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Re: Topband: Power Line Noise Direction Finding

To: "Don Kirk" <wd8dsb@gmail.com>, <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Power Line Noise Direction Finding
From: "Tom W8JI" <w8ji@w8ji.com>
Reply-to: Tom W8JI <w8ji@w8ji.com>
Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2013 12:22:12 -0500
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
Good work and thinking, Don. Sometimes noise is tough to locate.

techniques work).  Here is a link to a simple website I created that
contains pictures, oscilloscope screen shots of receiver audio, and links
to video recordings that I made.

http://sites.google.com/site/powerlinenoise/

Listening though narrow filters tends to make all noises look increasingly the same, eventually with enough selectivity they all become sinewaves. This is why waveforms on receiver audio outputs, especially with narrow filters, has limited value. Using your logical deduction, a 120 Hz audio output is typical of a single phase arc.

120Hz audio tone noise can also be a full wave line rectified, poorly filtered switching supply. But in that case the noise is frequency periodic as the dial is turned.


1) I tried using a portable 160 meter AM radio with portable shielded DF
loop, but I was unable to zero in on the suspect pole (with 100 percent
certainty) using this equipment, and it was not until I used the VHF AM
radio with lots of attenuation that I was able to identify the suspect pole.

That is pretty much how it always works. Low frequencies get it to the general line, and increasing frequencies get it narrowed to an area.

I use this unit, although a wide selectivity AM portable all band receiver would do almost as well:

http://www.w8ji.com/power_line_noise.htm


Locating noise is an application where more bandwidth is usually much better.

73 Tom
_______________________________________________
Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge coming on December 29th.

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