[AMRadio] AM from a ricebox

[Todd Bigelow - PS]

Brett Gazdzinski wrote:

>I mostly stick to operating 40 or 80 meters on weekend days, to
>prevent complaints from the neighbors and wife running the VCR.
>

Haven't heard you on there yet, Brett - but I'll be listening. Heard 
Dave last weekend on 40 talking 'from the farm' on a 30K. Nice signal up 
into Vermont, Dave.

>I would like to operate at night, but 80 meters is often a real
>mess, the streetlamp outside my house goes on and off, generating
>a huge amount of impulse noise almost constantly, and I suspect I
>would get into phones and other cheap electronics close by.
>

I just had this *exact* problem recently. Couldn't track down the source 
(the streetlight was across the street on the other end of the house) 
and I'd end up getting distracted and forgetting about it. Finally 
happened to catch it going out as I came up the hill to turn into my 
driveway one night. Called the power company the day after Thanksgiving 
and they said they'd place a service order for it. They must have fixed 
it that day while I was gone, because it didn't bother that night or 
since. I do still get weird noises though, probably from the hospital up 
the road.

>80 at night seems quite clickish also, unlike 40 where different
>people are always shuffling through, which makes things very interesting.
>

I've noticed that too, I think mainly because folks on 80 are so 
familiar with one another. I heard a lot of people on there now who I 
don't recognize, but I've been off the air for a few years and only 
listening and getting things back in order in the last year.

>I have to call the electric company about the streetlamp, I am tempted
>to shoot it out. I notice most seem to go on and off constantly, why
>they could not come up with a more reliable setup is beyond me.
>
>Wish I could get up there and unplug the light sensor and disable
>the darn thing.
>

Up this way the power company provides the lights and the power for them 
out of pocket, so they're quite motivated to repair something that is 
cycling like that and costing them money. There's also the safety 
factor. Give them a call and see how fast they fix it. They'll probably 
want the pole number(s) as well as a location, I got that beforehand 
while I was over there pounding on it with a sledgehammer while a friend 
listened to the receiver for any other strange noises. Power company 
probably wouldn't want you doing that though, even if it is a good way 
to find intermittent problems.

73 de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