Electronic ballast RF interference status
- Thread starter clowntown
- Start date
AM/FM radio: OK - "radio within 5 feet - no problem"
UHF/VHF TV: OK - "5 feet away, no problem"
Broadband Internet: OK
Wireless Networking: OK - "Have wireless networking [802.11]g - no problem"
Cordless Phone: OK - "900 mhz and 2.something ghz - no problem"
Cell Phone: ok
Wireless Thermometer: ok
It is the 600W 120V option and it was purchased when the first wave hit the shelf. Cord used is the sunleaves cordset. Anything else?
UHF/VHF TV: OK - "5 feet away, no problem"
Broadband Internet: OK
Wireless Networking: OK - "Have wireless networking [802.11]g - no problem"
Cordless Phone: OK - "900 mhz and 2.something ghz - no problem"
Cell Phone: ok
Wireless Thermometer: ok
It is the 600W 120V option and it was purchased when the first wave hit the shelf. Cord used is the sunleaves cordset. Anything else?
Loblolly1
New member
HIDHUT 400W HPS
First got this 400W HPS ballast about 1.5 years ago, and it's served me well for the entirety of that time. I decided to get the ballast from him on the grounds that: A. It was the cheapest on the market that still came from a stable manufacturer, and B. His operation is run in the area I'm in.
The ballast has run great: fairly cool, fires quickly, and no interference with speakers (2 feet away), cell phone, wireless internet, other lights, AM/FM radio. So far it has done everything I have wanted it to do with no problems whatsoever. The guy who runs it, Justin, is also really nice - he's helped me a lot when I had a lot of dumb newbie questions, when other people more or less told me to fuck off and come back when I knew what I wanted. I've been over to his warehouse more than a couple times to pick up other stuff (reflector, carbon filter, nutrients, etc etc), and dealing with him is always great.
jcsmooth
Member
Hi everyone,
Just wanted to provide my review of the new Lumatek 400 watt digital ballast (blue model).
I've had NO problems whatsoever in its first day of use.
AM/FM radio - Ok (about 5 feet away)
Broadband Internet - Ok (about 15 feet away)
Motorola VT2442 Router - Ok (about 15 feet away) - this is my vonage phone
Digital Cordless phone 900 MHz - Ok (about 20 feet away)
Harmon/Kardon avr130 stereo amplifier - Ok (15 feet away)
Speakers - Ok (10 and 20 feet away)
I don't have a cell phone but maybe one day someone will be here and make a call successfully. I'm confident it would be fine.
Good luck everything,
JC
Just wanted to provide my review of the new Lumatek 400 watt digital ballast (blue model).
I've had NO problems whatsoever in its first day of use.
AM/FM radio - Ok (about 5 feet away)
Broadband Internet - Ok (about 15 feet away)
Motorola VT2442 Router - Ok (about 15 feet away) - this is my vonage phone
Digital Cordless phone 900 MHz - Ok (about 20 feet away)
Harmon/Kardon avr130 stereo amplifier - Ok (15 feet away)
Speakers - Ok (10 and 20 feet away)
I don't have a cell phone but maybe one day someone will be here and make a call successfully. I'm confident it would be fine.
Good luck everything,
JC
G
Guest
just bought a 250 lumatek....
with a cool tube reflector in case I feel the need to grow vertical...
with a cool tube reflector in case I feel the need to grow vertical...
Last edited:
G
Guest
Clown you are the man. Thank you for all the information, it is people like you that make growing possible for me 
G
Guest
Hi Clown..... Have an interesting update for you.....
Hi Clown..... Have an interesting update for you.....
FutureBrite 1000w:
AM radio--10ft away all frequencies with loud buzz
FM radio--no issues
Cell phone--no issues
Cordless phone--no issues
Wireless Broadband--A,B,G--no issues
Cat-5 Broadband--no issues at 10 ft unknown otherwise
Wire phone--no issues
Legal electronic monitoring--block signal when close
No cable or DSL all satelite
No issues=right next to light and box
This is of course from a friend who tested his.
Peace
Hi Clown..... Have an interesting update for you.....
FutureBrite 1000w:
AM radio--10ft away all frequencies with loud buzz
FM radio--no issues
Cell phone--no issues
Cordless phone--no issues
Wireless Broadband--A,B,G--no issues
Cat-5 Broadband--no issues at 10 ft unknown otherwise
Wire phone--no issues
Legal electronic monitoring--block signal when close
No cable or DSL all satelite
No issues=right next to light and box
This is of course from a friend who tested his.
Peace
N
newbieb
fuck, i wanted the 1000 watt lumen ace, guess i'll settle for the 600 watt lumatek, thanks, clowntown
This might be a stupid question, but I want to ask anyways so here it goes. If these ballasts give off even the slightest radio interference, doesn't that mean they can be detected by electronic means. What is to say LEO can't (or doesn't already) have a system to show the exact signature of HPS lights and it's basic location. This could give them extra info to enter a home.
I don't know if anyone brought it up and I smoked a fat bowl, and that thought popped in my mind. Might be a stoned silly thought, but I thought I'd ask anyway. What do you guys/gals think?
TGT
I don't know if anyone brought it up and I smoked a fat bowl, and that thought popped in my mind. Might be a stoned silly thought, but I thought I'd ask anyway. What do you guys/gals think?
TGT
G
Guest
Dude that is a definite issue.......
Dude that is a definite issue.......
