Electricity Pylon Interference?

[paul devereux]

Sorry, I am sure this is already covered but I have searched pylons on this site and haven't found an answer.

Are there any particular problems flying near electricity pylons?

I have an ideal site for flying in walking distance,no pedestrians, to get in a bit of stick time, but it has pylons marching through one side.

Will I get interference?

[The Wright Stuff]

I would certainly keep clear of them, but to be honest, I think your main concern is not flying into the pylons and/or cables...

The electric field decreases rapidly with distance, if you are close enough to be worried about interference, you are probably too close, anyway...

[paul devereux]

Ha ha!

I'm not worried about flying into them, just concerned they will interfere with the radio signal!

I'll just give it a go and see what happens, it is only a foamie.

Thanks for replying.

[Simon Chaddock]

paul

You say you are not worried about flying into electricity pylons but anything, particularly if it is a bit wet can act as jumping point for very high voltages.

In other words the very presence of your plane flying close to a HV wire could jeopardise the normal safety distance and you don't want to be anywhere near as well as you too also act as a potential conductor to ground.

Very unlikely but it will only happen to you once!

[Nigel R]

What sort of pylons are we talking about here?

100ft high 100kv type things, or 20ft wooden poles with three-phase on?

[Don Fry]

Or even 275, or 400 kv.

[Cuban8]

Our club field has large pylons at its perimeter and in thirty years of flying, I honestly can't recall any problem from them (except the very occasional collision). Years ago, I remember seeing a model actually fly out over the wires and then return back through them without so a much as a glitch. The pilot was unaware of what had happened and didn't believe what had happened when we told him after landing.

[Geoff S]

I occasionally used to fly in a nearby field (with permission) because it was 2 minute walk from our house. It had a 100kv pylon in it. I never had any problems, even when flying well over the top of it (I was flying a Sonata 'E' motor glider) even though it was when I was on 35Mhz. The line was put underground a couple of years ago and I've since flown on 2.5gHz also with no problems.

Geoff

[Peter Miller]

I remember a model flyingshow in the Northern suburbs of LOndon and the flying site was right by a huge pylon. It was reported in a magazine (RCM&E or Radio Modeller) at the time and one club member went to see ithe show.

I am sure that someone with a better memory than mine will have more details

[Don Fry]

Actually, when I first read this I was horrified. But on contemplation, while I would not dream of doing this, why would a foamy hitting a pylon do any damage to the pylon, or wires. Granted a receiver gets fried.

But even so, only fly if you are sure if the wind does not carry you down to the wires.

[FlyinBrian]

Posted by Don Fry on 21/05/2018 19:14:01:

Actually, when I first read this I was horrified. But on contemplation, while I would not dream of doing this, why would a foamy hitting a pylon do any damage to the pylon, or wires. Granted a receiver gets fried.

But even so, only fly if you are sure if the wind does not carry you down to the wires.

Well

Many years ago I was stupid enough to fly my model into HV pylon cables, Model was trashed but all the r/c equipment was fine. Stands to reason that if there is no conduit between the cables or to earth then no current would flow so no fried r/c kit.

Probably the most dangerous of the OH cables are those carried on wooden poles, these are 11 or 33KV and the cables are close enough together for a model to touch two wires at once - could be interesting!

[Cuban8]

Posted by Peter Miller on 21/05/2018 18:28:06:

I remember a model flyingshow in the Northern suburbs of LOndon and the flying site was right by a huge pylon. It was reported in a magazine (RCM&E or Radio Modeller) at the time and one club member went to see ithe show.

I am sure that someone with a better memory than mine will have more details

I think you're referring to Pickets Lock at the Lea Vally Centre, Pete. That was years ago, possibly 30+ and IIRC, it was just a one-off. Remember seeing a Flair Hannibal being demonstrated and thinking how big the model was - how times change.

[MaL]

I think National Grid UK may have some 'advice' for you concerning flying close to one of their pylons.

