[Elecraft] Noise, RFI ?

[Phil Hystad]

Jim (and others)...

From all the suggestions of the RFI, these are those that rank on the top of the list but the list below is not ordered in any way.

1.  Some tool or machine operated by a neighbor or maybe even a construction/contractor guy working at a neighbor's house (really fits the use pattern of this interference).  Such ideas include electric arc welder.

2.  Nearby large Hospital & Medical center with the typical surrounding medical offices including several imaging offices.  The fact that I have never heard this interference before discounts this in my opinion.

3.  HV power line arc'ing or interference of some sort (there are HV towers and power lines about 500 yards from my QTH although never have I had any interference from them that I know of.


This RFI lasted for about 10 or 11 minutes and it has never repeated.  During that 10 or 11 minutes it demonstrated a very much turned on and then turned off behavior with differing intervals.

I am certain it was not in my house as I was the only one home at the time and everything in the house was turned off except for my own den/radio-shack/mancave/office where I was listening for weak DX in the CW zone of lower part of 10 meters.

Even though I am in a suburban location, I am blessed with virtually no RFI.  It occurs rarely but never long term (meaning more than a few hours at most).  I did have RFI regularly from wall warts and a few other electronic gadgets but I have since (years ago) gotten rid of those.  As far as I know, there are no known noisy plasma TVs in the area.  A neighbor once asked what kind of HDTV to get and I told him specifically:  Samsung LED and stay away from Plasma TVs.  I own a Samsung LED.  I do have one noise generator which is only a problem when my wife uses it -- that is our treadmill.  When I am using it though, the noise is not a problem (at least not a problem to me).

In the years I have been here and operating, I have only caused two incidents of RFI into next-door neighbor's equipment.  Next door neighbors phones (years ago) and I put filters on the their phone lines and that fixed their problem.  And, my other next door neighbor I have gotten into the speakers once when operating KW+ and CW on 20 meters (which is very rare for me).  I don't operate at more than 500 watts at most these days and even that is rare.  Haven't heard him complain in a number of years.

K3/P3 currently sitting on 14.012 MHz and it is very quiet -- a few CW stations but the background noise level is very quiet this morning.

73, phil, K7PEH



On Feb 20, 2014, at 9:05 AM, Jim Brown <jim at audiosystemsgroup.com> wrote:

> On 2/19/2014 7:48 PM, Fred Jensen wrote:
>> My neighbors with the PTV are very busy, gone a lot, and while he understands what his TV does to my reception, I acknowledge his right to have that TV. 
> 
> He has a right to HAVE it, but not to cause interference to you when he turns it on.
> 
> Yes, Part 15, combined with the current state of FCC funding is a conundrum. The FCC has Rules, but not the staff to enforce them. Last night, I heard the FCC District Chief of the San Francisco office speak to a local ARES group about "inspections." His advice in response to questions about resolving noise of the sort all of us are experiencing was next to useless. One of the most illuminating statements was "off script," in response to a question. "Are you doing a lot more inspections now than 27 years ago when you started working for the FCC?"  No, he replied, far fewer. When he started there were 400 field inspectors nationwide. Now there are 100. Thank you, small government.
> 
> As a direct response to Phil's question, I'd look for a motor in some appliance that runs for a period and stops. I sleep with headphones listening to the radio. My XYL often arises earlier than I do, and when she does, I hear our coffee grinder making coffee.
> 
> 73, Jim K9YC
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