We received a notice from the power company that they intend to replace our two electric meters with the new wireless units. These meters emit short b ursts of RF multiple times a day at a fairly substantial RF level. These tr ansmissions are received by a "collector" which is apparently mounted on a utility pole on the street. This data is sent to a receiver and computer in a power company truck as it drives by and returned to their office where i t's downloaded and bills are generated. Great for the power company but not for the meter readers. There are people all over the country up in arms ov er these things. Some have blocked installations and have been arrested for it.
While it's true that many of them are non technical people who just need so mething to jump up and down about my grand children sleep in the room adjac ent to the meters and I think that I understand a little bit more about thi s, and it concerns me.
I asked the power company to provide me with more information and initially I was stonewalled until I contacted my state representative who then conta cted them for me. Now they're kissing my ass with information but still tel ling me this is going to happen at some near point in the future.
Has anyone else had to deal with this and can you comment on my safety conc erns? If it's true that there is no recourse to them making this modificati on, to increase the distance squared I've considered moving the meters to a utility pole which is on my property about 75 feet from the house. this wo uld probably have to be at my expense I suspect.
The following is some information about these meters. Some of it I had requ ested and some extra which they threw in. I know that it's a lot to look at but if you can I'd really appreciate if you guys could please have a look at it and tell me what you think. I'm really concerned about this. Thanks v ery much. Lenny
Q. I understand these units operate in RF - Radio Frequency. Are they emit ting short or long range signals? A: The signal from the meter is transmitted in the range 902-928 MHz (mega- hertz). The reading capability is dependent on a number of variables and cannot be accu rately assessed without site specific information, but typically the signal may be received by the meter reading equipment within 1/4 mile or so.
2) Q: Regarding the signal, is it a "Bubble-Up" unit where it is transmitting all the time or is it a "Wake-Up" unit where it transmits when it receives a signal? A: The meter transmits reading data every 30 seconds in a brief millisecond s burst. The manufacturer designed it that way to accommodate any reading schedule requi red by the utility. The meter is a one-way communication device. The meter would not k now when the reading device was going to be in close proximity to the meter, therefore i t needs to transmit frequently so that it may be read whenever the reading device is nearby. 3) Q: What frequency and wattage of transmit power is the unit operating at an d at what antennae gain? Ex. Unit transmits at 900MHz with 1 watt of transmit power with antennae ga in of 0. A: The signal from the meter is transmitted in the range 902-928 mhz (mega- hertz) The maximum power output for the endpoint devices is less than half a watt, whi le the maximum power output of the collection device is less than 1 watt. In comparison, t he average light bulb is 60 watts. Frequency = 909 to 922 MHz Transmit Power = 147 mW (21.67dBm) Antenna Gain = 0 dB. 4) Q: What's the antennae gain at peak power and what wattage is the peak powe r? Ex. Antennae gain of 4.0 dBi for peak level power of 2.5 watts. A: The maximum power output for the endpoint devices is less than half a wa tt, while the maximum power output of the collection device is less than 1 watt. In compa rison, the average light bulb is 60 watts. Frequency = 908 to 923.8 MHz Transmit Power = 250 mW (24dBm) Antenna Gain = 2.2 dB 5) Q: How many times in total - both average and maximum - is the unit schedul ed to transmit during a 24-hr time frame? A: The meter transmits reading data every 30 seconds in a brief millisecond s burst - about 53 milliseconds referred to as the "duty cycle". The total RF transmission time in a 24 hour period is between 1.5 - 2.5 minutes depen ding on the type of meter and therefore data being transmitted. Signal leve ls are 1/10th of the "Maximum Permissible Exposure Levels" as defined by th e FCC--lower than many everyday appliances and electronic devices around yo ur home, and are only transmitted briefly and periodically rather than cons tantly. What's the "first hop" technology being used to send? Ex. Mobile Radio Frequencies? Mesh Radio Frequencies? Fixed Radio? A: This is not AMI, this is AMR. There isn't any 'first hop', the data is t ransmitted to a computer in a vehicle driving nearby and then the computer is returned to the utility at the end of the day and directly connected to the utility internal network and the meter readings are uploaded to utility internal systems. 6) Q: Is this unit considered to be a "Licensed" or "Unlicensed" transmitter b y the FCC? A: The meters operate in the unlicensed 902-928 MHz frequency range and the devices are regulated by the FCC. Itron's products are stringently evaluat ed for RF safety and meet all Federal Communication Commission (FCC), Indus try Canada (IC), and Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE ) standards. FCC OET Bulletin 65 supplement C Edition 01-01 (known as OET-6 5C) provides further guidance on determining compliance for portable and mo bile devices. 7) Q: Because each unit needs power to run itself, what is the unit's power co nsumption rate per month? Ex. 2 kW hours? 1kW hours? Also, what would be the additional monthly cost of the power the unit needs to function (based on the # of kW hours it needs to function) as I know yo u guys just had a rate hike?e meter. Therefore there is no cost difference associated with the running of the AMR meter to your previous meter. We are enhancing our technology to serve you better. Installing AMR meters allows us to continue to provide s afe, timely, accurate meter reading but at a lower cost. Controlling costs is an important factor in determining Eversource rates.
8) Q: Does the unit have a battery? What is the battery's life (in years)? A: Yes there is a battery in the unit. The battery's life is the same as th e life of the meter which is 20 to 25 years.. For more information pertaining to the AMR C1SR Meter please visit the ITRO N website: