I'm pretty much out of commission tonight. A few days ago I started
getting some really powerful RFI going pretty much all the way from
2500 khz to 12 khz, hitting its peak at around 8 mhz where there's no
way you'd hear anything. It's not a problem during the daytime. It
starts just as night falls. It's constant, a relentless noise that's
somewhere between a roar and crackle...more like a crackle, I'd say.
I'm shocked at how strong it is. I walked around a two block perimeter
with a small portable to try to isolate it. Haven't isolated it yet,
but the noise gets insanely loud about three quarters of a block from
my house. Whatever it is, it's in that area.

I'm hope the noise is coming from a street light or a powerline, since
at least then I'll have someone to complain to. I think the street
light is a real possibility, since it starts just as darkness falls.
The rest of the time there's no trace of it. Another possibility would
be someone's outdoor lighting, but there were no suspcious looking
lights at private residences in the area where the noise seemed
loudest. Plus, I've never heard RFI this intense originate from any
private residence. It has to be heard to be believed.

Fortunately I don't hear it on MW, so I can still mess around with the
Quantum Loop tonight.

Steve

Steve wrote:
I'm pretty much out of commission tonight. A few days ago I started
getting some really powerful RFI going pretty much all the way from
2500 khz to 12 khz, hitting its peak at around 8 mhz where there's no
way you'd hear anything. It's not a problem during the daytime. It
starts just as night falls. It's constant, a relentless noise that's
somewhere between a roar and crackle...more like a crackle, I'd say.
I'm shocked at how strong it is. I walked around a two block perimeter
with a small portable to try to isolate it. Haven't isolated it yet,
but the noise gets insanely loud about three quarters of a block from
my house. Whatever it is, it's in that area.

I'm hope the noise is coming from a street light or a powerline, since
at least then I'll have someone to complain to. I think the street
light is a real possibility, since it starts just as darkness falls.
The rest of the time there's no trace of it. Another possibility would
be someone's outdoor lighting, but there were no suspcious looking
lights at private residences in the area where the noise seemed
loudest. Plus, I've never heard RFI this intense originate from any
private residence. It has to be heard to be believed.

Fortunately I don't hear it on MW, so I can still mess around with the
Quantum Loop tonight.

Steve

Check this out. It sucks!

http://www.supload.com/sound_confirm...=952137038.wav

Steve wrote:
Steve wrote:
I'm pretty much out of commission tonight. A few days ago I started
getting some really powerful RFI going pretty much all the way from
2500 khz to 12 khz, hitting its peak at around 8 mhz where there's no
way you'd hear anything. It's not a problem during the daytime. It
starts just as night falls. It's constant, a relentless noise that's
somewhere between a roar and crackle...more like a crackle, I'd say.
I'm shocked at how strong it is. I walked around a two block perimeter
with a small portable to try to isolate it. Haven't isolated it yet,
but the noise gets insanely loud about three quarters of a block from
my house. Whatever it is, it's in that area.

I'm hope the noise is coming from a street light or a powerline, since
at least then I'll have someone to complain to. I think the street
light is a real possibility, since it starts just as darkness falls.
The rest of the time there's no trace of it. Another possibility would
be someone's outdoor lighting, but there were no suspcious looking
lights at private residences in the area where the noise seemed
loudest. Plus, I've never heard RFI this intense originate from any
private residence. It has to be heard to be believed.

Fortunately I don't hear it on MW, so I can still mess around with the
Quantum Loop tonight.

Steve

Check this out. It sucks!

http://www.supload.com/sound_confirm...=952137038.wav

I've decided I'm going to get one of those Timewave ANC-4 phasing
units, and when I get it, I'm going to use my HF-800 active whip as a
"noise antenna" along with the Wellbrook as the main antenna. I'll find
a nice, noisy spot outside for the H-800 and see what happens. I figure
the H-800 will be better at picking up the electrical noise than the
Wellbrook, which should facilitate phasing.

I hope this will be a long term solution to my noise problems.

We'll see what happens.

