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Smart Grids and Meters - One Family's Struggle with Noise Pollution  

 
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Sandra and her family’s struggle with noise pollution began back in 2006. We featured a newsletter detailing her story several years ago. Sandra recently contacted us again and asked us to feature another story with her updates and findings.

Sandra’s Update:

A number of years ago, you published a story about a noise my family and I were plagued by.  At that time, with the knowledge we had, we knew it was electrical and were focusing on a pad mounted transformer as the source.  It evoked much negative response in the comments; so much so, you had to shut it down.

We have much more physical evidence now.  In fact, it is very compelling because we have it from four different areas of science and four experts.

We have power quality, FFT analysis, acoustic 1/3 octave band, and forensic audio.  All of which, concluded the power lines are the source of the constant pulsed RF noise emissions.

I recently read your article about PLC and the noise issues surrounding this technology.  Our timeline for which the noise started was when the PLC was turned on to support the smart grid in our town.  September of 2006.  The important fact is that my family and I didn't know the meter was on our home until two years later.  By then we filed numerous complaints with the utilities and State.  This at the time, preceded our knowledge of a smart meter and its technology.

The symptoms I experienced of nose bleeds, vertigo, dizziness, migraines, heart palpitations, involuntary muscle cramping disappeared the day they replaced the smart meter with a mechanical meter, manually read, per our demand.  This was July 2012.  It will be three years that the symptoms have not re-appeared.

It is very disheartening to hear of Doctors making blanket statements that the symptoms are in people's heads or influenced by what they have read about the dangers of the smart meters.  This was not true for my personal experience and is not true for the thousands who have reported the same thing when the meter was attached to their homes.  For many, they did not even know the utility put a smart meter on their homes as well.

The noise is still present, which I knew it would be because we already had our evidence proving the antenna affect so the noise is in the air and is ubiquitous everywhere the smart grid network is turned on.  That is pretty much everywhere in the USA.  I hear from people all over who are suffering from the constant noise.  This is no mystery that this is the modern day hum that people are hearing. 

Sincerely,

Sandra
www.sandaura.wordpress.com
www.smartmeternewsupdates.wordpress.com

 

Mike Holt Comment: Fifteen years ago when I knew everything I would have dismissed this issue. Today, I know I don’t have the answers to all issues… so who knows…

 

 

 

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Comments
  • I had my doubts about this report but I decided to do some research. It seems that organizations and governments have had transmitters using ultra high frequency sound in a number of devices. Normally, we cannot hear such high frequencies but these devices can transmit in the extreme and dangerous decible range. If two of these audio signals join in resonance some of the resulting resonant frequencies can be heard and they are extremely powerful.

    I am not a conspiracy theorist but it is claimed these powerful audio signals are being used for spying.

    Bob  November 16 2015, 10:28 am EST
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  • Well I was not a believer. Now I am. They put a smart meter on my house. It is on the exterior wall of my daughters bedroom. We always had a mirror on that wall. My wife rearranged her room and the head of her bed was in a straight line where the meter is on the outside . My wife moved the mirror over a foot. All of a sudden my daughter started having nose bleeds at night and her eyes hurt. Thought was just sick. My wife re arranged her room and moved her bed in line with the mirror. Did not think anything about it. My daughter stop having issues. My wife rearranged her room againing and moved her bed to the wall where the meter is on. Her nose bleed, head aches, eyes hurt and couldn't sleep. I went thru this room. No poisons no chemicals nothing new. I read this article and It hit me. My good friend is a smart meter hater and he told me this would happen. So I looked into it frequency and distance. Read the power companys specs and the test they provide for the public and there it was. My daughters head was with in 10' and was only sick when the mirror wasn't between her and the meter. I have been dealing with this since the meter was installed and my wife moved that mirror. By the way mirrors with silver backing block 95% of the frequency and then the frequency drop rate almost elimnants it. I just figured this out by going thru ever location and when was sick. I will have this thing removed.

    Troy  November 11 2015, 9:07 pm EST
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  • Interesting discussion. Southern California Edison has implemented smart meters, but these seem to use a different technology than is being described here. They use rf up in the gigahertz range radiated directly from the meter and not pumped into the power line. Each meter can not only transmit data, but can act as a store and forward repeater for other meters. Collectively they form a web topology that allows data to leap frog from meter to meter until it reaches where ever the reception point is.

    BPL proved that it is folly pushing RF over the power lines. Getting past the pole pigs requires a lot of power or a common mode technology that will turn the power line into a radiating antenna, very possibly in violation of part 15 of the FCC rules.

