Interference in lower VHF band.

[Dispatrick]

Anyone else experience significant interference across the lower VHF band? (25-54MHz is where I mostly hear it)

It's so bad some days it can sometimes bleed through the PL on certain frequencies I have programmed. I can't even quick search across the band cause it just stops on nearly every single frequency with terrible noise.

I can't find the source. Has anyone every experienced this in this band area and identified the source(s)?

Thank you!

 

[IC-R20]

Yes we all have experienced. If using scanner off AC power source that can happen if you don't have a well shielded power supply. I've also gotten it off of cheap 12 volt battery chargers and computer power supply. Yeah almost anything with ac power running through it could make noise if close enough to the antenna or receiver.

If you have a decently located outdoor antenna rising noise floor is also a good sign of propagation opening up.

 

[mmckenna]

I can't find the source. Has anyone every experienced this in this band area and identified the source(s)?

Welcome to low band. High noise floor is one of the issues with it.

Having a good antenna can give you a strong enough signal to overcome some of it, but what you are experiencing is common for most scanner listeners.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Anyone else experience significant interference across the lower VHF band? (25-54MHz is where I mostly hear it)

It's so bad some days it can sometimes bleed through the PL on certain frequencies I have programmed. I can't even quick search across the band cause it just stops on nearly every single frequency with terrible noise.

I can't find the source. Has anyone every experienced this in this band area and identified the source(s)?

Thank you!

Do your neighbors have solar panels???? What PL tones are affected???

 

[Ubbe]

You can buy a $20 SDR dongle receiver and look at the spectrum using SDR# or other programs. Then set a portable scanner to the strongest frequency of that interference and listen with squelch set at 0 and FM or perhaps even wide FM depending of what options the scanner has.

Then have your antenna horizontal and slowly turn around and where the antenna points when you see a dip in signal strength are the direction to the source. There will be a bigger dip if you have your scanner against your body and the antenna are pointing at the opposite direction from the source, as your body will also block the signal. Go outside and see if you get a signal that perhaps points at your house, then go inside in different rooms and try and locate it.

If interference are heard on many channels it could a overload problem and the signal that cause the overload should be seen in SDR# if you reduce the dongles gain so that it doesn't overload. The solution to that could be a notch filter or using the attenuator setting for those channels or search range, but your reception will also be greatly reduced.

/Ubbe