[TowerTalk] Need help with HF problems

[Michael Germino]

No change in antennas?  Just moved station?  Otherwise same setup?

I would first check the PL-259 connectors at the station end.  Perhaps the coax going to your antenna switch.  Have you tried running the coax from one of your antennas direct to the radio?

Mike
AD6AA








> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Magnus Aronsson" <sm6wet at telia.com>
> To: "towertalk" <towertalk at contesting.com>
> Sent: Saturday, 28 May, 2011 5:27 PM
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Need help with HF problems
> 
> 
> Hi
> 
> I have some HF problems.
> 
> To try to make this short:
> 
> I have my shack in the basement of a 2-storey + basement
> house.
> The antennas are mainly on top of the chimney but also 1
> vertical in the
> garden.
> 
> The 5 coaxes and rotator control cable comes in on the side
> of the basement
> window.
> Before I renovated the shack I used to have my desk and all
> the gear
> slightly away from the window, perhaps 2 meters.
> Believe me or not but I could run a KW with my Ten-Tec
> Titan 425 and I had
> no problems with HF.
> 
> After I renovated the shack I put my desk right under the
> window and I have
> HF problems even running low power.
> The problems I have:
> 
> - I hear myself in my headphones/headset down to about 40W
> of power (can
> differ, see below)
> - My rotator control box is acting strange when turned on,
> the dial turns
> itself anti-clockwise.
>   This problem can be taken down in wattage, it moves
> less at 50w and at 20w
> you can just see the dial triggering.
> - My computer can have programs hang on some of the bands
> running CW or
> RTTY. The programs
>   that do hang has usually something to do with the
> sound-card. PSK31
> programs, Contest logs (Writelog), CW-Get etc.
> - My computer speakers is picking up the noise.
> - My computer is making a ticking noise each time I key,
> you can actually
> hear morse code coming from it. I believe it is the PSU.
>   The computer PSU ones dies, and I dont know if it
> was HF or just bad
> manufacturing - I got it replaced on warranty but they
>   never found the reason of failure..............
> 
> The only band not making any problems is my 2m but then I
> only have 50w and
> use it for SSB/CW/FSK441.
> 
> I have gotten myself a thick copper tube that I fastened on
> the back of my
> desk. From it runs a 2cm (approx 7/8") thick cable
> out to a grounding rod. It is usually wet where it is
> situated.
> So far, the only thing grounded is my rigs.
> 
> I tried experimenting with ferrite cores. Each coax and
> rotator cable each
> have 5 ferrites.
> I also have a ferrite core on my headset and the cable is
> wound 4 turns
> within the core, core place right next to where the cable
> goes into the headset. I tried 2 turns, 3 turns and tonight
> 4 turns. No
> difference.
> 
> Some more experimenting shows me that if I sit in front of
> the rig and hold
> the remaining stump of headset cable in my hand I can
> find some places where it gets almost quiet. But then there
> are places where
> the noise is unbearable. If I hold the cable near the
> rotator control box it gets very load - the rotator control
> box is at 2
> o´clock from my radio. Same thing if I hold the headset
> cable
> near my computer which is 7 o´clock from the radio. I
> tried other directions
> but these seem to be the problem areas.
> 
> I dont dare to run a amplifier without getting rid of this
> problem. Or I may
> kill my computer.
> 
> My setup:
> 
> FTDX-5000D+
> FT-920 (same problem)
> Antennas varies but I do have problems on the ones with
> baluns as well as
> RF-Chokes.
> Rotator is a Yaesu G-450XL
> I have a sound-card interface from the radio to the
> computer but it is
> opto-coupler.
> Heil Proset+
> 
> 
> What can I try?
> Is there a way of actually measuring RF/HF on the outside
> of cables or
> devices?
> Is the rotor the whole problem?
> Should I try the ferrite cores near the antennas instead of
> outside and
> inside the shack?
> Should I try grounding the computer chassi and the rotator
> to the same
> ground as the rig?
> 
> Any suggestions welcome - I am tired of this now and really
> dont to mess up
> this room and move everything back to the old position.
> 
> 73 de Magnus SM6WET
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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