noise from house or street electricity.

[niceguy71]

I have always heard my radio make a noise getting louder in intensity and the S meter goes up to 5....6...7.......then fast to 8 and 9 .. then it pops and goes back to nothing and starts the cycle again.. it has done that on different radios... Cobra 148 President grant and now the Anytone 555 N II .... I have swapped out different power supplies and shut off all the fluorescent lights in the garage... it's always there... I have shut off all the circuits in the house but the radio one, and it still does it... so I live with it.
today I finally went out with 8 handheld CB's to try to get a 5 mile range test.... I know I will barely hear it if I can do the 5 miles.... so I put my Ecoflow Delta 2 Max on the work bench and plugged the radio into the cigarette lighter port... it took a minute but now the S meter stays on S2 and no slow build up and pop.... the EcoFlow says it will run my radio for over 99 hours and over 60 when I'm transmitting.... I think I'll just leave the EcoFlow battery back up generator right on the workbench from now on..... I think the noise is coming in from the street.

as for my range test.... I was forcing myself to go as nothing has gone right in getting it done in 8 months... just too much other stuff needing to get done..... I wanted to do it before the trees had leaves... too late now..... I wanted to go over everything but didn't have a plan,,,.... I have the 3.5 mile and the 4 mile stations at schools in the area nice wide open parking lots..... so I can only go on the weekend or on a holiday.... so I forced myself to get all the 80 batteries charged up and made myself go. .... but I was not happy or in the mood to do it..... I'm driving down the driveway and it starts raining.... don't care I'm getting it done.... first location the wind is roaring and blows the tripod over and damages my phone..... it now stops recording every few minutes???.....so I had to keep reshooting the videos... at location 3 miles from base station a huge gust of wind blows the tripod over again and smashes my expensive phone to pieces!
but I keep going and at the 3.5 mile location I keep hearing someone in Spanish on 14... I watched 14 for a 1/2 hour before I left the house to make sure it was clear....... but I transmitted on 8 radios... first low power... then high power then low power with the 51 inch antenna then high power with the 51 inch antenna... it was a 1/2 hour at each location... as I would say this is the Midland 75-822 on low power with 1.2 rechargeable batteries from one mile from the base station testing one two three.... then did the other three similar tests low high and I used the same 51 inch antenna on all 6 handheld other than the Randy and the TRC 216
I'll look at the camcorder that was watching my base station radio and see how it worked later and share the results.

 

[slowmover]

Beer, or a whiskey?

 

[wtp]

any neighbors have solar panels ?

 

[niceguy71]

Beer, or a whiskey?

I may need both after this miserable failure... but I'll go for beer usually..... I'm watching ( well listening to) my 3 hour long camcorder footage of all my range tests.... the Spanish people on channel 14 were all over my signal they were putting out S 7 and higher... most of my handhelds were s5 or S6.... at 3 miles we were equal on the S meter..... so far that Midland 75-822 is kickng ass!
I didn't expect that .. I'm only using 8 rechargeable batteries 1.2 volts each in it so that is only 9.6 volts... it has a tiny rubber duck antenna... but the rubber duck is getting it done! .... low power and high power.
the Uniden pro401 is a joke... I knew it would be... it actually tested well on my meters.... but I have yet to hear it at 1 mile .....1.5 mile mark..... 2 mile location ..... and I'm listening to the 3 miles now.... I think that will be the end.
the 51 inch HYS antenna is night and day difference on all the radio's ....the Randy so far has got it done with the factory rubber ducky antenna also.
I think the best so far has been the Uniden Pro 501... that tested the highest power and it's giving me S5 with the rubber ducky antenna and S7 with the 51 inch tall antenna but the voice is LOUD with the 51 inch antenna ... this is at 3 miles from the base station
I thought the Radio Shack TRC 216 would beat them all but not yet.... the Cobra HH50 is in third place.

hold everything... I just heard the cheap piece of junk Uniden Pro 401 on low power with rubber ducky antenna 3 miles from Base station....... then I heard it again loud and clear with the 51 inch HYS antenna on low power..... then I heard it REAL loud and clear on high power with the 51 inch antenna..... after that I tested the TRC 216.... I HATE to say it but I think it beat the TRC 216!

