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Putting a 120V AC wire in the same conduit as an antenna cable??

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john-hamilton
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I know that you should not put AC adjacent to ethernet cables. Not sure about a GNSS antenna cable

Here is the setup...I have a 4" conduit going from my house to my survey pedestal that mostly I use for GNSS. I have one conduit that goes there and carries multiple ethernet cables and an incoming FIOS fiber optic cable. It is somewhat full. I have a separate conduit that I recently started using with a very thick GNSS antenna cable. It had been empty for many years. Then I added a fiber optic cable in that conduit to go to my barn (which is 600 feet past the pedestal). Now I would like to add a 12-3 wire out there to get AC power, mainly to setup a base/charging pad for my robot mower (Yarbo). I could just dig another trench (about 120 feet) but I would like to avoid that. I currently have the Yarbo right next to the house, but that often blocks the GNSS (it is RTK driven).

Does anyone know if the AC cable will interfere with the GNSS signal? I know it won't affect at all the fiber optic cable. I have a 12V DC cable in the other conduit to provide power when using an R10, but I believe that DC does not interfere with ethernet signals. 

Surely some of the many CORS have this setup, but I would like to know if the power is in a separate conduit. 

 

 


 
Posted : May 18, 2026 7:34 am
GaryG
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I would think there is a good possiblity of issues. 

120V is a signal at 60Hz and not a clean sin wave. it has lots of "noise" and a lot of power. 

The GPS is at 1.2 and 1.5Ghz and a weak signal. 

You think they would not be affected since they are so far apart on the spectrum but i worry about the strenght of the AC signal and the noise. 

 

 


 
Posted : May 18, 2026 9:18 am
bill93
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Although I wouldn't be worried about interference between power line frequency and its associated noise into the much higher frequency band of GNSS, the NEC requires them to be separated for safety. That avoids the (remote) possibility of a break in the insulation energizing the communication cable. '

Be sure to use underground-rated power cable (Type-UF?), as the conduit will be filled with condensate. I might also think about lightning protection, as a strike near the source (house) might break through and damage the insulation in the power cable.


 
Posted : May 18, 2026 9:25 am
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john-hamilton
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@bill93 Thanks for the feedback, Bill. I was wondering about the NEC, my father was an expert in that (EE professor and long time expert witness) but he is long gone. 

I need another line with fiber only run for about 200 feet in a different location on my property, I was going to have my nephew hand dig it (doesn't need to be very deep). I think I will just rent a walk behind trench machine and make a separate run and that will also get the other line done more quickly. 

This is an old farm so should be relatively easy to dig. I had a bunch of empty conduits installed when I built my house, but I need some more since I bought 2 adjacent properties

And the lightning protection is a good idea, although we don't get much lightning. There is a 130KV line on monopoles running along the edge of my property, on a ridge line. I believe it would take the lightning hit on that before anything lower. Just a guess, I am not a lightning expert by any means 


This post was modified 5 months ago by john-hamilton
 
Posted : May 18, 2026 3:56 pm
bill93
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I've heard the cone of protection ftom lightning extends 45 degrees down from the high target.


 
Posted : May 18, 2026 4:45 pm

john-putnam
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Posted by: @john-hamilton
↑

I need another line with fiber only run for about 200 feet in a different location on my property, I was going to have my nephew hand dig it (doesn't need to be very deep). I think I will just rent a walk behind trench machine and make a separate run and that will also get the other line done more quickly.

When he's done there, he can come dig the short power feed I need for my new electrical service entrance.  It's about time to replace the 8 fuse 100 amp panel in my 116 year old house.  It is on my summer to do list.  At least someone in the 50s or 60s replaced the nob and tube.


 
Posted : May 19, 2026 8:12 am