HFU HF Underground
General Category => Amateur Radio => Topic started by: Elf36 on February 07, 2022, 2219 UTC
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I just got home and my radio was set to 40M when I turned it on. In the evenings it's been averaging around S9 (Quite high) Currently it's around 3/5 S units. I don't have anything off in the house that is normally on. Just wanted to know what other people are averaging. Most all other bands seem to have a reasonable noise level. I currently have 2 TV's on, 3 PC's running along with 2 tablets. No fancy lighting in the house etc. Somewhat rural area.
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Current estimated FoF2 for central FL is ~7MHz.
https://prop.kc2g.com/fof2/
That means NVIS is likely possible on 40m at the moment, and it could be providing another propagation route for band noise, RFI, EMI, etc.
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I don't have anything off in the house that is normally on. Just wanted to know what other people are averaging. Most all other bands seem to have a reasonable noise level. I currently have 2 TV's on, 3 PC's running along with 2 tablets. No fancy lighting in the house etc. Somewhat rural area.
I hear you. I also live in a rural area and the noise is puzzling. You swear that nothing is on in the house but...there is always something running. My last big "Aha!" moment was when I discovered my coffee maker was a noise maker. Battery chargers and wall warts are big noise producers. You forget about that wall wart plugged in to the wall because nothing is plugged into it, but it is still running. Some devices (like TVs) are always active, even when the power switch is off. I ended up plugging the coffee maker into a SPST power switch so I could completely power it off. Of course now the clock and timer in it are useless.
You pretty much have to go room by room and examine what is plugged into each outlet.
There have always been noise sources during my years in radio, but they are worse today. Back in the day all I had to contend with were mostly 15 kHz TV oscillators, bad powerline insulators, and car ignition systems.
I doubt many listeners today have ever heard what a low noise level actually sounds like. After a while you start to think S2/S3 noise as normal in a rural environment. It isn't.
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Um... I didn't help matters on noise, here at home, lately. Rural King had those 4ft, drop-ceiling, LED, 50W panel array lights for $15.00. Nice lighting, but noise??? Broadband BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ all across HF. Clamping ferrite clamps on the light's power cord helped a lot to contain that noise to just a few feet, and not yard-wide. So, be aware!
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Actually not bad today either, around S4/S5 (40M). The chargers are definitely a source of noise. I organized my radio desk a month or so ago and had my 2 HT's sitting on top of my PC tower and thought 'Cool I can keep them charging and they'll always be ready to go' As soon as I plug in the walwart's I quickly learned that it was a no go. Even 7/8 feet away they caused noise on my HF rig. The next time I get the S9 noise again, I'll do some more snooping around. (22:19)
I had to google 'Rural King' apparently we do have some in Florida, but I had never heard of them. Looks like my kind of place!
Update- (22:43) Still browsing the Rural King website and possibly planning a road trip.
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Tractor Supply Co. is a somewhat similar store concept, though usually not as big of stores. There are a couple of TSC stores near Orlando, too.
Rural King is kind of like the above mentioned TSC, a Harbor Freight, and an Ace Hardware rolled into a single large store. I have been to an area store a few times over the years.
I know you can get several common car battery sizes, like a group 24, at RK for around $50 to $60 with core. AFAIK, RK batteries are manufactured by Exide. They seem okay in my experience.
Do not forget your free popcorn, plus free coffee if you drink the horrible stuff :p, if visiting a RK store.
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Yeah, Tractor Supply was my first thought. I have one about 5 miles away. Both stores are similar, but Rural King seems to be far superior!
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Another popular regional chain here in the rural west is C-A-L Ranch Store, with everything from equine supplies to LED utility lighting. These guys are happy to empty your wallet and fill your cart with chicken feed and noise generators.
And don't get me started about Harbor Freight!