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cominatyalive · #51 11-16-2009, 08:07 PM

Hello LC,

Ya know, I think I will leave the Delrin off for now. As you said, it is debatable.
I personally don't think it will matter much in my application. But in the spring time I may try it.

As for the transformer, Sorry, but I forgot to inform everyone that there is no transformer in my back yard. It is just a Cable television service box. Quite large actually as AT&T and Comcast both use it to hook & unhook people to & from their services.

That brings me back to the theory of the neighbor woman having some kind of house security system. In which leads me to finally reveal all my results on my IMAX 2000 for everyone.

Well, I'm sorry to inform everyone that all my hard work has just about amounted to a hill of beans. The RF Choke Balun, from what I can tell has not changed anything. I still get the same level of ground floor noise through a lot of channels. However, there are a few channels in the lower 30's or so that has only .5 db of ground floor noise, as compared to channel 6 which has a total of 2.5 to 3.0 db's of floor noise.

However my friends, I have GAINED TWO FULL WATTS on the TX!

Now my radio is tweaked. So I'm not going to say how many watts I push, but there has been a definite increase of 2 full watts! and in my case, that is a huge improvement. But that was all the improvement I got.

I was able to pull in B.C. Canada today, but the skip was rolling at 2pm or earlier today in spite of the cloudy weather.

Sorry guys, but the home made Balun Choke was a Joke. But hey, it may work for someone else in a different scenario, but for me it was zilch. But I'm leaving it up there anyways for what it's worth.

OK, moving right along, so I'm happy to say here that the bigger LMR-400 coax (in my setup & situation) has actually given me two more full watts of TX power!

I'm a firm believer that the thicker & more braid & insulation, bigger core wire, etc, is always better. And it has given me two more watts on the TX.

Now if I ever get my ham license and a more powerful radio, I may be able to tell you without a doubt if there was any other kind of a difference or not. But right now I cannot except the wattage being greater on the TX

As for the GPK, the so called (Ground Plane Kit), I can tell you right now, it is a piece of cow pie. A total & huge waste of hard earned cash. It don't do a D_mn thing as far as I'm concerned. As I heard another person say on here, & I will agree with him, the bracket is a flimsy piece of crap along with the rest of the kit, radials and all is CRAP! I wished I never bought it.

Funny eh? how I can attest to all the zeroes. I for one was pretty upset knowing that all my efforts did not amount to anything substantial. Has anyone else come up with Zero? Nada? Zilch? but just a few hundred bucks for nothing?

Now I'm not saying everyone has found no results, But I have not seen any kind of improvement except the two watt gain on TX.

After all, my Imax is a cool 60' total height in the air so I probably did not really need much anyways.

As for that Light sabre sound coming through my radio, I still believe it is the old woman next door with some kind of house security system or a car alarm down the block. As I was saying, She is definitely the type of person to have a house alarm as she is very snoopy, and nosy, living on her own, etc...

So, I'm back to where I started. I even have the 60 Hz noise still, but it has diminished some. That is the only positive result I have been given. The only thing I am going to do, is adjust my SWR and try to bring it down from 1.4 to 1.1. That will be a miracle in itself. The big lake is Lake Michigan. Part of the Great Lakes. That picture in my profile is in Zion, IL just 45 miles or so north of Chicago.

I'm in the very north east part of Illinois. My house is about 6 miles from that picture due west in Zion. The building in the background is the old Com Ed Zion Nuclear plant. The spent fuel rods have been cooling down now for about 15 to 20 yrs now. They closed it down due to the foundation getting old. And to prevent a Nuclear fall-out from a possible disaster.

So there you have it, the truth & nothing but the truth and my honest results. Check out my pics on my profile, my antenna, the home brew Balun Choke, the GPK, etc. I have done the best that I can do in workmanship. Perhaps in the spring time I can continue my quest for better results, quieter floor noise, better TX & RX, etc, etc....

Thank you everyone for all your help. And a big TY TO LC for being so patient & dedicated to my problems. Being there for support & being a friend.
And that alone my friends, is what it is all about.

Thank you.

James

loosecannon · #52 11-16-2009, 09:59 PM

james you are very welcome, and im sorry that all your efforts have not proven effective.

sad to say, but this is the case more often than not. so you are definitely not the only one who has spent money, time, and sweat only to see the exact same problems as before.

i will tell you that although you may not notice the benefits in the form of decreasing your interference; they are there.

the theory behind using a groundplane or counterpoise with a .64 wave antenna is sound, and it absolutely is benefiting the take off angle of that antenna.

this may not have stopped the interference, but it does help the antenna do its job better.

as for the bracket and element quality; ive never seen them up close, so ill trust your opinion of them and know that they need upgrading.

dont underestimate the cable box as the source of your noise.
there is a very good chance that some connections in that box may be open, loose, or rectifying some sort of a signal.
might be worth a check.
tell the cable company that you smelled a funny burning smell coming from the box and they will send someone out to look at it. then you can pick his brain about unshielded connections inside the box. (kind of kidding here, but it might work)

every terminal that is supposed to go to a house on the block but doesnt should be terminated. maybe the cable guys were lazy and didnt do that.
what do they care about cb radio. LOL

good luck,
i will continue to look for updates in this thread if you want to post the latest info.
LC

fnkycoldmedina · #53 11-17-2009, 03:20 AM

without going back and reading 6 pages let me ask you this .
have you tried a different radio in the same scenario?

loosecannon · #54 11-17-2009, 08:21 PM

yes, he has tried different radios. i think three of them.

oh, i understand about the 6 pages thing too! LOL

james and i figured everyone else stopped reading a few pages ago LOL.

