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Re: [RFI] 160 meter noise at W9RE tracked down to neighbors Comcast Cabl

Subject: Re: [RFI] 160 meter noise at W9RE tracked down to neighbors Comcast Cable Box / Power Supply
From: Jim Brown <jim@audiosystemsgroup.com>
Reply-to: jim@audiosystemsgroup.com
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2020 10:45:59 -0800
List-post: <mailto:rfi@contesting.com>
On 2/23/2020 5:12 AM, Don Kirk wrote:
I have to tell you that when working in someones house that is not a hams we should not be installing anything special if at all possible (unless it's indeed one simple choke on the power cord and that's even pushing it).  We should first hold the company that installed or supplied the hardware responsible for a clean solution.  In this case if it's the switch mode power supply, then Comcast can easily provide them a different power supply or a different Cable box that uses a different power supply to see if that fixes the problem.

Hi Don,

I completely agree with everything you've said, especially about holding Comcast's feet to the fire on this. BUT -- it is VERY, VERY unlikely that they will 1) understand the problem and 2) have a solution.

If I were dealing with a cooperative neighbor like the one you cite, I'd return with a choke wound with RG6 connectorized to plug into the modem, and a few more clamp-ons to choke other cables. If there are CAT5/6 cables connected to it, I'd have some of those cables wound through cores to replace the existing.

There's a LOT of great advice and ideas/comments in the rest of this thread.

As to the value of SDR waterfalls -- it's another VERY important tool in our kit. The spectrum and waterfall can tell us the generic type of source we're looking for -- is it 1) a power control device like SMPS or variable speed motor controller; 2) backhaul leakage from cable system like what is shown on page 2 of the link I posted last night; or 3) something arcing. #1 and #2 must be chased on the frequencies where we hear the noise, #3 must be chased first at lower frequencies, then at the highest possible frequencies.

73, Jim K9YC
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