 

[WSAC829]

What type of power supplies? A lot of the new ones are now "switching" power supplies. They are cheaper to make and thus cost the consumer less money for more amperage. The bad news is that most of them toss out a ton of stray RF. Very few of them actually have filters in them. You really need a "linear regulated" power supply. Those are super clean, but cost quite a bit more for the same amperage.

For instance i picked up a Jetstream 30 amp switching power supply a few years back. Utter garbage. It's fine with some of my ham rigs, but kills any CB with a constant 3 - 5 S-units of noise. I go grab my ancient Radio Shack 10 amp linear regulated power supply and dead silent. Meter stays near the bottom as it should.

Since you said your battery power bank made the stray RF go away, i would rule out the street lights and look at your power supplies. Just my 2 cents. I could be wrong, but that's where i'd start.

Here's a snippet i grabbed from a random site explaining the differences in power supplies:

Pros and Cons of Switching Power Supplies
Now let’s take a look at the pros and cons of switching power supplies:

Pros:

Higher efficiency, resulting in less heat dissipation and smaller size.
Higher power output, making them suitable as high-voltage power supplies for larger applications
Lower cost for high-power applications.

Cons:

Can introduce more noise and ripple into the output voltage than linear power supplies.
Higher cost for low-power applications.

 

[niceguy71]

any neighbors have solar panels ?

no neighbors.... not for a few thousand feet.... ... nothing but forest lakes streams and several ponds behind me.... I'm 300 feet off the road... there is a neighbor across the street about 400 to 500 feet.... but he is a Ham operator and has nothing. that would cause the noise.....but there is a transformer about 800 feet down the road I kind of think that's the culprit

 

[niceguy71]

What type of power supplies? A lot of the new ones are now "switching" power supplies. They are cheaper to make and thus cost the consumer less money for more amperage. The bad news is that most of them toss out a ton of stray RF. Very few of them actually have filters in them. You really need a "linear regulated" power supply. Those are super clean, but cost quite a bit more for the same amperage.

For instance i picked up a Jetstream 30 amp switching power supply a few years back. Utter garbage. It's fine with some of my ham rigs, but kills any CB with a constant 3 - 5 S-units of noise. I go grab my ancient Radio Shack 10 amp linear regulated power supply and dead silent. Meter stays near the bottom as it should.

Since you said your battery power bank made the stray RF go away, i would rule out the street lights and look at your power supplies. Just my 2 cents. I could be wrong, but that's where i'd start.

Here's a snippet i grabbed from a random site explaining the differences in power supplies:

Pros and Cons of Switching Power Supplies
Now let’s take a look at the pros and cons of switching power supplies:

Pros:

Higher efficiency, resulting in less heat dissipation and smaller size.
Higher power output, making them suitable as high-voltage power supplies for larger applications
Lower cost for high-power applications.

Cons:

Can introduce more noise and ripple into the output voltage than linear power supplies.
Higher cost for low-power applications.

I had a 5 amp Radio shack power supply and it made the same noise so I plugged it into different outlets.. always the same thing...

then I had a 10 amp Aristocroft did the same thing......

now I've got a really cheap Amazon power supply.... all have done the EXACT same thing. the one I have now is a real cheapo

BTECH RPS-30M 30 Amp Regulated Universal Compact Bench Power Supply, AC-to-DC Power Convertor, 13.8V with Screw terminals and Cigarette Plug Output​

I like it because of the cigarette lighter plug so I do other testing with that

I have a ton of handheld CBs and they have plugs that plug into wall outlets.... no matter what radio or location or plug them into I get the same throbbing noise.... goes up ...up ...up.... up ... and pop then nothing and starts again.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B3JY6FDG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[WSAC829]

Odd. Well nothing wrong with those solar generators / battery banks. I use one in the house to power my GMRS base radio (it's a mobile unit). It's quite possible your house wiring isn't properly grounded, or you might have some noisy/faulty GFCI outlets. If the radios are fine on battery power then something else is going on somewhere. The trick is finding out what and where. Good luck.

 

[niceguy71]

Odd. Well nothing wrong with those solar generators / battery banks. I use one in the house to power my GMRS base radio (it's a mobile unit). It's quite possible your house wiring isn't properly grounded, or you might have some noisy/faulty GFCI outlets. If the radios are fine on battery power then something else is going on somewhere. The trick is finding out what and where. Good luck.

thank you
running the battery back up seems to work, so problem solved..... for most of my conversations it doesn't bother me... only when I'm doing a range test... I need the signal meter as low as possible... off battery power it's always 3 to 4 on the S meter... with the battery powering it ... it's 1 or 2 on the S meter

 

[63Sprint]

I wonder if it has anything to do with the CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS.
The other day I was seeing readings of 9 dB. And right now I’m getting readings near 4 dB. It comes and goes. Frustrating.

