Topband: Signal/Noise.

[robert briggs]

Signal to noise has always been the limiting factor for successful operation on 160 meters at my location.Living in an isolated rural area I guess I have less Industrial generated noise than a lot of my fellow ham's.However from time to time I have significant power line leakage which can generate quite an annoying interfering signal into my receiver.Normal atmospheric noise,high or low,we have to accept and unless we have directional receiving antenna's then it's a fact of life.
Or so I have always thought.
I use a vertical antenna as my main transmitting antenna and an inverted V at 90 feet for reception as the V generally has a better S/N ratio especially East West.It is nearly hopeless for JA and North Pacific however.
I have used a couple of the popular audio DSP units as an accessory to try to help with weak signals on the edge of the noise over a number of year's and have not found them all that brilliant and quite unpleasant to listen to.
I was recently able to pick up an MFJ 784B unit and after using it with my Icom 751A my reception of weak CW signal's on the edge of the noise has suddenly come alive.The tunable filter's are magic.
I am able to copy signals which I wouldn't  usually bother to even try and copy.
Well I guess even this old Dxer has to learn a few new trick's now and again.Hope I am able to do a better job for some of the little guy's who try so hard for me to hear them from time to time.
Cheerio Bob VK3ZL..