Steve

In article .com,
"Steve" wrote:

Steve wrote:
Steve wrote:
I'm pretty much out of commission tonight. A few days ago I started
getting some really powerful RFI going pretty much all the way from
2500 khz to 12 khz, hitting its peak at around 8 mhz where there's no
way you'd hear anything. It's not a problem during the daytime. It
starts just as night falls. It's constant, a relentless noise that's
somewhere between a roar and crackle...more like a crackle, I'd say.
I'm shocked at how strong it is. I walked around a two block perimeter
with a small portable to try to isolate it. Haven't isolated it yet,
but the noise gets insanely loud about three quarters of a block from
my house. Whatever it is, it's in that area.

I'm hope the noise is coming from a street light or a powerline, since
at least then I'll have someone to complain to. I think the street
light is a real possibility, since it starts just as darkness falls.
The rest of the time there's no trace of it. Another possibility would
be someone's outdoor lighting, but there were no suspcious looking
lights at private residences in the area where the noise seemed
loudest. Plus, I've never heard RFI this intense originate from any
private residence. It has to be heard to be believed.

Fortunately I don't hear it on MW, so I can still mess around with the
Quantum Loop tonight.

Steve

Check this out. It sucks!

http://www.supload.com/sound_confirm...=952137038.wav

I've decided I'm going to get one of those Timewave ANC-4 phasing
units, and when I get it, I'm going to use my HF-800 active whip as a
"noise antenna" along with the Wellbrook as the main antenna. I'll find
a nice, noisy spot outside for the H-800 and see what happens. I figure
the H-800 will be better at picking up the electrical noise than the
Wellbrook, which should facilitate phasing.

I hope this will be a long term solution to my noise problems.

We'll see what happens.

Steve

Steve - I hope the ANC-4 works for you. I purchased one a few months
ago from a guy on rec.readio.swap and it's like magic. Works great in
my location with just the built-in whip. My receiver is a JRC NRD-525
and my antenna is an active antenna in the attic.

Greg

Bob Dobbs EC42 wrote:
On Mon, 28 Aug 2006 06:32:07 -0700, Steve wrote:


Steve wrote:

I've decided I'm going to get one of those Timewave ANC-4 phasing units,
and when I get it, I'm going to use my HF-800 active whip as a "noise
antenna" along with the Wellbrook as the main antenna. I'll find a nice,
noisy spot outside for the H-800 and see what happens. I figure the
H-800 will be better at picking up the electrical noise than the
Wellbrook, which should facilitate phasing.

Try to put your sense antenna closer to the noise source than the main
antenna. If the source of your noise is constant this should work out fine
once you get a good phase null.
In my case, with proximity to several utility poles with multiple
insulators and standoffs, the noise seems to emminate from varying
directions and with high humidity dew conditions there can be multiple
sources which defy a single phasing null.

I figure
the H-800 will be better at picking up the electrical noise than the
Wellbrook, which should facilitate phasing.

Not being as much an avid SWLer as a HAM, I'm not familiar with those
antennas. I use either a center loaded vertical (CB type) magmount on a
half of an old computer case, or the return ground for the house wiring as
my phase antenna. You don't generally need much antenna gain to get a
noise signal, but having it close to the source (outside) is critical.

I hope this will be a long term solution to my noise problems.

I've had my ANC-4 almost two years and at times it's frustratingly
inneffective and other times is the difference between being able to use
the radio or going elsewhere for entertainment.

We'll see what happens.

Here's hoping yours will be the true blessing mine has been.



--

Echo Charlie 42
San Diego, California

Thanks Charlie. My tentative plan is to have a few different noise
antennas ready for service, since my understanding is that no one noise
antenna will be the best in all conditions. A simple indoor wire will
probably be fine for capturing QRM originating from my own house.
However, most of my noise comes from outside the house, from neighbors,
power lines, street lights...the usual suspects. Dealing with this
noise will involve a longer wire outdoors or the active whip (H-800) I
mentioned earlier.

On the other hand, the H-800 might be too much antenna. Even if I put
it in a noisy spot, it might pick up enough signal so that I end up
nulling the signal in addition to the noise. If so, a smaller wire will
be in order. In any case, I'm patient and I enjoy experimenting, so I'm
not worried about finding the best noise antenna.

I'm tired of running from the noise. From now on I will stand my ground
and say, "Bring it. Bring it!"

