[Elecraft] slightly OT -- acceptable network switch (aka Linksysproduces birdies)

[Edward R Cole]

Clay,

Perhaps.  Several years ago I decided to try to minimize network 
caused birdies by obtaining some clamp-on ferrites, but also bought 
some shielded Cat 6 cable to replace generic Cat 5e in the 
shack.  The shielded Cat 6 was very effective in minimizing many 2m 
birdies.  The clamp-on's were largely ineffective.

I did this mainly to improve 2m for eme operation.  I did not check 
HF frequencies.  Generally atmospheric noise floor is high enough to 
bury birdies; 10m and 6m seem most effected.  We bought a new Netgear 
router (replaced Linksys) and I had some thoughts to enclose it in a 
shielded enclosure with ferrites on outputs and cooling fan, but then 
my wife acquired a ipad and kindle which all run on wifi...so 
shielding would interfere.

I am considering building onto the garage a new 18x26 foot ham shack 
so that might improve isolation from the router which would be 72 
feet at the other end of the house.  I still run wired internet 
cabling to shack computers. I suspect the wifi in neighborhood is 
bigger issue as is picked up thru the eme antennas and preamps.

I am about to disconnect the XP desk top computer from internet and 
run e-mail and internet only on my laptop.  Be interesting to see if 
that impacts VHF birdies any appreciable amount (K3 and KX3 are 
connected to the XP computer).  I can eliminate the 5-port ethernet 
switch when I do that and only run a single 25-foot +cable from the 
router to laptop.  Other thing will be elimination of all wall wart 
PS in new shack (only have the one laptop PS unit).
----------
My laptop just acquired a 21-inch monitor (from my wife's old XP desk 
top which is being recycled; she bought a new laptop last year with 
win7 now upgraded to win10...and the desk top was never used after 
that.  Going thru a general "spring cleaning" to reduce household 
clutter and computer got added.

So the shack now has two full-time computers with monitors which will 
be handy when monitoring prop loggers and running special ham sw, 
simultaneously.

73, Ed - KL7UW
-----------------------
Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2016 07:43:37 -0600
From: Clay Autery <cautery at montac.com>
To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] slightly OT -- acceptable network switch (aka
         Linksysproduces birdies)
Message-ID: <56B4A709.5020102 at montac.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252

If changing the cabling was the solution for your "birdies" then it
would appear the issue was not with the switch hardware, but with poorly
constructed cables.

There are a LOT of CAT-5 and CAT-5e labels on cables out there that
simply aren't.  There's a list of specs involved, fairly lengthy one,
all of which must be met to qualify a cable at a specific grade.
Most cables that fail a check because they missed something in the
termination procedure (not signal routing).

______________________
Clay Autery
MONTAC Enterprises
(318) 518-1389



73, Ed - KL7UW
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