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Re: Topband: Elimination of Treadmill RFI on 160 meters

To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Elimination of Treadmill RFI on 160 meters
From: Jim Brown <jim@audiosystemsgroup.com>
Reply-to: jim@audiosystemsgroup.com
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2015 09:11:41 -0800
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
On Wed,1/28/2015 8:34 AM, Brad Rehm wrote:
I've never looked closely at the problem, but I wonder how the 31-mix cores
behave in the presence of high-current, 20 kHz fundamental frequency pulses
that drive the PWM motor in our treadmill.  That mix would suppress the
higher-frequency harmonics, but would the core eventually change its
properties because of the transients it has to live with.  (The load
current rating of our treadmill was 15 Amps.)  Is it possible the core
could begin to generate more noise at Topband frequencies if it became
easier to saturate?

Several points. First, RF current on the green wire will couple to the other conductors, so ALL conductors should be run through the common mode choke. Second, since all conductors are going through the choke, the baseband magnetic field (that is, 60 Hz and harmonics of 60 Hz) is zero unless the load device is miswired with neutral connected to the green wire and the load device is grounded.

Except for lightning, your concerns with transients changing the core is not at all warranted.

Based on my experience with noisy stuff, I always apply the common mode choke as close as practical to the noise source, and nearly all of my various electronic loads are plugged into multi-boxes into which I have installed a line filter.

We're lucky out here around Silicon Valley in that we still have a big electronics surplus warehouse. One thing they had a lot of several years ago was a selection of AC line filters from Delta, Corcom, and a few smaller vendors. I bought a bunch for a buck or two apiece. http://www.halted.com/

73, Jim K9YC
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