Beware of possible issues when installing some LED lights on your tractor

[W8BYA]

I appreciate what you are saying, but it is a two way street. FCC says that specifically, mentioning BOTH the issues with Generating AND Receiving unwanted noise. So maybe it would be just as prudent to ask, what Receiver people are having trouble with. I bet in most cases it's designed with as much thought and "care" as the lights. You may not remember days gone by when Hams would go to their neighbors and make modifictions to their receiving equipment to reduce RFI.

But it's not just the receiver that concerns me. Right at this very moment, yes.....but I can assure you that I will never let a SMPS like this one, one that is generating a 1.6 V(p-p) RF signal on a DC power line operate on my tractor again ! I am very concerned for the proper operation & accuracy of every sensor on the machine with this much RFI. And it just might be a pure coincidence that my mid-PTO indicator light is on telling me it's cranking at 2300 RPM when in fact it is not......weird that it happened about the same time I actually started using the lights several weeks ago.

You can take my word for it or not but one of my certifications is for being a NARTE certified EMC engineer and I can promise you that these levels would flunk HORRIBLY if I took them in our lab and tested them in a calibrated & controlled environment. This particular light is an example of one they snuck in past the FCC.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I flunked my NERD certification so I just have to go by what I learned ta the school of hard (and repeated) knocks!

 

[W8BYA]

I flunked my NERD certification so I just have to go by what I learned ta the school of hard (and repeated) knocks!

And that's why I am doing all this and sharing the info......don't want you to get any more of them "knocks-on-the-noggin". Next month you can help me out with the things you know about that I don't have a clue about......it's all about team work

 

[k0ua]

And that's why I am doing all this and sharing the info......don't want you to get any more of them "knocks-on-the-noggin". Next month you can help me out with the things you know about that I don't have a clue about......it's all about team work

I don't know if you are on any digital modes or not, Like FT8 or others, but I have helped several dozen guys get their rigs going on digital modes and interfaced to their computers. I typically do a phone and screen share session to get them going. If you need any assistance with anything like that, let me know..I have the experience, and patience.

 

[W8BYA]

I don't know if you are on any digital modes or not, Like FT8 or others, but I have helped several dozen guys get their rigs going on digital modes and interfaced to their computers. I typically do a phone and screen share session to get them going. If you need any assistance with anything like that, let me know..I have the experience, and patience.

Sounds like we have similar philosophies. I enjoy 2m MS (esp DX) and lost count how many "new to MS" guys I have spent hours with on the phone getting their hardware and WSJT etc all setup for the 1st time. And then when we have that first magical QSO via MS, over 1000 miles away on a "dead band" it just lights up both of us. What is really awesome is when they have now gone ahead and I see them helping out others get started as well.

 

[k0ua]

Sounds like we have similar philosophies. I enjoy 2m MS (esp DX) and lost count how many "new to MS" guys I have spent hours with on the phone getting their hardware and WSJT etc all setup for the 1st time. And then when we have that first magical QSO via MS, over 1000 miles away on a "dead band" it just lights up both of us. What is really awesome is when they have now gone ahead and I see them helping out others get started as well.

Yep, it is kind of fun to get someone's "big problem" getting set up boiled down to something simple. I don't have a 2M SSB rig, but I do try to work as much DX as I can on 6 meters. The lower 48 states were pretty easy on 6 Meters. (lots of Meteor Scatter and E skip), but Alaska and Hawaii remain elusive.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I miss my 6m FM rig. About the only DX I ever worked. Had an old GE Tube Final Radio (Ex Ontario Provincial Police) up at the site with a telephone style DC remote back at the house, on 24/7. It was exciting when that thing suddenly came alive.

 

[radios1]

Yep, it is kind of fun to get someone's "big problem" getting set up boiled down to something simple. I don't have a 2M SSB rig, but I do try to work as much DX as I can on 6 meters. The lower 48 states were pretty easy on 6 Meters. (lots of Meteor Scatter and E skip), but Alaska and Hawaii remain elusive.

I have a 2M SSB rig, and made contact to Florida with an S3 from new york!. I'm sure 6M is even better, but don't have 6M gear. SSB is the way to go, though!..

 

[mpsmith60]

Howdy everyone. I thought I would share a couple videos with you illustrating what happened when I replaced the stock front Halogen work lights on my 2019 Boomer-40 with a pair of Asian 16-LED light fixtures. Note that NH sells these EXACT lights as aftermarket add-ons ! I do not believe they are aware of the possible issues with these lights on some machines but I have passed this on to my dealer.

The first video shows what happened to the reception of strong radio stations when the lights were activated while the 2nd video details some engineering analysis I performed in my basement lab on one of the lights.

I am a degreed electrical engineer from the defense industry and have been iNARTE certified as an EMC engineer for over 3 decades so I understand that this issue may be a bit complex to some so I tried to keep it non-technical to the extent possible.

Anyway, just wanted to bring awareness to others of what may happen. The issues seen in the video can affect a lot more electronics on your tractor then your radio.....sensors, instrumentation, erratic tractor operation, etc, etc. Hope this helps out others. Also not saying this will happen on every tractor....each situation can be different depending on how power lines are routed, filtered, and what kind of devices are being powered and if they too are filtered. Clearly in my case neither the lights or the radio employed any kind of power line filtering.

LED Lights Wipe Out ALL AM/FM Stations on New Holland Boomer 4 Tractor SEVERE RFI - YouTube

WOW, UNREAL RFI Noise Measured From My LED Tractor Lights ! - YouTube

GV

Yikes! It hadn't occurred to me that 12V DC light fixtures could create RFI issues. I put LED lights on my tractor and fortunately haven't had an RF problems with them so far. I'm an retired electrical engineer too, BTW. Thanks for sharing your experience with it!

 

[W8BYA]

Hi there and nice to meet a fellow EE. Yes it seems not all lights are created equal and different tractors using different accessories etc may or may not have detrimental effects. Will post some post filtering results as they become available.