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RFI 2 element Handheld portable Yagi plans needed

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Retroradio

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A buddy has intermittent huge bouts of noise in his area. A small directional antenna hooked to a walkie talkie is the plan. Already used the unit in the hoeizontal position but as its now working as a dipole its bi-directions;,. Need plans for a quick Yagi style to give better directionality.
 

KB4MSZ

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At what frequency is the noise? For a Yagi to work it has to be very specific in frequency for it's tuned element lengths. I hope your noise isn't on 11 meters.
 

Retroradio

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At what frequency is the noise? For a Yagi to work it has to be very specific in frequency for it's tuned element lengths. I hope your noise isn't on 11 meters.
Thanks for the reply!
Its a local CBer’s issue. I have noise myself on 80m but that was easy to identify as its the power lines that run across my backyard...hi hi.

Ive built lots of antennas but to make a RFI one thats portable has not turned up anything on the net. Loops yes but bidirectional hence a 2 element Yagi Seems logical. Coils To reduce size, etc... Gotta be a plan out there somewhere....lol
My 2m Yagi was breeze to build.
 
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Retroradio

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Size matters full wave cb is over 36 feet tall.
Fully understand as Ive bult mutiple aerials and several CB ones as well over the years but never a FOX Hunting style antenna Being utilized for RFI noise with directivity. Being a FOX hunting antenna portability is the key.
 

Retroradio

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Thanks for the replies so far.
Ive seen posts of people talking about this sort of thing.
I imagine 2 firestick type whips set up as a dipole on the horizontal with a reflector behind them would work but am looking to build from scratch.
 

JayMojave

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Hello Retoradio: The power line noise is most commonly heard on the HF band 3 to 30 MHz, but I have seen small VHF 2 meter yagi beams work. The key here is to make sure the noise can be heard on the VHF 2 meter band, so that the yage can be used. Some power line noise does not radiate the noise on the VHF bands. But some noises do, its the way the power lines are arcing I believe. Maybe walking around with a 2 meter HT will indicate if its detectable.

Looking at the power line noise on a spectrum analyzer you can see the power line noise drop off in amplitude as the frequency increases. How ever that maybe a good thing allowing the noise to only be detected at short ranges, indicating the noise source. It seems every noise Radio Interference (RFI) is some how different.

The local power company here just drives around while listening to his AM radio in his truck on a clear frequency with no stations being heard to start the isolation process. Then they use a small dish with a audio amplifier to actually hear a arcing noise to isolate the noise.

The ARRL has books on RFI and such. Good luck. Please let us know what the fix is.

Jay in the Great Mojave Desert.... "Next Gas 150 Miles"
 

Retroradio

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JayMojave, great info!. I have given him an old AM CB walk-in talkie and he has walked around with it. Using it Horozontalilly he has determined by sound direction very roughly its direction, bi-directionally. I had suggested an old am radio as well...lol Like Many these days He doesnt own one.
Other operators have driven through his neighborhood and noted the noise is strong. If I have .5 S unitS of noise he is dealing with 9-15 S units.... It is so overwhelming that a directional antenna would help but alas there’s a couple of us trying to help him out.
Oddly enough its not consistent and I would imagine if it was power lines etc... it would be. This comes and goes sometimes for days... There is a power substation in his area that he’s going to check out.

I had thought of and tried my 2m Yagi (satellite antenna) at home as a probable with no luck so eliminated it. Ill try it at his place and see.

Will keep advised as this mystery unfurls.
 

GrayJeep

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Powerline noise can come and go with humidity. Contamination on an insulator can leak energy when damp but not when dry. Just one of the many confounding factors in chasing RFI.
 
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