[TenTec] Orion II 15 m CW Transmit Power Fluctuation

[Gary Hoffman]

I have to say that the mere existance of a "pin one problem" (sic) is 
neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for
having Radio Frequency Interference (or even hum on the signal) in the 
shack.

If it were a sufficient condition, then almost every shack - and certainly 
most all Ten Tec equipped shacks - would have serious
RFI problems that would require remediation.  This is self-evidently not the 
case.  Most shacks do NOT have RFI problems.
Some do of course.

If it were a necessary condition, then no device NOT having a "pin one 
problem" (sic) would ever have RFI.  This, self-evidently is not
the case either.

My point is only this.  The problem of radio frequency interference is very 
broad, and covers a very wide range of causes and
effects.  If one does not take a wide view of this matter, one will have a 
very hard time solving RFI problems.....or, in fact, in
understanding why they DON'T have RFI problems when they "should."

Hence my reference earlier to the "old saw."  I won't bother to list my 
educational background, my published papers, my experience in
aerospace and electrical engineering, my patents, or anything else....since 
none of that would be productive, nor would it solve the
original poster's (and many others too) technical problems.  Responding to 
that kind of stuff just leads to flame wars and takes ones
attention away from solving real problems.

73 de Gary, AA2IZ


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Brown K9YC" <k9yc at audiosystemsgroup.com>
To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 10:46 AM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion II 15 m CW Transmit Power Fluctuation


> On Wed, 28 Apr 2010 07:54:19 +0000 (GMT), QUENTIN COLLIER wrote:
>
>>Sorry to be a pain guys, but as someone who has recently joined this list,
> can you please explain what the "pin 1 problem" is ?
>
> It is the improper connection of the shields of external cables where they
> enter the rig. The only proper connection is the CHASSIS. Most rigs 
> connect
> them to the circuit board on insulated connectors that are insulated from
> the chassis. This causes any current flowing on the cable shield to flow 
> on
> "ground" or "earth" busses, which then couples that current (noise, hum,
> buzz, RF) into the rig, where it is amplified and/or detected.
>
> This defect was named "the pin 1 problem" because it was described in a
> reasearch paper presented by Neil Muncy, ex-W3WJE, to the Audio 
> Engineering
> Society in 1994, and subsequently published in the Journal of the AES in
> June 1995. Largely as a result of that work, Neil was elected a Fellow of
> the AES. The connector most used for pro audio is an XLR, and the
> designated shield contact is pin 1. I'm told that the guy who first called
> it "the pin 1 problem" was Berhard Weingartner, the founder and president
> of Neutrik, the excellent connector mfr based in Lichtenstein, who was an
> active member of the Standards Committee at that time. He has since
> retired, but both management and engineering of that company are still
> quite active in AES Standards work.
>
> In some bar conversation at technical meetings, Neil said that "most RFI 
> is
> coupled by pin 1 problems." Between 2003 and 2005, I did some research 
> that
> proved him entirely correct. My work is also published as several AES
> papers. My papers, as well as several tutorials on RFI and other topics of
> interest to hams, are on my website.
>
> http://audiosystemsgroup.com/publish.htm
>
> Our work led to several new AES Standards on EMC -- AES48, AES54-1, AES54-
> 2, and AES54-3. They can be purchased from the AES website.
>
> It's quite easy for cable shields to carry RF currents if they are near a
> ham transmitter or broadcast antenna -- those cables are simply acting as
> receiving antennas. They will also carry leakage current from the AC mains
> when connected between two pieces of equipment that are connected to
> different mains outlets. That current is what we hear as hum and buzz. We
> call it a ground loop, but it is really mains leakage current. A second
> coupling mechanism for this leakage current is as IR drop in the shield of
> unbalanced wiring.
>
> Most "RF in the shack" is coupled into equipment by a pin 1 problem. When
> you kill RFI by placing a ferrite choke on wiring, you are killing the RF
> current on that cable.
>
> 73,
>
> Jim Brown K9YC
>
>
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