A Study of Electromagnetic Fields In and Around a Farm Tractor Beneath 345 kV Transmission Lines

A study to characterize the electromagnetic field distribution in and around a John Deere 4440 tractor beneath a 345 kV transmission line was jointly performed by Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa and John Deere Product Engineering Center, Waterloo, Iowa. This characterization includes electric field intensity measurement at 60 Hz and RF spectrum measurements up to 1 GHz. Vehicle dashboard instrumentation utilizing micro-processor technology was also evaluated for their functionality beneath this same 345 kV line. Methods and techniques used for evaluating electronic systems at the component level were also evaluated.