Topband: Sudden increase in noise level on Topband..

[N1BUG]

Robert Briggs wrote:
> 
> Well, after years of generally quiet receiving on 160 metrers my world 
> has been recently turned upside down....I have a neighbor about 1/4 
> miles away who has recently purchased a Plasma TV set....That B#$&# 
> thing tears up bands from 160 through 40 metrers with a terrible hash 
> buzz....It happily slowly drifts up and down the band at a S7 
> noise...

Bob,

I am truly sorry to hear that. If is only 160 through 40 meters I 
guess you can count your blessings. My neighbor has a plasma TV that 
trashes 160 through 6 meters! He was nice and allowed me to 
experiment with AC mains filtering at the TV but it was of no help. 
There are more than a dozen cables plugged into the thing and I 
suspect all are radiating and/or conducting the crud out to larger 
"antennas". It's just no use!

I've been able to *partially* alleviate it due to the help of 
another neighbor who has allowed me to relocate my Beverages onto 
his land and onto an adjoining preserve lot which he oversees for 
the owner. I can't completely escape the noise, but it helps. My 
days of being able to listen on the inverted V when signals are 
arriving at high angle are over. Listening on the vertical is even 
more hopeless.

In 2008 a lighting strike wiped out much of my ham station and 
electronics and appliances in my home and several neighbors' homes. 
Naturally the $%^&*$@ plasma TV survived it!!! Grr...

73,
Paul N1BUG