[Elecraft] Noise Problems...still

[Wingkeel at aol.com]

Hi everyone,

     Well, the noise level has been lowered a lot, but I'm still getting 
higher noise levels than I think I should.  On 40-meters, I am getting an average 
of S2-4 peaking at S5 around the time thunderstorms begin to form.

I've put up a vertical which helped.  Putting down 12 tuned radials, 2 for 
each band, helped even more.  Moving the power supply a few feet away may have 
also made a difference but I can't tell by ear.

I am using the standard red/black zip type supply line from the power supply 
to the radio.  I am wondering if going to coax to supply power to the radio 
may not drop the noise level even more?  I would think that the R/C tank in the 
radios power circuit would take any ripple or noise out but maybe I'm wrong.

I also have a ground that is a 20' long piece of 10GA bare copper wire 
running to a single lightning rod from a second story window.  I'm now wondering if 
this wire isn't acting like part of the antenna or maybe injecting my 
transmitted signal back into the receiver via the power supply.  Since I'm only 
running 5-10 watts output, should I use coax for the ground as well and decouple it 
with ferrite beads just in case?

For a beginner, this is all pretty confusing!  I read so much, trying to come 
up to speed quickly. The problem is that I begin confusing which solution 
goes to what problem I remember reading about last month in some periodical  
can't remember.  

                         Sometimes a little brain damage helps

                                     73 de Terry - KC0QZX