[gangster]

I cannot imagine there will be any interference issues at 2.4. I’m a previous life I was required to trace radio interference. Whilst I cannot remember dealing with 132kv lines 11kv was a regular. They could radiate on long wave for miles. If you could hear it at a higher frequency 30 MHz and above you were onto a winner. That did not happen very often. My old colleague claimed to be good at tracing power line interference however I never witnessed his success he did however have the luxury of spending weeks on a single job. I digress, back to the question. Modellers still have fear of that mythical bogey man interference, I am not sure it was ever a big issue. What you have to remember is that a digital system such as we use on 2.4 cannot mistake a power line rasp for a valid input. Despite what it said on the box the old ppm systems were not digital and if the receiver heard a health rasp it would try to interpret into a servi movement. Probably by sods law full throttle and full elevator or aileron

Edited By gangster on 22/05/2018 11:47:00

[MaL]

Don't the grid still allow data burst over the network?.. I seem to remember that was the potential issue in the past, not the 50Hz. As it is not a continual stream you could never be sure if it was a data burst that caused the rx glitch.

[KiwiKid]

Posted by FlyinBrian on 22/05/2018 08:33:14:

Probably the most dangerous of the OH cables are those carried on wooden poles, these are 11 or 33KV and the cables are close enough together for a model to touch two wires at once - could be interesting!

Interesting indeed - that's a 750 quid competition DLG going poof!

Not much left.

[Peter Miller]

Posted by Cuban8 on 22/05/2018 08:52:45:

Posted by Peter Miller on 21/05/2018 18:28:06:

I remember a model flyingshow in the Northern suburbs of LOndon and the flying site was right by a huge pylon. It was reported in a magazine (RCM&E or Radio Modeller) at the time and one club member went to see ithe show.

I am sure that someone with a better memory than mine will have more details

I think you're referring to Pickets Lock at the Lea Vally Centre, Pete. That was years ago, possibly 30+ and IIRC, it was just a one-off. Remember seeing a Flair Hannibal being demonstrated and thinking how big the model was - how times change.

Thats right, I remember the name now. Yes, easily 30 years ago. Thanks.

[J D 8]

That it was carbon fiber,nice and conductive ?

[Peter Miller]

I hit power lines across our local field with a small model. Only hit one line actually. I had a perfect impression of the strands of the cable on the front of the soft balsa nose block.

I did hear about signals being sent down power lines, we had one or two glitches near some many,many years ago

Someone said they were on 27 Mhz.

[KiwiKid]

Posted by J D 8 on 22/05/2018 14:09:19:

That it was carbon fiber,nice and conductive ?

Oh yes, electricity can be conducted as the electrons are able to pick up the charge, move along the layers and conduct the charge to the rest of the circuit. ​The electrons in carbon are loosely bonded and, when energized, tend to repel each other, with sometimes explosive results!

[gangster]

Posted by MaL on 22/05/2018 12:31:26:

Don't the grid still allow data burst over the network?.. I seem to remember that was the potential issue in the past, not the 50Hz. As it is not a continual stream you could never be sure if it was a data burst that caused the rx glitch.

This brings back memories. I recall that as well as their own telemetry over the actual conductor I recall they were going to create a national network by stringing up fibre optic cables between the pylons. Anyone know what happened to that

[JohnP25]

I guess that’s an “ah oops, a bit too close then”.

Over or under next time. Definitely not through.

😊

J

[Old Geezer]

Sort of on the theme of OH power lines - adjacent to a field we flew off for years were 4 X 300V?/400V? distribution cables on the usual wooden poles running parallel to the fence. One afternoon someone ( in the absence of any club members ) decided to fly a C/L plane - on our R/C field - to cut a long story short - pilot stumbled, let go handle, C/L plane became F/F and departed climbing towards the OH cables trailing two 30-odd foot lengths of lay-straight behind it. Said lay-straight caught on the hi-V OH power cable which stopped the fly-away, but ----- the C/L plane then wrapped it's by now anything but straight control cables several times around the power cables and shorted them out putting a couple of hundred houses onto candle power only.

There was, as expected, a bit of a hoohaa. At least we were able to say, in all honesty, nothing do with us guvnor.

[Keith Lomax]

Don't forget, of course, that it is illegal to fly within a 50 metre radius of the wires.

[John Privett]

Posted by Cuban8 on 22/05/2018 08:52:45:

I think you're referring to Pickets Lock at the Lea Vally Centre, Pete. That was years ago, possibly 30+ and IIRC, it was just a one-off. Remember seeing a Flair Hannibal being demonstrated and thinking how big the model was - how times change.

That's the one I was thinking of too. Quite a windy day if I remember correctly, I've only got a vague recollection of there being pylons at the site. I was also thinking it can't possibly have been as long as 30 years ago, but it would have been before either of my daughters were born - and my eldest will be 28 this year... Heck, how time flies!