I am sure there are other electronics that give the same problems but it is a worry. The one friend of mine is on the ankle thing and his case manager asked him about a time it registered he was gone at the exact same time he tended his ladies. That would make me shit. Fucking technology is working faster against us than for us.
Peace
Dude that is a definite issue.......
I am sure there are other electronics that give the same problems but it is a worry. The one friend of mine is on the ankle thing and his case manager asked him about a time it registered he was gone at the exact same time he tended his ladies. That would make me shit. Fucking technology is working faster against us than for us.
Peace
Fire
Active member
im using the new (blue) lumatek 600's @ 240v ...
so far so good...they work great! although i did notice that they do run kinda hot to the touch.....they stay cool for the first few hours.....with minimal heat..but after about 4 hours they get pretty hot to the touch.....similar to the heat of my magnetic....(1k MH pictured on left)
i was concerned about the issues as well......but.....i think all is well???
so far so good...they work great! although i did notice that they do run kinda hot to the touch.....they stay cool for the first few hours.....with minimal heat..but after about 4 hours they get pretty hot to the touch.....similar to the heat of my magnetic....(1k MH pictured on left)
i was concerned about the issues as well......but.....i think all is well???
G
Guest
Fire said:im using the new (blue) lumatek 600's @ 240v ...
so far so good...they work great! although i did notice that they do run kinda hot to the touch.....they stay cool for the first few hours.....with minimal heat..but after about 4 hours they get pretty hot to the touch.....similar to the heat of my magnetic....(1k MH pictured on left)
i was concerned about the issues as well......but.....i think all is well???
Very nice and clean setup you have there Fire. Really like the simple and clean design you have there. I'm guessing you tapped into a dryer outlet and feed off of that. Thanks for the info and i was wondering the samething about the 220 units. Was wondering if they got hot any. Take care and thanks for the info.
later,
BG
My report
My report
I have this one
and using this lite
I live in an area that has a lot of interference(sp) anyway, (can't tell you what it is , as it might give up my location) but everybnody here has special antenas, and car locks don't work in certain locations, ect......depends on wind direction I think.
Aso had a double murder down the street and the police were raoming the neighborhood for about 2 months, didn't seem to interfere with thier radios and comunications..
but anyway , the ballast has worked perfectly, no problems at all. my understanding is that Lumatek has fixed the bugs and now its perfect..
radio......Rellikbuzzz (whos so sold on these ballast is thinkin of becoming a distributor) set a radio right on top of it still .....OK
satelite tv. sat. is on the other side of the wall and up on the roof . ...no
problems there
cell phone...ok
doen'nt seem to be interfering with the other interferences.
I say go on a get one
My report
I have this one
and using this lite
I live in an area that has a lot of interference(sp) anyway, (can't tell you what it is , as it might give up my location) but everybnody here has special antenas, and car locks don't work in certain locations, ect......depends on wind direction I think.
Aso had a double murder down the street and the police were raoming the neighborhood for about 2 months, didn't seem to interfere with thier radios and comunications..
but anyway , the ballast has worked perfectly, no problems at all. my understanding is that Lumatek has fixed the bugs and now its perfect..
radio......Rellikbuzzz (whos so sold on these ballast is thinkin of becoming a distributor) set a radio right on top of it still .....OK
satelite tv. sat. is on the other side of the wall and up on the roof . ...no
problems there
cell phone...ok
doen'nt seem to be interfering with the other interferences.
I say go on a get one
G
Guest
Nice setup fire,is that a WH40 "little gray box or a t-103?
Used a BAL 600w for three months now with no problems at all.
Build quality is high and it handles blackouts no problem.
Mobile phone works sitting on unit.
No problem with wireless to laptop sitting on unit.
Weak FM station interference at six inches , worse interference came from previous magnetic ballast.
The same ones are on fleabay with or without an atached lamp/reflector at a good price.
Build quality is high and it handles blackouts no problem.
Mobile phone works sitting on unit.
No problem with wireless to laptop sitting on unit.
Weak FM station interference at six inches , worse interference came from previous magnetic ballast.
The same ones are on fleabay with or without an atached lamp/reflector at a good price.
Wow, I never thought the Lumatek would have heat issues until I saw this. After about a half hour to an hour, I checked and it was barely warm so I didn't think much of it and assumed it stayed that way. After reading this thread I checked it and found it pretty hot, where I could barely keep my hand on it but not comfortably. (600w model)
For the RF leaks... yes it could definitely be possible that LE agencies have more information than we do about any specific leaks output by these devices, and could already have a device built to detect them. Without an EM RFI meter like the one stonewall posted earlier, it'd be difficult to know for sure.
Hopefully, by using enough devices that can detect strong enough (detectable from a distance) interferences in enough frequencies by enough people, this will be enough in getting a good idea of whether a device should be considered fairly safe or not.
Kinda busy right now but I'll put in the rest of the updates by the end of the day...
Thanks everyone for the input!
For the RF leaks... yes it could definitely be possible that LE agencies have more information than we do about any specific leaks output by these devices, and could already have a device built to detect them. Without an EM RFI meter like the one stonewall posted earlier, it'd be difficult to know for sure.
Hopefully, by using enough devices that can detect strong enough (detectable from a distance) interferences in enough frequencies by enough people, this will be enough in getting a good idea of whether a device should be considered fairly safe or not.
Kinda busy right now but I'll put in the rest of the updates by the end of the day...
Thanks everyone for the input!
