Show Posts
1
Equipment / Re: Noise level
« on: October 28, 2012, 0922 UTC »
This is mainly Power Grid noise. Here is what I would do.
Get an old, simple transistor AM radio and do some sniffing.
Walk your neighborhood and note noise on the radio. As you pass poles, give them a good solid kick and note any reactions. Write down pole ID numbers that have reactions.
Don't worry about poles more then 100 meters away.
Call the power company and ask to speak with their RFI tech. Let them know what you have learned. This will show them you are serious. Power companies are not licensed broadcasters and most make big efforts to prevent such RFI. They can be fined for it. Be firm, but do not be threatening or rude, just yet.
If you live in the US, I can provide you with an FCC phone number/email that will help if they are slow to react. The FCC agent will contact them and light a fire under their backside.
Once they come out, they should report what they found and will fix it. I have had to do this more than once in my lifetime.
And yes, loops are quiet, but if not deployed vertical, they will be listening to space mostly! A loop deployed vertical, especially a Delta loop and polarized vertically, will amaze you!
http://www.amateurradiosupplies.com/delta-loop-antenna-s/104.htm
A little story for you. I once had an intermittent noise that would knock my RX out. It would come on and be 10 over S9 with a really gnarly DC sound. It would be on for 2 to 3 minute, then go off for 5 or 6 minutes, and repeat. Really annoying. I got a tech from the power company on it and he spent about an hour and came back to tell me that he had found the source. It was an aquarium heater in a house two doors away. They were willing to replace it but I went ahead provided them with a new quality heater and the problem went away. I figured it was the least I should do because to them it was working fine.
Get an old, simple transistor AM radio and do some sniffing.
Walk your neighborhood and note noise on the radio. As you pass poles, give them a good solid kick and note any reactions. Write down pole ID numbers that have reactions.
Don't worry about poles more then 100 meters away.
Call the power company and ask to speak with their RFI tech. Let them know what you have learned. This will show them you are serious. Power companies are not licensed broadcasters and most make big efforts to prevent such RFI. They can be fined for it. Be firm, but do not be threatening or rude, just yet.
If you live in the US, I can provide you with an FCC phone number/email that will help if they are slow to react. The FCC agent will contact them and light a fire under their backside.
Once they come out, they should report what they found and will fix it. I have had to do this more than once in my lifetime.
And yes, loops are quiet, but if not deployed vertical, they will be listening to space mostly! A loop deployed vertical, especially a Delta loop and polarized vertically, will amaze you!
http://www.amateurradiosupplies.com/delta-loop-antenna-s/104.htm
A little story for you. I once had an intermittent noise that would knock my RX out. It would come on and be 10 over S9 with a really gnarly DC sound. It would be on for 2 to 3 minute, then go off for 5 or 6 minutes, and repeat. Really annoying. I got a tech from the power company on it and he spent about an hour and came back to tell me that he had found the source. It was an aquarium heater in a house two doors away. They were willing to replace it but I went ahead provided them with a new quality heater and the problem went away. I figured it was the least I should do because to them it was working fine.
