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Re: [RFI] 40m TVI

To: <rfi@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [RFI] 40m TVI
From: "Tom Rauch" <w8ji@contesting.com>
Reply-to: Tom Rauch <w8ji@contesting.com>
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 13:09:45 -0500
List-post: <mailto:rfi@contesting.com>
> Go to yccc.org.  Find W1HIS's white paper on common mode 
> chokes.
> It talks about antennas...but wind one for the power line 
> instead.
> You can make them out of half inch clip-ons and not have 
> to cut
> the power wire.  You can get half inch clip-ons from 
> RadioWorks.
> (radioworks.com).  This would be my first line of attack. 
> Might
> help.  Won't cost too much.

Common mode chokes are FAR oversold and overused, and poorly 
understood.

The function of  a common mode choke is to reduce current 
flowing through an unwanted path. The effectiveness of the 
common mode choke depends on the series impedance of the 
system at the point where it is installed, and the shunt 
impedance at either end of the choke providing a bypass path 
for the unwanted current.

If I add a common mode choke and it makes a little change, 
adding a second one of the same value will have 
significantly less effect.

Some equipment already has significant common mode impedance 
between terminals. That means adding an additional impedance 
from a choke doesn't do much. The same is true if the common 
mode source impedance of the line supplying the common mode 
current is high.

This is why I virtually never use common mode chokes on 
things like TV sets and VCR's. The very first thing I do is 
provide a low impedance bypass for current around the 
affected device and everything connected to it. 99% of the 
time the problem is eliminated, and the side benefit is 
lightning protection is improved. As a matter of fact if we 
properly cure the susceptibility to lightning damage the RFI 
generally goes away with the problem.

If you are hung up on using chokes and if one or two good 
common mode chokes don't cure a problem, it is hundreds of 
times more effective to add a bypass rather than more 
chokes. It's simple circuit behavior.

73 Tom 


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