Interesting Pan and Waterfall - Anyone else have this?

K7JV

Mark, I may experiment with a magnetic loop, as well.

Bob Needleman

The first thing I'd do is ditch that switching PS. Get a good linear supply (like an Astron 35A) - one less source of RFI. Check YouTube - I recall seeing a video posted by someone who used a portable SW receiver to 'sniff' out sources of RFI, quite effectively. GL/73 K3AC

Mark_WS7M

I vote the following:

1) Get linear supply.  Astron 35 is what I use.  I do have some singulex supplied that seem ok but the fans are little noisy.

2) Ring cameras.  That is sad.  I have a ring doorbell but for my outside cams I'm using REOLink cams using POE.  Luckily I have not seen noise from them but I honestly have not looked.

One option for you would be to buy a remote power switch and simply disable the ring cameras while operating, turn them back on when you are done.  If you bought an IP switch you could do this from your shack PC.

3) I am hopeful to hear something from you on a less noisy antenna.   For me I generally have a good noise floor.  I am running an 80m loop which is pretty good. But someday the HOA may force me to take it down.  I'll fight them if they do but I could go to verticals mounted around the yard.  If I do that I would love to know how the Mag Loop antennas work.  I think they must be better than a vertical.

Mike Smoot

Jim - if you haven't already, it might be worthwhile to reach out to Ring support for their take on things.  I've worked with them before on an unrelated installation issue, and found them helpful and knowledgable. I believe they are located stateside.

Mike - KB1MH

K7JV

Thank you, Mark.  Actually the switching supply spikes aren't a receive audio problem.  If I didn't have a waterfall and a panadapter, I wouldn't know they were there.  It was just good to identify what the little spikes were "about".  And the RF chokes on the DC out conductors snuffed the majority of it.  I do like that the swtiching power supply runs quite a bit cooler than either of the two, big analog power supplies that I have.

I agree, I could shut down the cameras pretty easily, as we have a pretty extensive Zwave nework running in our home, already and am doing a lot of that sort of thing.  Fortunately, I'm not getting any QRM from the VERA and the Zwave stuff.

As for the antenna, I'm awaiting delivery of a 24' flagpole antenna from Greyline.  I have high hopes.  We are in our second subdivision with strict CC&R's, so I've been using an attic mounted B&W folded dipole for 25 years now.  It's never done well, and the noise has been incessant, at both homes.  I'm really looking forward to the flagpole that I actually got approved by the HOA architectural committee.  Yay!

K7JV

I don't disagree, but the QRM from the switching supply really isn't an issue.  It's more of a visual issue on the panadapter than it is an audio issue on receive.  And the RF chokes did a real nice job of snuffing most of the interference from it.  So I'm good.  I do like that it runs cooler than either the big Yaesu or Kenwood supplies that I have.  FYI, the swithcing supply is what FLEX offers as one of their power supply options.

K7JV

Great idea, Mike, I will do that.  Thank you.  :-)

Patrick

Noise issues are and will always be the most common issue that hams run into.  But here are some additional thoughts. Switching power supplies are not always the principle culprit.  In my own case, I found that, not only was I getting radiated noise, but it was also conducted common mode noise.  Common mode noise is generally noise that travels on a conductor (shield, or wires) from an outside source.  This type of noise is strongest at the lower frequency spectrum.  In the order about 50 kHz and up.  This noise can end up in your receiver by coming in on the power line ground and the line and neutral.  In analog power supply’s the transformer can block it and some can come in on the ground input if filtering is not good. In switching supplies, assuming internal filtering meets part 15 requirements can be the same as an analog PS.  In my case, I found that I had lots of noise from everywhere (even the local AM broadcast stations 6 miles from my house) coming in as common mode noise.  So how does one deal with it?  This noise ranged from below the broadcast frequencies to a little above 20 meters.  At this point I needed to get rid of this noise.  My UPS and DC power supply was not doing it.   So it was time try and build a suitable filter. But how! It came down to choosing the right ferrite materials. I chose #75 and #31 together in series.  The reason for this arrangement was to provide attenuation from below the BC band to at least 14 MHz.  Construction was simple, winding as many turns as possible on each core in series, with the #75 first on the power line side and the #31 on the power supply side.  This worked very well... overall noise dropped 8db for me and reception on the BC band improved with a noise floor moving down to -120 dbm. At the BC band the noise floor was as high as -90 dbm.  Getting control of power line common mode noise made a huge difference up the band, also.  80 meters dropped to -120 dbm,  same for 30 and 40 meters.  20 meters on up improved to -120 dbm to as much as -130 dbm on 10 meters!  When I started 5 years ago with a vertical, I could barely get better then -100 dbm.  Going to all horizontal polarized antennas, placed as high up as possible was biggest improvement.  I know that everyone can’t do this.  But during those high noise times, I used a shielded mag loop for reception on 40 meters to BC band.  The vertical antenna was still best choice for DX at that time.  I am still fighting the noise war as my two remaining noise sources are an LED street lamp and a neighborhood home with some sort of device using switching PS, that I have yet to precisely locate.  That will be another story along with the one for the local power company, and there lack of caring.  

K7JV

You've been down quite the path and it sounds like you've had some very real wins.  You mentioned common mode noise.  I put huge hope in a little common mode filter made by Palomar.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, it appears that what I have is not common mode, or it was beyond the capabilities of their filter.

As for your power company, I hope they will be there for you.  If your electrical service in your area is overhead power lines, there are lots of opportunities for generating QRM.  If it is underground, I would not expect them to be a likely culprit.  If it is their stuff doing it to you, they are bound by the FCC to respond to legitimate complaints.  They may need to be reminded of that, but hopefully not.  In our area, Idaho Power has a group that actually deals with that sort of thing, and they are good at it.

Patrick

One thing is for sure, once you get the local noise under control the rest of the world rears it’s ugly face.....I’m not through with the local electric company.  It is a cooperative so technically I am a part owner. But It does mean that they listen.  I worked for six years of my working life finding and evaluating electrical/RF noise of all types.  So we will see.