[Elecraft] [K3] Using K3 for relative noise survey

[Jim Brown]

On 8/1/2017 6:33 AM, Rick Miller - N1RM wrote:
> I currently live in a townhouse and have made an offer on a few acres in a
> more rural area. I would like to measure the relative noise levels between
> the two locations to reduce the probability of surprises or disappointments
> should I close the deal.  I have gotten access to a very good battery
> powered spectrum analyzer and plan to use a tripod-mounted 6 foot whip and a
> 20 dB LNA to measure the noise levels at each location.

Hi Rick,

There are several good, inexpensive SDR receivers that plug into and are 
powered by a USB port. The SDR Play1 costs about $130 at HRO. See 
k9yc.com/KillingRXNoiseVisalia.ppt  for a list of several others. 
There's good freeware from multiple sources to produce excellent 
spectrum displays and get RX audio out of a computer speaker. There's 
also freeware for Android and iPhone. Also study the link above for what 
sort of noise sources to look for, and how to identity the shources you 
see.

73, Jim K9YC