meter, labeled 'sig' in blue, in the top right hand corner of the radio indicating -124 dBm. This indicate a signal strength of 1,where the frequency is not in use by anyone or anything.
 |
| There is RF Interference on this frequency |
The above is a screen shot which display 80-meters or 3.8 MHz and the signal meter in the top right hand corner is stuck upscale and indicating -92 dBm. This frequency is within the frequency range used by the SKELEC smart meter system.
 |
| There is RF interference on this frequency |
The above is screenshot which display 40-meters or 7.1 MHz. and the signal meter in the top right hand corner is stuck upscale and indicating -100 dBm. This frequency is within the frequency range used by the SKELEC smart meter system.
If blogger allowed posting of mp3 files you could get a sample of the noise heard on all these frequencies all the time. The noise which makes it impossible to communicate with anyone.
I am still hoping that SKELEC would do the only right thing to do, which is to obey the LAW and stop transmitting RF interference and noise, thus jamming radio frequencies legally allocated to other services. What SKELEC is doing is illegal, but there is apparently no LAW in Saint Kitts anymore, so that business and entities like SKELEC can do as they please, to make all the money that they can from subscribers and customers, and break the laws of the land while doing so. It is indeed a sad state of affairs for Saint Kitts.
Some amateur radio operators are of the view that NOTHING will change in relation to this illegal matter, irrespective of which political party forms the next Government in Saint Kitts and Nevis following the General Elections in the next 30 days. I do not share that view. I believe that the NTRC will come through for the Amateur Radio Operators in Saint Kitts and get the SKELEC entity to obey and uphold the law of the land. SKELEC has been causing this interference for 3-years now, according to some amateur radio operators, and it is way past time that they stop transmitting these illegal signals on these protected frequencies.
I am done with this RF interference topic for February, but I will be back next month, March or sooner, hopefully to provide a positive update. Enjoy your day. Enjoy your Amateur Radio today, and pray that you never come off like us in Saint Kitts, getting our faces busted by people who do not know or care one iota about Amateur Radio, until a category 5 hurricane hit the Island hard ... again.
Have a nice day.
.
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