LC

cominatyalive · #55 11-17-2009, 08:48 PM

lol, yes

I tried everything, different radios, Using only DC power, totally turning off the AC to my house, you name it, I've probably tried it. Sorry for all the pages, but those who are desperate for answers shouldn't mind a bit. That's how we learn. 1 page, to 100 pages, it doesn't matter to me. I am ok with the AC 60 Hz hum, but it's this D_mn star wars, light sabre noise that is the worst. It is not heard every single day though.

But the last 2 days it's been here. I will record it and post a URL when I'm able. It sounds like a ADT house alarm or something, just like a light sabre noise from the movie Star Wars. H_LL, it could be blocks away. Some channels it is very loud, some, I can't hardly hear it. And it is at different times.

Almost like the woman next door decides to arm her house or someone has their car armed. I need a CB walkie so I can go walk around the block & search for it.

So, I am learning to use my squelch a bit more.

Believe me, any positive end-results that I get, I will post them here right away.

This war on interference is very important to me. I never had this kind of trouble back in 1976. I had a Pace 133 mobile 5 watt unit & a original Avanti Astroplane with a 1.1 SWR at all times.

I heard the Astroplanes have better ears, I just may find one or just go and get a 3 element beam next spring.

As for now, my transmit seems super. The receive is noisy, but I use my RF gain pegged at all times as well, maybe that's my problem? I'm very picky for perfection. And why shouldn't I be?

LC, yes, I agree with you. I do believe the results are there, but it's just not noticeable except the transmit. 2 watt gain using the thicker LMR-400. Not bad.

I'll keep ya posted.

Robb · #56 11-17-2009, 09:01 PM

If it isn't the radios, the house wiring/grounding, or some other local interference close to you causing this problem; then it means that you still haven't located the source. Have you tried to drive around the neighborhood with a radio in the car - and see how far the interference goes? I know you used the AM radio maneuver; but did you have the chance to see if the interference was coming from any of your neighbors? Or power poles?

In any event, I wouldn't blame your IMAX. I get 1-3 S-units of noise during the day that goes away at night. I have a friend two miles away with the same antenna you and I both have, sometimes he gets up to 20 S-units of noise during the day. Sometimes it stops; and sometimes it stays for a day or more. We tracked it down to a power pole across the street with a CB/walki-talkie. Now it is in the hands of the power company to fix. But I surely wouldn't blame the antenna you chose. Unless you want to spend more money on something fancier and find the same problem all over again.
Unless you isolate the noise source - nothing will change...

Up to this point - I thought it was your radio that was having the problem...

mark 409 · #57 11-18-2009, 01:32 AM

remember cable sends a signal onthe feed to the main box, cb is 27 mc, tv is 50-52?mc about half of cb so you could be getting harmonics from it.

Cat Driver · #58 11-18-2009, 08:47 AM

The ol' lady might have an electric blanket, they are a source of noise also. We had one an sold it in a garage sale to get rid of the noise on the CB. Just keep the heater up higher in the bedroom now, probably cheaper anyway....

cominatyalive · #59 11-20-2009, 09:45 PM

You guys are great! & thank you for all the possibilities & theories.
Well, speaking of the AM radio trick, Last night I turned off my ANL switch and the 60 Hz hum was ridiculously loud. I had gotten used to using the ANL switch obviously. And The star wars light sabre sound was gone last night. So I thought I'd try the AM radio trick again. I turned off all devices in the house. Noise still there. I went outside and walked around the house, no noise. I walked up to the meter of my mains, and there was the same noise & hum. It's got to be my main power at the meter. No where else do I get that same noise.

The noise is not even that noticeable at my breaker box anymore, but it's still at the meter for my mains. The ANL switch takes most of it away.

Yes Rob, I too get mainly about 1.3 s units of floor noise. I suppose I'm picky that way. Some nights I get less. It's not the floor noise I'm worried about actually.

As far as the light sabre noise, who knows! I am sick of it.
It is here one day or night & then it's gone the next. These Imax's are very good in picking up interference. Especially when you use your RF gain all the way up as I do.

I've yet to call the power company to check my mains & the meter, but I will.

Yes Cat Driver, there's no telling what the neighbor lady is doing. I still suspect a house security system in her home.

Hey Mark, I just had Direct TV satellite installed prior to my base station set-up. Could a dish be interfering? I heard a noise with my AM radio in the basement by the window. I never heard it before. But outside I heard nothing. Could it be the cable wires? they are near where I heard this other noise. Mmmmm

James

LOX · #60 11-20-2009, 10:10 PM

My noise came from a doorbell transformer. Door bells are a royal pain in the rear.

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Crackling 60hz hum three channels in a row, every 4th channel clear as a bell.