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Old 08-16-2010, 10:57 AM   #1
John - N0EVH
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All,

Well with RV and ham radio combined how could I not join this forum? The xyl and I are retired and part timers. We kept our house and travel here and there when the mood strikes us. Our kids still do not understand how we can leave town without a return date on the calendar! What fun would that be?

RV works for us: 32 foot Rockwood TT pulled with a 3/4 ton Chevy gas engine.

XYL puts up with ham radio and has for the past 48 years. Radios are many with emphasis on portable operations. Have an 857 in the truck and a K3 in the trailer. For hiking I have a few QRP rigs from various makers and decades. Just found a mint HW-8. Very retro.

Our next trip is a fall one from MO up thru NE, SD, WY and down into CO to see the Aspens in their colors.

If you hear me on the bands be sure to mention the open roads forum....looks like I have a lot of people to meet here. On the road I tend to monitor 40 CW or 17 meters phone.

73 John N0EVH
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Old 08-16-2010, 01:11 PM   #2
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Welcome aboard John!

Feel free to join in the ruckus...we actually like having new people on the forum.

I built a HW-8 (or was it the HW-9) 4 bands, CW only. Only made a few contacts on it before I sold it. Mainly cuz I'm lousy at code.

Again, jump right in and have some fun!
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Old 08-16-2010, 03:03 PM   #3
John - N0EVH
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Wade,

Tnx for the welcome. QSL on the hot water rig. I never built one back in the day cause the family was growing and just no time for melting solder.

So, when my friend got ready to unload his HW-8 I grabbed it. I work pretty much all modes: digital, Morse and phone. About the only thing I have not done in ham radio is EME.

There is always something to learn in this hobby. The internet and ease of portability of radios just makes it that much more fun. Can you imagine having an all band radio like the FT-817 except building it with 1960's technology? We are lucky to have so much fun stuff to play with these days.

I am looking forward to meeting hams on the forum ... here and on the air.

73's John N0EVH
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Old 08-16-2010, 05:37 PM   #4
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Welcome aboard John. Glad to have you join the forum. There is a great bunch of guys here on the forum.

I am a fairly new ham and have really enjoyed learning about radio and camping from the guys here.

73's
Galen
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Old 08-16-2010, 08:14 PM   #5
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Default Thanks Galen

Galen,

Yep, so much one can learn about camping and ham radio. I try not to make the expensive mistakes! Helps to ask those that have been there before us for sure.

Hope to chat sometime on the air also.

73 John N0EVH
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Old 08-17-2010, 08:28 AM   #6
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Welcome John, glad you found the forum the forum! Actually, what took you so long?
Hope to meet you on the road one day, or on the air, either one.

JIM
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Old 08-17-2010, 10:49 AM   #7
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Hi John,

Nice to have you and glad you found us. Like others have said, a good group here, scattered coast to coast. Some fulltimers, some of us retired and some poor guys still out there working for a living.

Please log on often. Looking forward to your posts.



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Old 08-17-2010, 03:04 PM   #8
John - N0EVH
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Default Tnx to both Jims

Thanks for the welcome. Fun to see what rigs everyone uses.

I do have an interference problem in my TT that I am wondering if any of you have experienced. It is a broad signal that moves slowly up thru the HF bands, mostly on 40 meters where I listen to phone nets when out camping.

I have not had time to investigate to much, but this is what I know so far. I shut off the breaker to the AC/DC unit and the noise does not go away. So it must be something else in the TT.

Like I said this noise moves up band and then restarts. Never see it at home.

Any suggestions as to what it might be? I have the following in my sights: frig controller, GFI plugs and propane sensor.

Thanks in advance, John N0EVH
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Old 08-18-2010, 12:36 PM   #9
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Hi John! Welcome to the group. I had a similar problem when I had my TT. I was using an FT-857D, LDG Z-100 ATU into a G5RVjr hung in the trees. It turned out to be the converter/battery charger. The RFI would change frequency as I turned the 12v lights on and off even though we were plugged into commercial AC. With the converter off, no AC and operating only off the battery, all was OK. Tried the ferrite beads and brute force filter route and no help. Finally traded up to a park model w/o converter at the seasonal camp site and now all is OK.
Good luck John, hope you find the RFI.
73
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Old 08-18-2010, 09:57 PM   #10
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John, are you boonedocking or rv park camping?

You could try various isolated (pure ) power sources unrelated to the TT, such as a battery or AC extension cord and turn things off in the TT one at a time until the noise goes away if it will.

Don't forget about the cheap AM portable radio tuned to the low end of the commercial band and waved around the RV in search of interference.

Good luck, JIM
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Old 08-19-2010, 05:01 AM   #11
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John,
Try looking at this thread in the Black Box forum:
RFI from power converter

73
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Old 08-19-2010, 07:43 AM   #12
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I like the poster who said "No time for melting solder"

Just remember folks.. Many RVers have a few screws loose.. NO, not Mental screws, METAL screws.. Specifically every screw in the 120 volt breaker box.

And when they work loose you don't melt solder, you melt copper, and insulation and such,

TIGHTEN THOSE SCREWS.

I had to re-do most all the white wires in my breaker box a day or two ago, and I tightened those suckers myself 5 years ago.. Some of the screws then (when the rig was new) took nearly 2 turns (I think more) to tighten.. No wonder the A/C's only woked when they felt like it, the wire was rattling around in the bus bar (And/or on the breaker) like a pea in a referee's whistle.
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Old 08-23-2010, 01:04 PM   #13
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Yep John, I had that problem also in my travel trailer and it turned out to be the converter / charger. Since I got a class-C motor- home, the problem went away. But, I used very heavy gauge wire and ran directly from the house batteries to the radios and made sure of a good ground.

Welcome, and I am sure you can teach us a thing or two.
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