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Re: Topband: The Quest to save AM radio

To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: The Quest to save AM radio
From: Herb Schoenbohm <herbs@vitelcom.net>
Reply-to: herbs@vitelcom.net
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 22:49:57 -0400
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
Driving through town and listening to a local 1620 10KW AM station 20 miles away, the hash and birdies from government buildings completely destroy the reception so nothing is heard. The noise from IT sources carries about a block or so. Fortunately I live in the country or any reception on 160 meters would be toast. These high noise locations are increasing with more and more routers and Cat 5 cable running all over the downtown buildings. I doubt if it will get any better. The local power company was going to put in BPL here with Federal funds so they could read meters remotely while also going into the internet business with a 100 million dollar grant from NTIA designed for underserved rural areas. Yet we have 5 active Wi-Max, DSL, and even direct fiber by private companies. Isn't it just wonderful when the mother government trys to compete with private industry?


Herb, KV4FZ




On 9/10/2013 7:40 PM, Tom W8JI wrote:
But we should clear up a potential for misunderstanding here. When we talk about allowing the noise floor noise to rise, this suggests broadband noise
emissions limits would be raised.  Typical sources of this kind of noise
are switching power supplies, digital devices, and UWB communications
devices.  Last time I checked, Ultra-WideBand systems are required to be
bandwidth-limited (using simple filters), and they typically raise the
noise floor in the UHF and higher parts of the spectrum. So power supplies and digital devices (computers, routers, etc.) would be the main culprits,
but I don't understand how you could exempt ham receivers from a rule
concerning them.  Nothing can be exempted from noise that covers up
everything.

The linked article does not make much sense to me in perspective of HF down to the AM band and lower.

The most common sources of noise, by far, are switching power supplies.
A distant second are digital devices connected to long cables or large wiring systems.

Of all the devices that cannot bother 160 or HF, or especially AM BC, smart phones and other digital handheld devices are near the very top. They are so small and have such low power they would not likely be noticed if hanging right on our antennas.

I agree with other comments that the real issue, and it has been an issue since the 1980's, is lack of enforcement. We wanted deregulation and the Government out of our business, and certainly we got what we wanted with the FCC. :-)

73 Tom
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