Steve --
Sounds awful. Check out the article in the September 1995 QST, "A Receiving
Antenna that Rejects Local Noise," by K6STI, and the companion, "A K6STI
Low-Noise Receiving Antenna for 80 and 160 Meters," by W6KUT.
I live in a noisy suburban location (but probably not as bad as yours). I
built one of these antennas some years ago when I was a shortwave broadcast
DXer, and I could hear good audio from Indonesian regional stations on 90
meters that were nothing but weak carriers in the noise on other "low-noise"
antennas.
It's important that the antenna be as perfectly horizontal as you can make it.
I used the walls of an old garage on the property, which were nicely level.
Good luck!
--Art Delibert, KB3FJO
> From: steve.root@culligan4water.com
> To: topband@contesting.com
> Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:38:29 +0000
> Subject: Re: Topband: Power Line Noise
>
> So Old blue helped find noise sources that were a mile and a half away? I
> can't begin to tell you all how discouraging that is....
>
> The noise here is incredible. The K3 noise blanker, set to it's most
> aggressive level, has no effect on it. I spent a year experimenting with the
> MFJ-1026 and never was able to achieve any kind of a null, much less one that
> improved S/N ratio. The noise sounds like a waterfall, it has no discernable
> characteristics when seen on a 'scope. It sounds, acts, and looks like a
> solid object. I can only conlcude that I'm surrounded by thousands of
> discrete noise sources. No matter where I look there's noise. It can't be
> nulled because for any one you might "phase out" there are hundreds that are
> at a different phase. Even a receiving four-square is limited in usefullness,
> becasue it's still pointed AT more noise.
>
> I had always thought these sources had to be close to me. Now I realize that
> I could spend the rest of my life running these things down, and I still
> won't be able to hear much. Wow....
>
> 73 Steve K0SR
>
> P.S. Dear Santa, please make all the DX louder this year hi hi.
>
> _______________________________________________
> 160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. - TF4M
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_______________________________________________
160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. - TF4M
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