[CQ-Contest] USB rfi ; rig control--->solved....I think.

[Steve Lott]

In summary.........

The solution was to run the shield of your USB cable to ground ???
did I understand correctly?

cheers!
Steve
KG5VK

http://sdxa.blogspot.com/
KG5VK Blog

http://www.KG5VK.com
My Ham Radio Friends



On Wed, Nov 28, 2018 at 7:10 PM Mike Smith VE9AA <ve9aa at nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

> Contesters, DXers and Radio personnel extraordinaire,
>
>
>
> I am always hesitant to proclaim success over a radio problem, lest Murphy
> reads this email and work his black magic, but for the past couple yrs I've
> had a very intermittent problem with both rigs in my SO2R setup dropping
> connectivity to N1MM via the USB line, to my laptop.  Rigs  are IC7410's
> running USB radio control. YCCC SO2R+ controller. 2 small amps (sometimes,
> maybe 50% of contests)  A variety of antennas on Radio 1 and always just a
> ZS6BKW on radio two.  Some contests, like this past weekend, just SO1R.
>
>
>
> I have tried enough ferrites to sink the Queen Mary. I have rerouted
> cables,
> replaced USB cables many times. I have wound USB cables into giant (chokes)
> loops. I have grounded rigs; ungrounded rigs (some success at times!) and
> even pounded 2 big ground rods into the Earth just outside the shack and
> fed
> them with huge wire right through the wall.  I have even wrapped all kinds
> of things in aluminum foil and made aluminum foil shields (for the bottom
> of
> my laptop, which sits on a shelf above the rig that seems affected the
> worst). I have moved stuff around the shack.  I have even changed the
> connection speeds (50% slower/normal.whatever) in N1MM setups. (with varied
> success)
>
>
>
> Still, I lose USB connection to the rig(s) intermittently, which sounds
> minor, but is a royal PITA when doing S&P and you're populating your own
> bandmap, or you are clicking on spots during those rare times that I am
> running assisted.  Band changes can get lost.  Program won't move from run
> to S&P,  It's a pain.  Sometimes it takes QRO (700-750W) to trigger the
> lost
> connection, but sometimes as little as a few watts CW will do it.  It seems
> to change month by month.
>
>
>
> Lately it's been worse, but I have no idea why.  I change very little radio
> wise in the shack. I did notice one time about year ago that moving a
> certain audio cable only 2" to the left (seemingly) triggered the lost
> connection syndrome, so I unplugged the cable..  So,atm I have not used SSB
> in a while.  The problem always comes back (eventually)
>
>
>
> Early Friday morning I pulled out a Hail Mary, not wanting to do CQWW CW as
> a QRP entry.  Nothing against QRP at all, I probably do as much as 5 or 10%
> of my contesting as a QRP entry.. but not in CQWW-at least not for me.
> CQWW
> is about rate, pileup busting, adrenaline, etc, right?  My antennas are
> minimal, so QRP won't bust pileups.  The bands being what they were, I ran
> the VE max @ 700-750w CW.
>
>
>
> In this last ditch attempt, I took a super small wire (1 strand of a CAT5E
> cable, which would be what- AWG #22 maybe?) and tied it gingerly around the
> shield part of the USB cable that plugs into the laptop for the virtual com
> port giving me seemingly the worst issue compared to the other rig and then
> attached a beefier wire to that and ran it to my station ground.  In >2025
> QSO's this weekend at the 700-750w level on all bands I never lost that
> radio's USB connection to N1MM+ even once.
>
>
>
> Next up will be to try SO2R and SSB..
>
>
>
> Did I just jinx myself ?
>
>
>
> Hope someone finds this info useful, as I have never heard of this
> particular fix.
>
>
>
> Mike VE9AA
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Mike, Coreen & Corey
>
> Keswick Ridge, NB
>
>
>
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