Apartment living blues (top floor noise!)

[TheRATT]

Ok,

So the vast majority of my radio life I've always just ran mobiles and got really good at noise suppression and setting them up.. but this base station thing is all new to me. And a PITA!

Granted, I do not have a prime location (other than a nice deck on the 3rd floor). My noise level on my radios (shortwave, 11m, whatever) is always at S6 or S7. I'm tired of it!

I've tried ferrite beads, wrapping around ferrite cores and I even bought a nice DSP speaker that still has a tough time cutting through it.

My "low noise" Wellbrook loop has the same noise level.

So, with all my power wires looking like the picture here, what would you do next? Throw it all off the deck and give up?

I'm open to all suggestions!

 

[Redbeard U812]

What are you running for power? I have one power supply that just makes awl hell of a racket. Dirty power. The converter may be a source.

 

[TheRATT]

I have two power supplied, one 50A (TekPower) and one 75A (MFJ), both switching.

Anything is suspect. I have yet to put a choke on my antenna coming in - that is my next stop barring any other ideas!

 

[AudioShockwav]

If the noise is comming down the coax and not the power supply it can be tough.
The picture looks like a mobile radio and redbeard is correct. Some switching power supply are noise prone.
Tell us more about your set up.
What do you have the most noise on?
CB?
Shortwave? Everything?
What kind if Radio?Were is the antenna located?
The Wellbrook loop antennas are nice RX antennas. By rotating the antenna can you null out any noise at all or does it remain consent?
What are you using for a transmit antenna?
Anything else in line?
Vertical antennas pick up more man made noise than horizontal antennas do.
Tried relocating antenna?
Are you using good coax?
Is there other electronics in your apartment that might be radiating noise?
Tryed unplugging things one at a time and see if the noise level drops ?
I have operated in a apartment environment before and it can be challenging.
Grounding can also present challenges in multi story buildings.

73
Jeff

 

[Redbeard U812]

I added lines to my 50 amp RV converter for some power after fighting converters. It's 555 30/ 50 amp supply. Those Mega Watts can run a camper, they can be paired. That's my next power supply. They say the fan in the 50 amp is loud, wouldn't bother me, I'm about deaf anyway.

 

[AudioShockwav]

I doubt winding a choke in your coax is going to help noise in you RX.
Sounds like you are running a good power supply.
There is a review here on the forum that Moleuclo did on the MFJ 1026 noise reducer and signal enhancer.

https://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/mfj-1026-noise-canceling-signal-enhancer-review.110176/
Give that a read.
73
Jeff

 

[Redbeard U812]

Is there other electronics in your apartment that might be radiating noise?
Tryed unplugging things one at a time and see if the noise level drops ?
I have operated in a apartment environment before and it can be challenging.
Grounding can also present challenges in multi story buildings.

Oh, yes grounding.....was an issue with my set up. Not one of the big boys, like some of these guys, but until I got multiple ground locations and equipment grounded did I find my dirty power supply was adding to it. There are some high tension lines parallel on both sides of me, which at first where my concern, now only when humidity is high am I getting what I think is a bad transformer somewhere close to me. Pile driver effect. Only with the humidity.

 

[TheRealPorkchop]

It’s probably not the power supplies, probably the complex. I’d burn down the building and make them build a new one. Just kiddin’. Unless you like fire, then I’d burn it down.

Probably noise generated from power lines, I have that problem here too. Maybe I should burn down the power poles...

Additional grounding helped a little but didn’t cut it out completely. You could try that if they’ll let you.

 

[Redbeard U812]

Wish I had one of those old transistor radios, you remember the ones we used to shoot each other with? You can use those to hunt RF leaks around the neighborhood. Either that go bang on power poles with a sledge hammer to see if noise changes.

 

[OldTech03]

Since the noise is you are trying to deal with is on the 11 meter band of HF band a small walkie talkie would help locate noise the trick is to have one with an extendable antenna so you can reduce the length while you walking around and also a walkie talkie with a headphone jack is great as this to will help.

I have a walkie talkie I have used for some time that I modified with an s-meter and rf gain because I found that as I got close to what I thought could be causing the noise it was helpful to be able to have some control over the walkie talkies sensitivity.

Even if you can't do these things to the talkie being able to adjust the antenna down and using earphones will work to get close to the problem. And it is very important to know what is causing the problem.
Now, most neighbors won't have much sympathy for your noise issue in your CB. unless you tell them you are trying to track down the noise that is interfering with something they are familiar with like a cell phone, TV or stereo. Also, explain to them that if something in their apartment happens to be the culprit you would pay to have it fixed.
But first, pick up a cheap used walkie talkie it can reveal much about where the noise is coming from.
Of course, knowing what is causing the noise is good but controlling that is a whole other problem but at least you need to know what is the source.

The reason I brought up the neighbor thing is because their thousands of cheap switch mode supplies now being used to power all kinds of devices that people buy a Walmarts and online and the FCC rules on much of this is very limited these devices can generate noise 100 ft away and most apartments have not much more than a 6 inch wall between them.

In case you wondering why I would be answering this at 5 in the morning it's because of some unknown NOISE! awakened me. True..

OldTech03

 

[357magnum]

I have lights over my counter , when my wife turns them on I get 8 s units of noise . In a complex I'm sure someone has those stupid little lights . Thankfully she doesn't use them much .

 

[sp5it]

First pull down all circuit breakers in your apartment and run radio from battery.
Than neighbours one by one to find the source of interference.
Mike

 

[AudioShockwav]

In large multi unit apartment complexes there can be many sources of noise.
And most people don't understand your concerns about interference at all.
If you can locate the worst offender in your electronics and resolve it you are lucky.
The couple next door with the plasma tv is another story.
73
Jeff

 

[Redbeard U812]

Took an old plasma TV apart for extra parts and found an assload of RF Ferrite Beads. My power bill drastically dropped when that TV died.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Living in an urban area in an apartment complex is bound to be fraught with noise. That noise will be picked up along with any desired signals. Chokes on coax leads will not help that. In fact no filter will. A good DSP, particularly one that works at the IF level not the audio level is what is needed short of locating and eliminating the sources or most likely sources.