AM Radio interference from a Solis 1000W ballast

[Aelool]

I upgraded my ballast Friday from a 400/600W 120V Galaxy to a 240VAC 400/600/1000W Solis digital ballast. I was impressed by the reviews it has been receiving and decided to take the leap. All was well until I turned on my AM radio this morning to hear something broadcasting a distinct *beep* every few seconds.

My first reaction was to hit the circuit breaker and kill the 240V dedicated light feed, and sure enough the beep stopped. I let the bulb cool and when I restruck it the beep came right back. It has been broadcasting all weekend until I killed it this morning.

I have switched back to the Galaxy for now, and reconfirmed that it is not making any radio noise at all. I am shocked at just how badly this thing was leaking RFI. I picked it up out in the street on my car radio!

I admit to being completely ignorant of this issue until now, and I was further stunned after a quick search to find out how prevalent this problem is with digital ballasts. I could find no suggestions about what to do to correct this, and plenty of warnings about local HAM operators localizing the interference and diming your grow out to the FCC, local Cable Company, telephone company, or whatever else your ballast is interfering with. I really had no idea...

So what can I do now, except take this thing back for a refund?? I had hoped to upgrade my flowering lamp to 1000W but with the noise this ballast generates, I likely wouldn't get the bulb burned in properly before someone came a knockin'.

Any ideas and actual solutions are most welcome.

 

[JJ Bones]

Hypotek and Lumatek does not do this. I actually made a video about it.

 

[Aelool]

I dropped a note to Solis-Tek Support seeking any advice. I was hoping to fire up a 1000W Hortilux HPS for blooming...this combination just got rave reviews...but now I'm afraid to plug the damned thing in! It makes a great beacon...you can localize it very easily with a car radio....

 

[Aelool]

Interesting reply from Solis Tek. They are aware of this problem and are working on a solution, and offered to replace my ballast for free in "several months". That will not do as this ballast is indeed a mini-radio beacon that might just as well broadcast a voice that says "Come Bust Me!!".

Going to go trade this in for Lumatek today. Buyer beware.

 

[JJ Bones]

Also keep in mind, if you like the features on the Solis Tek, that Galaxy recently came out with one that's almost identical. I haven't looked to see if they have an RF protection but worth the look.

 

[Aelool]

Made the swap and that's all it took. I got a Lumatek Dial-a-Watt 400/600/1000 and got it set up on the dedicated 240 line. An amazing difference and the radio beacon in the grow room is no more. I fired it up initially with the 600W MH first, then switched over to the 1000W Hortilux HPS, and there is no radiated noise approaching what I had going up there yesterday. You can hear a static pop or two when the bulb first strikes but it is minimal.

What made up my mind about the Lumatek is the comments I read online, here and elsewhere. Lumatek had this very problem, in spades back around 2009-2010. Their ballasts were actually transmitting signals on people's cable TV lines, telephone landlines, cordless phones, you name it. Lumatek developed and installs the best EMI/RFI containment now, and they are clearly superior to the Solis-Tek in that regard.

I'll take a marginal hit on light performance (if there really is one that matters) in trade for not having a broadcast beacon....

 

[Aelool]

Also keep in mind, if you like the features on the Solis Tek, that Galaxy recently came out with one that's almost identical. I haven't looked to see if they have an RF protection but worth the look.

Another data point on this.....

My friend whom I buy my gear from was telling me that Galaxy's Chinese warranties begin at the time that the unit is manufactured, and that frequently by the time one makes its way through manufacture, shipping from overseas, and retail distribution and storage up to the point of sale, the warranty is within months of expiring.

That's a new one on me, but it would not surprise me that the Chinese are trying to pull yet another fast one....

 

[JJ Bones]

I don't think that is correct, I've never heard of this before and we've sold a lot of ballasts over the years. Galaxy, Lumatek and Hypotek are coming from the same manufacturing facility.

Kudos on getting the new ballast, makes a big difference

 

[Cannabis 1]

Hey guys. I just bought A set of lights. They are hortilux digital e ballast and raptor 6 reflectors. I might be having the same problem.
I woke up today to what i thought was utility workers on my street. As I was getting ready for work, the truck pulled up my secondary driveway to one of the poles. He got out and I could see it was Comcast truck. He got in his bucket and went up to the pole connections. Then he came down and was walking around testing the ground with a meter. He got back into his truck, pulled out and then pulled into my main driveway. He came up and rang the doorbell......

He said that he was from Comcast and that they are getting feedback into the cable lines and it was traced back to my house. They will be sending a technician out tomorrow to check our lines inside the house. They are in the attic and basement. A double fuckin wammy. Because my tent is in the basement.

I have only had the lights on for 1 week. Do You think that my garden is the problem? I talked to a friend who is an electrician, and he said no fucking way that the garden is feeding voltage back into the ground. The whole set up is plugged into grounded outlets. M father did say that one day last week he was using the phone and there was alot of static as well. I really hope Its not the garden.

Now, I have to spend all night covering up the tent. Alot of people have indoor gardens, but I dont want them to assume im growing anything illegal....even though I am lol!

What are your thoughts?

 

[myakinass]

I'm having the same problems with the Solis Tek metrics , Cable Company come knockin twice.
The funny part is, the last time they came it was 20 mins before the light went off and the tech was so impressed with himself that he was able to make the ingress in the line go away by changing a few splitters.

I told him him right on and sent him on his way and pulled all the ballast out right away,
I am in final week of veg and I have no ballast, So I put in my 8 lamp fluorescent in till I figure something out
I have a question

has anyone use this new Galaxy switch a watt 1000, were they advertise its the best against RF and approved by the FCC....Galaxy Grow Amp Select-A-Watt Turbo Charge 1000W - 120/240v

another question, will I be sorry if I switch to Mechanical Ballast

Even though I am a legal gro, I would still like to stay as stealth as possible
any help would be greatly appreciated, Thank You

 

[Dutty Panty]

Lumatek for the win. Solistek are ass clowns. I only use lumatek ballasts there customer service is great. My partner owns a grow shop and he won't even carry them. He asked a rep if he could have one to demo they wouldn't let him do that. However nanolux let him and he has been turning it off and on every 15 mins on a timer for 6 months trying to kill it and bugger keeps going. I've never personally used nano. The guys at Solistek are business guys first not growers first. There ballasts are neat looking and such but I'll stick to the dual 600 by lumatek so I can run 2 600watt hortilux hps bulbs per ballast

 

[xtrchessreal]

I wrote a whole thing comparing digital to magnetic ballasts. Magnetic won't have this issue in fact because it is magnetic it is able to flow with power up and down surges as well as take EMI interference from other sources and it will still operate. I liken the argument to Tube verses solid state amplifiers in audio...the refined researched will go with magnetic for its robustness and extremely long (half century) lifespans.