Mark, If you noise source is in one main direction which it sounds like then the MFJ 1026 noise canceler works wonders. If it is coming from other directions too then it wouldn't be the ticket. I have used the 1026 to null out the noise from an offending power pole that is about 100 yards from my house. My noise was about s8 to s9plus with spikes. Operating on CW with a narrow filter setting and finding the best NB and NR settings on my K3 gave me reasonable results on reducing the noise enough to copy DX CW. Very weak CW sigs were still impaired however. I had our power company come out two times to remedy the noise situation. When they came out the noise wasn't there (naturally) my noise was intermittent like yours. I purchased the 1026 and successfully used it to combat the noise. In the mean time I decided to do some detective work on my noise situation myself hoping to show the power company the source myself. I have a Kenwood handheld that receives the aircraft AM band and I have a 4 element 2 meter beam unused so I clamped the beam on a one foot long wood round bar and velcroed the handheld to the bar. I was able to zero in quite easily to the offending pole aiming the 2 meter beam and walking back and forth. ( I was a source of entertainment for my neighbors, hihi.) I called the power company and told them I had located the noise source with my specialized RFI equipment ( I had to tell them something to get them out here again. hihi) and would like to show them if they could come out. The power company technician came out and as luck would have it the noise was there when the was there ! He was impressed with the zeroing in with my set up. I had narrowed it down to the offending pole but couldn't zero in any closer. He had a small hand held dish and noise receiver combo with him and was able to pinpoint the source even closer. Some of the old hardware was arcing. He put in a ticket and 2 weeks later the hardware was replaced on this pole. Noise went away ! Now I have another new source of noise coming from our city park in the opposite direction. (it never ends) Not as bad as the previous source but with a little luck I can eliminate it also. Your situation may be different than mine but if the noise is coming from one direction it is a lot easier to deal with. (Using the MFJ 1026 for instance.) What I would do first is to make sure it isn't coming from inside your home. Run your HF rig off a 12 volt battery temporarily and shut off the main breaker to the house. Then if it still is there, take a portable radio that receives AM and start walking around your neighbor hood noting the signal strength of the noise. The power lines act as antennas for radiating the noise so it will be carried for quite a ways down the lines. Hopefully you will find the noisy pole which will be much louder than the rest. If you have a handheld with the Aircraft AM band I would use it even with the rubber duck antenna. The radiated noise doesn't carry as far on VHF so you will be able to narrow it down easier to the offending pole. It could be coming from a neighbors house also, the AM portable radio approach is good in either case to start your sleuthing. Good luck on solving your noise problem. Hope this helps a little.
73, Bob K6UJ On Nov 21, 2011, at 7:57 AM, pastor...@verizon.net wrote: > Hello fellow K3 Owners. I have finally discovered that AC Interference from > the pole across the street is getting into my antenna and then of course I > see it on my S-meter on the K3. On Saturday I had this interference all day > and I finally went out with a portable AM Radio and found out that it was > that particular pole. What's amazing is that at 10:15 PM the noise was gone > and I went out to the pole again with my AM radio and the noise was gone. I > have reported this to Philadelphia Electric Company. But the problem is that > the interference is sporadic in nature and doesn't happen all the time. > > Does anyone know if there is a filter that one can hook up to there antenna > that would eliminate this interference before it gets into my K3? When I > don't have the interference HF is a wonderfull thing, but when I have the > interference I get a lousy S-5 to S-7 reading on my S-Meter. And suggestions > would be much appreciated!! Mark KB3Z > > ------------------------------ > Sent using Verizon.net Mobile > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
