Greetings:
Are you looking for a "clean" computer monitor for the ham shack or maybe
the family room? Here's some anecdotal info that might interest some on the
list.
I recently upgraded from a 386 to a "Y2K compliant" AMD K6-2. I bought a
Proteva package that included a Proview model PX560 15" monitor. (Yes, of
course I'm cheap! I'm a ham. ;^) I had warned the sales guy that the
monitor might come back if it was noisy.
Immediately after plugging in this monitor at home, I new it was going back.
It put out noisy hashy birdies every 31.6 kHz (Horizontal Sync signal) on
all bands except 12 meters. Most were fairly strong (5-7 S-units) with my
pre-amplifier on and still 3-5 S-units with it off. My previous monitor is
an AST-Vision 15" that is fairly clean with a only few weak, non-hashy,
narrow birdies (even w/pre-amp on).
I took a hand held SW bands rcvr back to the store with me the next visit
and checked all 15" monitors on display. (Got a few strange looks.) It's
best to do this when they're slow so you can turn off all nearby monitors
when checking another one out. It's still very difficult to tell in a store
full of electronics and cabling everywhere! I narrowed the search down to
an NEC MultiSync C-series model C500 15" monitor being somewhat clean at
close proximity (2-3 ft.), and it only cost $20 more!
Took the NEC home. Plugged it in. Spent the next half-hour trying to find
any birdie on the ham & SW BC bands. It was difficult since there was the
faint (and sometimes not so faint) din of other computer monitors from all
over the neighborhood on Saturday afternoon. Finally, I located a few from
the NEC on 15 meters right at the noise level (S-0 with pre-amp on). It is
remarkably clean! I'm thinking about selling the old AST-Vision and getting
another NEC C500 now.
The NEC (as did the AST-Vision) comes with a ferrite choke on each end of
the video cable and has a jack for this cable (unlike the Proview that was
hard wired). The AC cable also has a plug-jack config. on the monitor
(agn--unlike the Proview) allowing it to be removed (for ferrite toroids) if
needed.
Hope this info helps anyone else looking for a clean monitor. Now to see if
the new Lexmark printer makes any noise!
73,
de ed -KØiL
-.-. --.- -.. -..- -.-. --.- -.. . -.- ----- .. .-.. -.-
Eddie Edwards E-mail: k0il@qsl.net
P.O. Box 375 Amateur Radio Call: KØiL
Elkhorn, NE 68022-0375 Member: ARRL, AARC, HDXA, IEEE
Visit my home page at URL ---> http://www.qsl.net/k0il
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