Well, 80% of my operating time is spent in what seems like electromagnetic hell. The irony is that I live in a rural area at the end of the earth. I have only 3 neighbours within a 4km radius. One of them has a plasma screen TV. Another has something else, perhaps an arcing thermostat or fluoro light, which adds to the cacophony which dances across the whole of my operating spectrum, from 80 to 10m. The din varies in intensity and duration. Sometimes it's not there and then, for a brief time, I enjoy the silence.
I was about to abandon the hobby, but some reading led me to the "noise cancellers". I had learnt very early on that "noise blankers" and DSP were feeble weapons against the particular noise mix at my QTH. So I first bought the MJF 1026 because I could get it locally and it was inexpensive. I experiemented with many different noise antennas. It was OK, but very inconsistent in its effect. On a good day, it reduced the racket, but the nulls were elusive and the time I spent using it merely amplified my frustrations. I took it apart one day and was shocked. I boxed it up, put it in a cupboard and ordered an ANC-4. My hopes weren't high, but the future of my ham radio career depended on finding a solution. So the ANC-4 arrived from across the Pacific- sturdily designed, heavy, and well crafted inside and out. I pluged it in, attached the noise antenna, turned it on and for the first time, killed the noise. On all bands, quickly and without frustration. S7 din, obliterating everything, consistently and predictably reduced to hush. This one piece of equipment has saved the hobby for me. At my location and with my particular noise blend, it has worked a treat and much, much more effectively than the first noise canceller I tried. Others have reported exactly the converse experience - neither unit having any effect, or the MFJ unit giving superior results. For all the science involved, noise busting with this equipment is inexact and unpredictable. Of course, I'd rather not have to use this black box at all. It reduces received signal strength noticably, but then the alternative is buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz covering everything. And yes, I'm sure it's degrading my IMD and threatening the purity of any number of other parameters of my transmitted signal. But again, the option is nothing at all. This afternoon, I just put the 94th country in my log: all were caught on SSB phone, with 100 Watts and a wire antenna sitting here under my blanket of noise. I enjoy this hobby far too much to let it go. Borrow an ANC-4 and see what it'll do for you. If it doesn't work, then try the MFJ 1026. Just don't give up. 73, John VK7JB -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/Plasma-TV-Noise-any-ideas-on-how-to-filter-it-out-tp5775346p5779093.html Sent from the [HAM] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
