Topband: how close is to close

[Niko Cimbur]

There are two parallel 500kV lines about 2.5 miles north from my pier location.   The noise from the power lines is a hit and miss on 160m. It varies with the weather and the season.  The worst appears to be in the fall after a long period without rain when the insulators are dirty.  Than, when the fog rolls in they are crackling pretty good.   80m gets very bad, 40m not an issue, 160m gets somewhat noisy, but not as bad as 80.  Other than an exception once in a while the rest of the year the power line noise on 160 is quite low, or not even there.  I am talking about the receiving antennas, not the vertical.

When I was looking for a new location for 160m contesting, (The Pier is now way too noisy - not because of the power line)one of the locations I thought about was Soda Lake in the Carrissa plain.  Later, while investigating the location I found that large power lines were again close by.  That was a big negative for me. I tried the Lighthouse instead. I am still a bit intrigued about trying Soda Lake anyway, maybe for SP.

Niko - AC6DD