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Re: [RFI] Investigating receive noise - got a few questions

To: rfi@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [RFI] Investigating receive noise - got a few questions
From: Jim Brown <jim@audiosystemsgroup.com>
Reply-to: jim@audiosystemsgroup.com
Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2018 11:55:14 -0800
List-post: <mailto:rfi@contesting.com>
Hi Michael,

My test is pretty simple -- a Kenwood TH-F6A talkie tuned a bit above 2 MHz used as a probe.  Testing with a receiver working into your antenna is NOT always a good test, because there are so many other noise sources that combine to obscure one of them alone.  The average home probably has a couple of dozen switchers by 2018 -- they come in the door with virtually everything we buy that plugs into the wall! Some are wall warts, some are built into the equipment itself.

Yes, there are good switchers and bad ones. All of those that have come with my Thinkpads have been quiet. Some used switchers I found built for use with Motorola gear are quiet. So is a 20A supply built for use by hams. And so is the switcher in Elecraft's new KPA1500 power amp. Nearly all that came with other stuff are not.

73, Jim K9YC

On 11/29/2018 11:36 AM, Michael Coslo wrote:
It seems to be a popular thing to condemn every switcher as noisy. Whenever I 
purchase something that comes with a wall wart, I check it out with my radio on 
all bands. Most pass.

What is more, if we willy nilly replace the dreaded switchers with the linear, 
we could actually cause problems where one did not exist.

Being built to be cheap, the linears I have seen have a transformer, a full 
wave rectifier, and a filter cap. My experience with Linear wall warts echos 
this http://www.dxing.info/equipment/wall_warts_bryant.dx

If an Op wants to have no switchers, and if they want clean power. make a power 
distribution system with a well regulated, properly filtered power supply, and 
not allow a wall wart to be seen in their house.

But really, check out that switcher before trashing it. You aren’t gaining a 
lot by going to a cheap linear wart, and might introduce problems.



- Michael Coslo -
Frequency Coordinator, Beaver Stadium
814-404-3991
mjc5@psu.edu
mjcn3li@gmail.com

On Nov 28, 2018, at 11:14 PM, Roger (K8RI) <k8ri@rogerhalstead.com> wrote:

One thing to keep in mind and this list seems to ignore. Not all switching 
supplies generate noise although many, if not most do.
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