Re: Don't expect any problems
Originally posted by CN1
The CRTC and the US equivalent have strict rules about frequency interference and frequency spacing. Since DCC is approved by both I would be very surprise if any type of interference could be caused by ham radio or the like..
The strict rules by the FCC (USA), VDE (Germany/Europe), etc are intended to protect radio and TV (and police, fire, aircraft etc) communications from inadvertent interference due to radio emissions from digital electronic equipment, which includes computers and of course DCC. The fast transistions of the digital logic create these emission as a natural byproduct, and great lengths are taken to prevent the escape of the resulting radio energy to the outside world. Note the standard FCC Part 15 labelling on any piece of digital equipment designed for residential use which includes a phrase to the effect 'this equipment must accept any interference from ...'
In other words, regulatory agencies protect the communications function of the electromagnetic spectrum. They do not care if a licensed and legal radio transmitter causes a piece of digital equipment to react unfavourably in the presence of a strong radio energy field. The onus is on the design of the digital equipment to continue to work in spite of being in a strong radio field.
Horror stories from the past abound - an electric wheelchair driving itself (and it's owner) off a cliff when a nearby CB radio was keyed on. Vehicle brakes locking up on a freeway when the adjacent vehicle turned on a radio transmitter. Blasting caps setting off a load of dynamite prematurely for similar reasons. A pacemaker user keeling over when keying on a 2 meter ham radio transmitter. Urban legends? Maybe. But the potential for this kind of interference is always present. That's why airlines tell their passengers to turn off all digital equipment (cellphones, digital cameras, CD players) during take-off and landing.
We don't hear about this much these days because the occasional problems that surfaced in the past resulted in design improvements to cure these problems. DCC is not a life-and-death situation, and it is unlikely that turning on your cellphone will cause your prized locomotive to hurl itself off the end of a siding and over a cliff onto the floor. But 1500 watts of radio energy is a lot - will quickly cook a hot dog in a microwave oven - and this kind of power can have other unforseen effects when located close to digital equipment that is by nature unshielded from ambient radio energy.
So for any hobbyists that enjoy both DCC railroading and ham radio, have you noted any interaction between the two? Generally this type of hobbyist will indulge in one hobby at a time, but what happens when two neighbours (a ham radio operator and DCC model railroader) get to doing their own thing at the same time?