modrachlan
Member
I moved after owning a house many years to a rental with a high-RFI environment and I'm still, three years later, trying to come to terms with it.
The RFI manifests as a persistent wockwockwockwock that drowns out most signals above 8mhz. tracing it with a portable, it's all around the building and outside the house for a distance of about 12 feet. Below about 8mhz it isn't as bad, but 8mhz and up it is persistent, I can't even get WWV without this annoying noise.
Note, this is not a constant sound, but rather anytime a signal is received, the wockawockawocka is present and drowns out the station. Frustratingly, a band can not have this interference at all, until I find a station, then it appears and swamps it- almost like it's mocking me...
I have unplugged all wall warts from the house and it affects the level of noise a little but the wockwockwock is absolutely unaffected.
Unfortunately I can't test very effectively, I live in a duplex and can't turn off the electrical service.
I have tried a variety of radios, from a Sony ICF-2010 to a Lowe HF-150 to an RSP-1a, with a wellbrook loop (on the outside line- see below), a youloop and a SV2CZF TLA500C indoor loop antenna which has some tunability. that one can null it out out sometimes, but not consistently.
What can I try to reduce noise and increase readability? Other places I've lived the noise was not this bad and could get by just fine with what I've got.
Unfortunately the only line out of the house is to an unused satelite dish. I did disconnect it from the dish and connected the wellbrook, sitting it out in the yard to test. It has the wockawocka the same as listening from inside.
I can of course go out in the field and get away from the noise, but I don't want to do all of my listening out in the field. I would really like to have a space in the house where I can establish a receiving setup semi-permanently. I was able to null out the wockawocka with a portable about 50 ft from the house, by both positioning whip and a youloop away from the house. Antenna amplifiers seem out of the question, they really aggravate the noise. maybe becase they are using the electrical service. I have not tried with batteries.
I have entertained the idea of connecting a longwire or dipole to this satellite line, though I don't have much space outside. Wondering if perhaps loops are not the answer, a long wire away from the house and electrical lines maybe. Is there a system that is particularly good at eliminating local RFI? what if the longwire were buried or on the ground or had a counterpoise? I've never built a long wire antenna but it's someting to try and loops aren't doing it.
Any thoughts? Things to try? suggested setup that works well in bad RFI environments? outboard filters or preamps or tuners? I'll try anything, that can be allowed by the landlord, at this point.
Thank you.
The RFI manifests as a persistent wockwockwockwock that drowns out most signals above 8mhz. tracing it with a portable, it's all around the building and outside the house for a distance of about 12 feet. Below about 8mhz it isn't as bad, but 8mhz and up it is persistent, I can't even get WWV without this annoying noise.
Note, this is not a constant sound, but rather anytime a signal is received, the wockawockawocka is present and drowns out the station. Frustratingly, a band can not have this interference at all, until I find a station, then it appears and swamps it- almost like it's mocking me...
I have unplugged all wall warts from the house and it affects the level of noise a little but the wockwockwock is absolutely unaffected.
Unfortunately I can't test very effectively, I live in a duplex and can't turn off the electrical service.
I have tried a variety of radios, from a Sony ICF-2010 to a Lowe HF-150 to an RSP-1a, with a wellbrook loop (on the outside line- see below), a youloop and a SV2CZF TLA500C indoor loop antenna which has some tunability. that one can null it out out sometimes, but not consistently.
What can I try to reduce noise and increase readability? Other places I've lived the noise was not this bad and could get by just fine with what I've got.
Unfortunately the only line out of the house is to an unused satelite dish. I did disconnect it from the dish and connected the wellbrook, sitting it out in the yard to test. It has the wockawocka the same as listening from inside.
I can of course go out in the field and get away from the noise, but I don't want to do all of my listening out in the field. I would really like to have a space in the house where I can establish a receiving setup semi-permanently. I was able to null out the wockawocka with a portable about 50 ft from the house, by both positioning whip and a youloop away from the house. Antenna amplifiers seem out of the question, they really aggravate the noise. maybe becase they are using the electrical service. I have not tried with batteries.
I have entertained the idea of connecting a longwire or dipole to this satellite line, though I don't have much space outside. Wondering if perhaps loops are not the answer, a long wire away from the house and electrical lines maybe. Is there a system that is particularly good at eliminating local RFI? what if the longwire were buried or on the ground or had a counterpoise? I've never built a long wire antenna but it's someting to try and loops aren't doing it.
Any thoughts? Things to try? suggested setup that works well in bad RFI environments? outboard filters or preamps or tuners? I'll try anything, that can be allowed by the landlord, at this point.
Thank you.
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