    It makes me wonder why one technology was chosen over the other.

    CH

    Chris Hays  November 3 2015, 10:06 pm EST
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  • Smart meters are not smart - they cause noise pollution, are very dangerous to human, animal, and plant life due to RF and EMF radiation, they break down often and have a short life of only around 5 years so are expensive for cities, and they invade privacy since they are used for collecting and selling data on us. So why are we switching to them? It's called money - the stimulus package offered lots of money to the electrical companies to force this change on us. I had to move from the city I was living in because of the smart grid. I became electrosensitive and couldn't even sleep in my apartment. This smart grid is one of most stupid things our nation has done.

    James  October 30 2015, 6:00 pm EDT
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  • Just confirming the smart meters are truly trouble and I believe many are suffering in various ways from them but just don't know it's the smart meter grid causing their problems - once we wake up the fight will hopefully be won and the smart meter grid brought down COMPLETELY!!! Not just opt out but stopped and removed COMPLETELY!!! I had to literally move out of the city I was living in due to the grid. I couldn't sleep in my apartment and had to literally live without much electricity on when in my apt. or I'd start feeling bad. I became electrosensitive and my life was so disrupted for so long. I finally got a subleaser and moved to a city without smart meters. These smart grids are not healthly for humans, animals, or plants. They also cause noise, invade our privacy with the collection of data on our daily activities, and they aren't smart to change over to since they break down often, have to be replaced around every 5 years and so are much more expensive than analog for cities, and are less accurate than analog. So why have them - just huge problems and no benefits. I expect huge lawsuits as people realize their problems have been the smart meters which some didn't even realize were on their homes.

    James  October 30 2015, 5:52 pm EDT
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  • Thank you for posting the article about smart grid noise. In 2011, a smart digital meter using TWACS (two-way automated communication system) was installed at my house and across half the state by the electric utility monopoly. Soon afterwards I began to hear a non-stop noise and developed headaches, palpitations, flushing, dizziness, ear and eye pain, and electrical sensitivity.

    My husband had no reaction to the installation of this technology. He and most people do not hear the non-stop noise, yet I have had various visitors who immediately ask what that horrid sound is. The sound is not ubiquitous to one house as I have moved twice since it began and have heard it at every house and in every city where TWACS PLC is deployed.

    I asked an expert on electro sensitivity, Dr. Olle Johansson of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, if he could recommend scientific papers regarding power line communication and its biological effects and he recommended eiwellspring.org/smartmeter/TWACS.htm . At this website there is also a section on testimonies of people who have been affected by PLC. Many mention the noise. The author tells me that he knows of many more who have been affected but are unwilling to go public for fear of being considered "nuts".

    There is a 'Hum' Noise Database by Dr. McPherson at thehum.info/ with a map of locations where people have reported hearing this hum. I would like to know if these are areas where power line communication is in operation? Hopefully, with articles such as this and the knowledgeable people on Mike Holt's website will someday be able to convince the authorities that this smart grid technology I wonder if the locations of hearers of this noise are in areas where power line communication is deployed.

    Bonnie  October 29 2015, 11:47 pm EDT
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  • Hello all. The PLC (power line communications) issue is nothing to take lightly. These types of pulsed digital broadcast DO in fact cause changes in biological functions at a cellular level, period. Hundreds of scientists have provided pertinent research regarding the damaging effects of these types of electromagnetic emissions over the years, and valid documentation dates back over 70 years. In short: Power lines act as wave propagation devices (broadcast antenna) when used in PLC capacities, and these emissions are damaging to biological health. Persons trained in power line maintenance and service distribution, rarely have any background in radio wave theory or communications architecture. Any competent RF meter can clearly detect RF noise and pulsed wave propagations running on this type of architecture. The "smart" grid is a technological fob job, period. Wire is wire, and antenna are antenna. No amount of denial by UL, the IEEE, or other individuals will change the essential physics involved. The current grid design is a hopeless and inefficient pile of engineering trash. Small localized distribution systems should become the new paradigm all over the world. I did electronics engineering at a component level for over 34 years. The majority of my experience was in audio electronics design and sound reinforcement systems in auditoriums and professional recording studios. Nothing in basic electronics theory or physics has changed since the days of Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, Georg Ohm, or Guglielmo Marconi. Any doubters should read > Microwave auditory effect - Wikipedia

    Paul Vonharnish  October 28 2015, 7:27 pm EDT
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  • I am electrically sensitive (ES), now for 14 years, and have a website (RaleighES.info) and service dedicated to helping other ES people. This "noise" or transients, "dirty" electricity whatever you want to call it is a very real phenomenon. Smart meters, from either how they are connect to both phases, the way their Switch Mode Power Supply's interacts with other appliances, the grid, other meters, or something, creates a big health problem for some people. Thanks to Mike Holt for having the courage to raise this important topic for discussion.

