Topband: prospective QTH evaluations

[Eric Scace K3NA]

Hi folks --

   I will be relocating and have started the hunt for a new radio QTH.
Manmade intractable QRN sources are something that I'd like to avoid.  One
spot that I'm considering has an overhead residential power line 1km away in
an important direction.  The line feeds a string of beachfront summer
cottages, so salty air is a given.  I've received conflicting suggestions
ranging between:

   a)  Forget it.  Overhead power lines along the beach will be constant
noise generators.

   b)  Drive down the beach with the car radio tuned to an empty spot on the
AM band and see what you hear.  If it's quiet, it's probably OK.

   Approach (a) seems like too much of a broad assumption.  Are there any
experts from the power distribution industry who know whether power lines in
salty air can be clean for those of us who want to work weak stuff on 160m?

   And approach (b) seems rather hit or miss.  Who's to say whether the
average rental car AM radio is an adequate detector, at close range, for a
problem that would be heard on a much more sensitive receiver on a different
band with antennas a bit further away?

   Suggestions?

-- Eric R3/K3NA



--
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/FAQ/topband
Submissions:              topband@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  topband-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-topband@contesting.com