Steve

Greg wrote:
In article .com,
"Steve" wrote:

Steve wrote:
Steve wrote:
I'm pretty much out of commission tonight. A few days ago I started
getting some really powerful RFI going pretty much all the way from
2500 khz to 12 khz, hitting its peak at around 8 mhz where there's no
way you'd hear anything. It's not a problem during the daytime. It
starts just as night falls. It's constant, a relentless noise that's
somewhere between a roar and crackle...more like a crackle, I'd say.
I'm shocked at how strong it is. I walked around a two block perimeter
with a small portable to try to isolate it. Haven't isolated it yet,
but the noise gets insanely loud about three quarters of a block from
my house. Whatever it is, it's in that area.

I'm hope the noise is coming from a street light or a powerline, since
at least then I'll have someone to complain to. I think the street
light is a real possibility, since it starts just as darkness falls.
The rest of the time there's no trace of it. Another possibility would
be someone's outdoor lighting, but there were no suspcious looking
lights at private residences in the area where the noise seemed
loudest. Plus, I've never heard RFI this intense originate from any
private residence. It has to be heard to be believed.

Fortunately I don't hear it on MW, so I can still mess around with the
Quantum Loop tonight.

Steve

Check this out. It sucks!

http://www.supload.com/sound_confirm...=952137038.wav

I've decided I'm going to get one of those Timewave ANC-4 phasing
units, and when I get it, I'm going to use my HF-800 active whip as a
"noise antenna" along with the Wellbrook as the main antenna. I'll find
a nice, noisy spot outside for the H-800 and see what happens. I figure
the H-800 will be better at picking up the electrical noise than the
Wellbrook, which should facilitate phasing.

I hope this will be a long term solution to my noise problems.

We'll see what happens.

Steve

Steve - I hope the ANC-4 works for you. I purchased one a few months
ago from a guy on rec.readio.swap and it's like magic. Works great in
my location with just the built-in whip. My receiver is a JRC NRD-525
and my antenna is an active antenna in the attic.

Greg

That's encouraging. I'm looking forward to it.

Steve

Steve wrote:
I'm pretty much out of commission tonight. A few days ago I started
getting some really powerful RFI going pretty much all the way from
2500 khz to 12 khz, hitting its peak at around 8 mhz where there's no
way you'd hear anything. It's not a problem during the daytime. It
starts just as night falls. It's constant, a relentless noise that's
somewhere between a roar and crackle...more like a crackle, I'd say.
I'm shocked at how strong it is. I walked around a two block perimeter
with a small portable to try to isolate it. Haven't isolated it yet,
but the noise gets insanely loud about three quarters of a block from
my house. Whatever it is, it's in that area.

I'm hope the noise is coming from a street light or a powerline, since
at least then I'll have someone to complain to. I think the street
light is a real possibility, since it starts just as darkness falls.
The rest of the time there's no trace of it. Another possibility would
be someone's outdoor lighting, but there were no suspcious looking
lights at private residences in the area where the noise seemed
loudest. Plus, I've never heard RFI this intense originate from any
private residence. It has to be heard to be believed.

Fortunately I don't hear it on MW, so I can still mess around with the
Quantum Loop tonight.

Steve

It's a street light. I found it last night. Took a little portable
radio and walked out my front door. I turned the radio on and could
hear the horrendous noise. I then attenuated the noise so that it was
no longer audible, and started walking in one direction with my radio
still turned on. After about fifty feet, I could hear the noise again
and had to further attenuate the signal so that it was just below the
threshold. After another fifty or so feet, I could hear it again. I
knew I was zeroing in. I repeated this process until I was standing in
front of a street light that was generating such gargantuan amounts of
RFI I could almost hear it with the fillings in my teeth.

This thing is a monster.

So, this morning I called up the NYC Dept. of Transportation, whose job
it is to maintain street lights. I reported the location of this
problem, and the person on the phone told me that several people had
already called about it. They said they'd get to it as soon as they
can...I hope it doesnt' take too long.

It actually surprised me that others had reported it, since the noise
is all on the shortwave bands and the light itself looks normal. I
think the problem is a short circuit underneath the light. That happens
a lot.