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

I wonder if it has anything to do with the CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS.
The other day I was seeing readings of 9 dB. And right now I’m getting readings near 4 dB. It comes and goes. Frustrating.

This has been the case in Texas. I also got a boatload of tropospheric ducting last week. Repeaters on 467 booming in from far away.

As for your power supply, why not just stick with batteries fed by a good trickle charger? If you lose the grid, you're still on the air.

Costco has big tall golf cart batteries for $110 or so. A couple of those would run your station for many days, were the grid to go down. You'd have time to get a solar panel or two deployed.

I'm using two serviceable batteries from my old dump truck (which cost more). I have a little 4-stage 1000Ma float charger that trickles them 24x7. I also have a 35A old-school power supply on a rack, but am not using it.

 

[niceguy71]

I finally got the surge removed!!!
shutting off all breakers and turning one on at a time I found the circuit and started unplugging anything on the circuit.... it was a Craftsman 19.2 volt battery charger..
my Anytone 5555 N II base station would have a signal strength S5 or S7 surging and popping up to and over S9......for 90% of the time..... sometimes it was clear... but mostly it was always surging....

I usually keep my squelch wide open so I can hear everything.....the battery charger was about 4 feet from the radio.... as soon as I unplugged it I was like wow it's never been that quiet.... plugging it back in it was S6 and creeping up ( surging) up and past until S9 then start at the S5 again with a constant drone / hum I guess I had grown used too..... unplugging the battery charger made the signal meter drop to S2 or S3 and stay at that level.... without the drone/hum...... I was sorry to see the noise was still at S3.... this was at 1AM in the morning, I expected to see nothing on the meter in the middle of the night... but I'm REALLY happy just to get rid of the surge and drop the level way down.

thanks for all the idea's and thoughts.

 

[Bored_Technician]

This thread has really inspired me to look for noise sources around my set up and home. I have a wireless security camera system that I think may be a culprit for some noise. I didn't get a chance to test that yet.

I did find that when I hit the circuit breaker that my radio was plugged into, all the noise stopped. It was absolute 0 on the S meter

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

This thread has really inspired me to look for noise sources around my set up and home. I have a wireless security camera system that I think may be a culprit for some noise. I didn't get a chance to test that yet.

I did find that when I hit the circuit breaker that my radio was plugged into, all the noise stopped. It was absolute 0 on the S meter

Your joke reminds me of when we went thru the big Texas freeze a couple years back. I was actually awakened by the total silence and darkness in our house. And we live very rural, so it was only the quiet hum of appliances, 60hz wall warts etc. It's a good thing I woke up, so I could start a propane heater in the greenhouse, and we didn't lose a bunch of plants when the electric heater quit. I didn't have my shack setup then, only HTs. That freeze took out ISPs and cell towers too, when UPS batteries ran low. We had only HTs and going to see neighbors.

We've lost power almost every year since, but not for 6 days. Now I treat the subject of backup power very seriously. That's why I used big FLA batteries to power my shack. A buddy tried to talk me into lithium, and his facts were solid. But I had two good truck FLAs just sitting in the shop on trickle, so they got the nod as they were free.

 

[riverradio68]

I'm fighting electrified cattle fences on a regular basis ...

 

[slowmover]

I'm fighting electrified cattle fences on a regular basis ...

NRC Radio + install upgrade needed.

Post in thread 'Mobile Antenna: PRESIDENT Texas 1800'
Mobile Antenna: PRESIDENT Texas 1800

On back of radio:

CMC-130S-3K 1-30MHz – MyAntennas.com

Also need an antenna feedpoint choke.

Under headliner; DIY, or,

SKU JC-1-1500CB

Antenna Products - Antenna Products - Palomar Engineers®

Palomar antenna products include complete antenna systems, feed line chokes, feed line to antenna matching transformers, static bleeders and other accessories. Click on the link to connect to the product you need. Palomar Engineers Antenna Info Sheet

palomar-engineers.com

.

 

[paulears]

I have some genuine peli cases, but an awful lot more of the chinese ones, and in practice, i have yet to break any of them, or then contents.