Power / data cross talk problems

All, I'll be laying my data and power lines this weekend to my new observatory. I'm using 12-Gauge electric and Cat5e data lines. I'm laying then in separate conduits but in the same trench. Will I have any cross talk issues? or do I have to lay them in separate trenches.
Thanks for your help.
Mike Benz
Waunakee, WI

Are you using PVC conduit? Rigid (metal) although more susceptible to corrosion would act as a shield and prevent potential problems.

Code requires 18 in. seperation between the low voltage and high voltage conduits. I know, low voltage stuff gets buried with line voltage stuff a lot but I really would encourage you to go with two seperate trenches if at all possible.

The noise signal strength will vary with the square of the distance bewtween the two lines, so the more distance the better.

Ultimately you probably might get by with a single trench but you need to ask yourself, "what will I save by only using one trench?" At best you will save only the cost and effort of trenching the extra trench. For this savings, are you willing to sacrifice the stability of your LAN. What if in the unlikely scenario the AC line shorts out and puts 110V on the LAN. How much is your data and astro equipment going to cost to repair or replace from such a surge? What about safety?

I know all this sounds far fetched but Murphy really was an optimist and I've seen the results of cut corners.

Good luck with your project.