Steve wrote:

Steve wrote:
I'm pretty much out of commission tonight. A few days ago I started
getting some really powerful RFI going pretty much all the way from
2500 khz to 12 khz, hitting its peak at around 8 mhz where there's no
way you'd hear anything. It's not a problem during the daytime. It
starts just as night falls. It's constant, a relentless noise that's
somewhere between a roar and crackle...more like a crackle, I'd say.
I'm shocked at how strong it is. I walked around a two block perimeter
with a small portable to try to isolate it. Haven't isolated it yet,
but the noise gets insanely loud about three quarters of a block from
my house. Whatever it is, it's in that area.

I'm hope the noise is coming from a street light or a powerline, since
at least then I'll have someone to complain to. I think the street
light is a real possibility, since it starts just as darkness falls.
The rest of the time there's no trace of it. Another possibility would
be someone's outdoor lighting, but there were no suspcious looking
lights at private residences in the area where the noise seemed
loudest. Plus, I've never heard RFI this intense originate from any
private residence. It has to be heard to be believed.

Fortunately I don't hear it on MW, so I can still mess around with the
Quantum Loop tonight.

Steve

It's a street light. I found it last night. Took a little portable
radio and walked out my front door. I turned the radio on and could
hear the horrendous noise. I then attenuated the noise so that it was
no longer audible, and started walking in one direction with my radio
still turned on. After about fifty feet, I could hear the noise again
and had to further attenuate the signal so that it was just below the
threshold. After another fifty or so feet, I could hear it again. I
knew I was zeroing in. I repeated this process until I was standing in
front of a street light that was generating such gargantuan amounts of
RFI I could almost hear it with the fillings in my teeth.

This thing is a monster.

So, this morning I called up the NYC Dept. of Transportation, whose job
it is to maintain street lights. I reported the location of this
problem, and the person on the phone told me that several people had
already called about it. They said they'd get to it as soon as they
can...I hope it doesnt' take too long.

It actually surprised me that others had reported it, since the noise
is all on the shortwave bands and the light itself looks normal. I
think the problem is a short circuit underneath the light. That happens
a lot.

Sometimes they have bad starters. Most of the time around here the problem is
bad lightning arrestors, but every now and then a light goes bad.

dxAce
Michigan
USA

In article om,
"Steve" wrote:

Steve wrote:
I'm pretty much out of commission tonight. A few days ago I started
getting some really powerful RFI going pretty much all the way from
2500 khz to 12 khz, hitting its peak at around 8 mhz where there's no
way you'd hear anything. It's not a problem during the daytime. It
starts just as night falls. It's constant, a relentless noise that's
somewhere between a roar and crackle...more like a crackle, I'd say.
I'm shocked at how strong it is. I walked around a two block perimeter
with a small portable to try to isolate it. Haven't isolated it yet,
but the noise gets insanely loud about three quarters of a block from
my house. Whatever it is, it's in that area.

I'm hope the noise is coming from a street light or a powerline, since
at least then I'll have someone to complain to. I think the street
light is a real possibility, since it starts just as darkness falls.
The rest of the time there's no trace of it. Another possibility would
be someone's outdoor lighting, but there were no suspcious looking
lights at private residences in the area where the noise seemed
loudest. Plus, I've never heard RFI this intense originate from any
private residence. It has to be heard to be believed.

Fortunately I don't hear it on MW, so I can still mess around with the
Quantum Loop tonight.

Steve

It's a street light. I found it last night. Took a little portable
radio and walked out my front door. I turned the radio on and could
hear the horrendous noise. I then attenuated the noise so that it was
no longer audible, and started walking in one direction with my radio
still turned on. After about fifty feet, I could hear the noise again
and had to further attenuate the signal so that it was just below the
threshold. After another fifty or so feet, I could hear it again. I
knew I was zeroing in. I repeated this process until I was standing in
front of a street light that was generating such gargantuan amounts of
RFI I could almost hear it with the fillings in my teeth.

This thing is a monster.

So, this morning I called up the NYC Dept. of Transportation, whose job
it is to maintain street lights. I reported the location of this
problem, and the person on the phone told me that several people had
already called about it. They said they'd get to it as soon as they
can...I hope it doesnt' take too long.

It actually surprised me that others had reported it, since the noise
is all on the shortwave bands and the light itself looks normal. I
think the problem is a short circuit underneath the light. That happens
a lot.

Look for a tag on the pole that specifically identifies it. I report
street light problems to SCE that way.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California