[RFI] Radar Engineers RFI Analyzers

[John Brosnahan -- W0UN]

Paul--

One option to see HF with your VHF only CATV FSM is to use an HF 
upconverter designed for SDR dongles like the FunCube.  This puts the 
entire HF spectrum into the low VHF band.

Do a search on Amazon or Google and you will see them for about 50 bucks.
Ham It Up v1.0 - NooElec RF Upconverter For Software Defined Radio.


Or go directly to the nooelec website and get it for $40

nooelec.com/store/software-defined-radio/sdr-accessories/ham-it-up-v1-0-rf-upconverter-for-software-defined-radio.html

Or skip the CATV FSM and go directly to the dongle (less than $40) 
and upconverter.  This will limit your expense to less than $100 
(plus portable computer) and you have an SDR with a noise 
calibration/reference source in the upconverter.

nooelec.com/store/software-defined-radio/eztv668-dvb-t-usb-set-for-sdr.html

John  W0UN


At 09:07 AM 12/24/2012, Paul Christensen wrote:
>Seasons greetings to all...
>
>There's been enough RFI at this QTH during the last decade that I'm 
>looking to purchase a National HF Vector Gun and a used Radar 
>Engineers (RE) RFI analyzer, model 240A or 242.  Or, in the 
>alternative, a V/UHF Sadelco FSM with video output for use with one 
>of the many oscilloscopes I have.
>
>Questions:
>
>1) Apart from the usable frequency range, is there's much difference 
>between the RE 240A and 242 models?
>
>2) Loftness' book [1] goes into great detail concerning the 
>interface he constructed to integrate his FSM and scope together -- 
>right down to schematics and a parts layout diagram. I would opt for 
>this approach since the display resolution is probably much better 
>then the RE's LCD displays. My only concern is that the usual CATV 
>FSM units only go down to about 50 MHz, the lower VHF limit of TV 
>Channel 2.  I would hate to expend a lot of time and trouble to 
>construct an interface only to find another occurrence where RFI is 
>lumped in one HF band well below the limit of the FSM.  In fact, 
>this just happened to me where a utility pole about a half-mile away 
>was arcing with greatest amplitude on 20m at an S9 level.  Very 
>little RFI on AMBC and just a bit noticed on 10m as shown by 
>Tresscot in Fig. 2 of his QST article. [2]
>
>For those of you actively engaged in RFI abatement, have you found 
>the FSM's limit of 50 MHz to be a drawback when using the scope 
>system Loftness describes?
>
>Many Tnx!
>
>Paul Christensen
>Jacksonville, Florida
>W9AC
>
>[1] Loftness, M. (KB7KK), AC Power Interference Handbook, 2nd. ed. 
>rev., pp. 7/6, 7/12. ISBN 0-9653760-3-6.
>[2]  Trescott, M. (K3QM), "Basic Steps Toward Tracing and 
>Eliminating Power Line Interference," QST, Nov., 1991, p. 44.
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