[RFI] New Interference at kk0sd

Mon Mar 22 23:18:59 EDT 2021

Dave,

	The attachment was stripped off by the list, but I have pretty good faith in my loop as it has helped me track down sources before. As you said it is bi-directional, but it gives me two nice sharp nulls to work with. I just have not been able to get enough on the loop to work with. I think my portable shortwave is pretty deaf and does not have an S-Meter.

	A friend is going to lend me his Yaesu FT-818 for use this coming weekend. It has an S-Meter and more bands. I have also begged/borrowed a 6 meter beam. Since I hear the signal from my vertical on 6 meters I think this should get me a heading.

	As I think I mentioned before, I can hear the noise on several other radios when connected to the vertical, so it is not unique to the FT-847.  Another planned step it to put something in place of the HYGain vertical and listen with the 847 in the house. Maybe this weekend as well.

Thank You Everyone for the valuable suggestions! We will find this!

73,
Gary "Joe" kk0sd

-----Original Message-----
From: RFI <rfi-bounces+gary_mayfield=hotmail.com at contesting.com> On Behalf Of David Eckhardt
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2021 12:22 PM
To: Kim Elmore <cw_de_n5op at sbcglobal.net>
Cc: Rfi List <rfi at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [RFI] New Interference at kk0sd

We recently found a faulty lightning 'arrestor' on a pole by using both the MFJ device and a small shielded loop (easy home brew project) into a battery-powered receiver.  We had two of us in the field.  One wielded the MFJ and I had the small (0.5-meter) shielded loop fed into the Yaesu VR-500 on 1.830 MHz (160-meters).  We both independently found the same source / pole in the field.  The null on the shielded loop is extremely sharp and this piece of hardware should be in the bag of tricks of anyone sleuthing RFI.  It is a powerful tool when coupled to a battery-powered receiver with its extremely sharp null (perpendicular to the plane of the loop).  One doesn't need something as large as the 'Flag" that was recently published
in QST and referred to in a previous post in this thread.   Another plus
for the shielded loop is that in the field, one can tune the receiver to the worst-case frequency of the RFI as I did in the related story, above.
The shielded loop is untuned.  The MFJ relies only on VHF noise.   In some
cases, an ultrasonic microphone at the focus of a small parabolic or spherical reflector is good at finding coronal discharges as well as active arcs and discharges.  MFJ also makes that at a reasonable price.

Our power provider was out the next day to fix the problem.  We even gave them the pole number which is a great help to any power provider.

Dave - WØLEV

On Mon, Mar 22, 2021 at 2:28 AM Kim Elmore <cw_de_n5op at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> It's odd that you can't hear it on your portable rx. That made me
> curious: What if this is something internal to your '847? Have you 
> tried pulling your '847 and listening on a different receiver using 
> the same antenna? If you have, do you still hear the noise? It's a long shot, but...
>
> Kim N5OP
>
> On 3/21/2021 7:28 PM, Gary wrote:
> > Mike,
> >
> >                  Thanks for the info. I understand locating the 
> > noise is
> more important than identifying the noise. I am just try to play all 
> the angles as I was hoping to work the WPX contest nest weekend. I 
> have been walking the neighborhood a good chunk of the afternoon, and 
> have not been able to hear the noise on my portable shortwave and loop 
> antenna. It is as strong as ever on my home station.
> >
> >                  I have an MFJ 852 Noise Finder and it seems to go 
> > crazy
> when broadside to any house. The neighbors on each side of me drive 
> the meter full scale.
> >
> >                  Yep I only want to knock on one door, as I know 
> > that
> can get dicey. I would rather place a call to a utility, but can’t 
> really do either until I know.
> >
> >                  Keep the suggestions coming!
> >
> > Thanks and 73,
> > Gary “Joe” kk0sd
> >
> > From: Mike Martin <mike at rfiservices.com>
> > Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2021 6:53 PM
> > To: Gary <gary_mayfield at hotmail.com>
> > Cc: rfi at contesting.com
> > Subject: Re: [RFI] New Interference at kk0sd
> >
> > Joe I haven't had time to read all the other input but I can tell 
> > you it
> is not an arcing source or a sparking source. either one of the two 
> would be much broader than what you're reporting. if someone were to 
> tell you exactly what it is you really wouldn't be any further ahead. 
> You would still have to find which residents or business it's in. My 
> suggestion would be to either go mobile or on foot, preferably on foot 
> listening to the frequency that you know the problem affects. once you 
> locate the residents then go through the breaker scenario and locate 
> what the source is. Be 100% certain of the structure or home that the 
> problem is in before knocking on the door. The last thing you want to 
> do is start guessing. Guessing we'll ruin the relationship with your neighbors.
> > Be safe,
> > Mike k3RFI
> > www.rfiservices.com<http://www.rfiservices.com>
> > Get BlueMail for Android<http://www.bluemail.me/r?b=16696>
> > On Mar 21, 2021, at 2:01 PM, Gary <gary_mayfield at hotmail.com<mailto:
> gary_mayfield at hotmail.com>> wrote:
> >
> > My last problem was tracked down to a neon sign in a neighbors 
> > garage. I
> had several months of blissful relatively low noise operation, but now 
> have a new RFI issue.
> >
> > You can see a recording of it here:
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKf4P44FXMo
> >
> > I have turned all of the breakers in my home off and run the radio 
> > from
> a battery and the noise remains.
> >
> > My neighborhood utilities are all underground.
> >
> > There are no solar installations in my neighborhood, and the noise 
> > is
> there at night anyway...
> >
> > The noise is not detectable on the AM broadcast band, but starts 
> > around
> 2 MHz and runs to at least 6 meters.
> >
> > It is there 7 days a week 24 hours a day.
> >
> > It is not detectable from my pickup when I drive the streets of my
> neighborhood (checking both AM broadcast and Shortwave).
> >
> > If any one has heard something like this, I would love to hear what 
> > you
> found.
> >
> > Thank You for your input and help!
> >
> > 73,
> > Gary "Joe",  kk0sd
> >
> >
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> --
>
> Kim Elmore, Ph.D. (Adj. Assoc. Prof., OU School of Meteorology, CCM, 
> PP SEL/MEL/Glider, N5OP, 2nd Class Radiotelegraph, GROL)
>
> /"A great second violinist plays second fiddle to no one." //– Robert C.
> Marsh, Chicago Sun-Times./
>
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--
*Dave - WØLEV*
*Just Let Darwin Work*
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