high voltage power line issues?

[Jay Rose]

I'm considering moving my home (and elaborate setup) to a location about 500' from a 33kV high tension power line. I've found plenty of literature pro and con on health effects... but nothing on equipment.

I'm worried about low level noise in balanced mics and preamps, and in the monitor chain.

I couldn't find anything while searching the forums. Anybody have any experience or leads?  

[Marc Wielage]

I knew a guy, a high-end audiophile, who lived out near Long Beach and was within about 500 feet of some massive Godzilla-type electrical towers. I asked him if he had experienced any hum or noise, and he told me at the time there were no problems except on the AM radio band. FM was generally good, and unbalanced audio and analog video in the house was good. Then, I had another pal (an animator) who lived in a part of town near an AM transmitter whose place was inundated with interference. Even the (wired) telephone picked up interference by inductance. He eventually had to move. 

I'd say there's too much chaos theory involved, too many variables. I've seen two TV shows in the last week that mentioned Faraday Cages, so it seems like people are more and more aware of related stuff like this. 

[Jay Rose]

Funny thing about the unpredictability of this stuff. Back in my Kraft-dinner days, I built an advertising sound studio across the street from the office tower with the biggest concentration of FM/TV transmitters in downtown Boston. To save money, I used mostly prosumer equipment and a handmade unbalanced patchbay. The only nod to proper noise control was a fat audio ground bus, and telescoping shields on the longer cables. 

Never had a problem. And the studio was so successful I built two more rooms using the same principles. 

Now that I'm older, know better, and can afford topnotch gear (which is all digital interconnect, anyway) I realize how lucky I was. I don't want to make the same mistakes and let karma catch up with me.

[sounddguy]

Jay, If you haven't already moved, spend several hours in that location to be certain that you don't react to the power lines.

When my wife and I were shopping for a new home some years ago, we went to one that had the high tension lines running across the back fence line.  After about 10 minutes on the property we looked at each other and said no.  Not because of the house but because of reaction to the power lines.  I once recorded a presentation of a Ph.D. about how different people are sensitive to different things.  One patient was very ill because her bed was next to the breaker panel.   Moving to another room cleared up all the issues.  I found the power line issue interesting given how many radio transmitters I have worked around over the years.    Good luck.

[Constantin]

Not because of the house but because of reaction to the power lines. 

What was the reaction you had?

[sounddguy]

My wife felt queezy, like she was going to be sick.  I think my reaction was just a little jittery.

[Philip Perkins]

I second the notion of spending some time at a property you might end up living at.  There are many things about places that only reveal themselves with time.  In houses, hidden mold, dust, the pollens from the garden and your reaction to them, to name a few.  At one time we lived in an apartment in SF that got a full body-shot of TV, radio, and comm band RF from Sutro Tower.  No component audio equipment, TV, wired phone or intercom in that apartment was ever totally free from what sounded like NTSC sync buzz (this was a few decades ago).  Yet the people who lived 1 floor down--same power feed etc etc were fine--we were just in the path of some very beamy transmissions I guess.

[Izen Ears]

  Hey "soundguy" whoever you are - great advice!

Dan Izen

[bilagaana]

I'd say, if you hear a problem then you have a problem.  If it all sounds clean, then it must be clean.