    Andrew McAfee  October 28 2015, 4:18 pm EDT
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  • Could this noise and interference be what is killing honey bees?

    Todd  October 28 2015, 1:52 pm EDT
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  • Unless these people have the hearing of superman they can not hear what they claim to be "RF noise emissions"

    Bob  October 28 2015, 10:26 am EDT
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  • I think they need to re instate that black box from the 1970,s ha ha that joke thing that cleaned the dirty electrictey

    tony  October 28 2015, 10:09 am EDT
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  • I'll add a similar story. I have a friend who has become very sensitive to magnetic fields to point where he gets sick around strong magnetic fields. He was visiting his parents for a few weeks and the room he was staying in he would be ill by morning. Stayed in a different room he would be fine.

    He had his gauss meter shipped and discovered a very strong magnetic field in the room. He went to the room below (basement) and found a exposed green wire radiating significant magnetic energy. I happen to live near his parents and knowing I'm electrical engineer he called me over to look at the situation.

    I discovered the green wire to be the bonding or grounding electrode conduct running from the cable TV grounding block to the water meter. The path this conductor took ran it tight to a metal heating duct and it cable tied to the copper water pipe. I advised that we need to get the conductor routing changed to get it away from the metal.

    The next day he had a electrical contractor over to move the conductor. The electrician (who I know) told me later as soon as he cut the cable tie and the green wire moved about 1" away from the copper pipe the reading on the gauss meter went to almost zero.

    I told the electrician "now you see why we are so particular on how grounding electrode conductors and bonding jumpers are installed". That close proximity to metal creates a high impedance in the conductor that blocks what you are trying to take to ground. In this case it caused the wire to radiate a strong magnetic field. However, in a case of a electrical fault it would cause the fault to take other paths and cause unintended damage and possibly even injuries.

    This is just one example of how an improperly installed bonding jumper or grounding electrode conductor can cause health problems for the occupants.

    Vernon Lippert  October 28 2015, 9:58 am EDT
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  • Mike, You knew everything only 15 years ago? That is very impressive. I knew everything when I was 20, but shortly after that I have been on a down hill spiral ever since!

    Drew Howard  October 28 2015, 8:35 am EDT
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  • That's was a poor answer, who knows. Are you kidding me. Lol. Fired!

    Joe  October 28 2015, 6:40 am EDT
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  • Interesting post, the Neanderthal man certainly didn't have this problem and we really don't know the effects all the RF that surrounds our daily life can cause. L o v e your comment MH.

    Marcelo  October 28 2015, 6:08 am EDT
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  • I worked for a radio station in New York. There was a person who felt they were going crazy because they could hear the radio in their head . As it turned out there were corroding amalgam filings that became detectors and generated real audio in the head. The filings were replaced and all was well !!!

    Chuck   October 28 2015, 12:26 am EDT
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  • This is the first I've heard of this case and I haven't researched it ... but I am an electronics engineer. What jumped out at me was the repetition rate of 217 Hz, which is exactly the packet rate for GSM cell phones (data and encoded voice is not transmitted continuously, but in bursts at a 217 Hz rate). In my field (hum, buzz and other noises that plague sound systems), we normally hear this 217 Hz "buzz" when someone at a conference table puts their cell phone too close to a microphone. The sound system then demodulates the bursts (much like a "crystal set" radio) adding the "buzz" to the sound system. I'm no expert on the wireless meter-reading technology but I'd not be surprised that the transmitter at the meter is the same cell-phone technology (they have a huge network to route the signals, cheap). But, if this is true, I would expect the folks who are sensitive to the meter signals to also be sensitive to most cell phones. It's also important to note that this data is intermittently transmitted by cell phones to establish a "handshake" with the nearest cell system antenna cluster. The only way to stop it is to power-down the phone (or "airplane mode"). I've not made up my mind about how real these "sensitive people" are (I don't have a dog in the fight, as they say) but many of these fields (including 60 Hz magnetic fields in many homes) are easily explained by engineering and basic physics. - Bill Whitlock, Audio Engineering Society Life Fellow, Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers Life Senior

    Bill Whitlock  October 27 2015, 9:35 pm EDT
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