RF Noise from Converter

[N4MU Papi]

OK...I'm a ham radio geek (but you already knew that) and just put a station in my Cedar Creek 36CKTS. All is great but the converter is raising **** with some frequencies...there's a big surprise right? Anyway, what have any of you folks done if you had similar situations. Going to do the ferrite cores on the AC line to the converter at the fuse panel thing but...Any other suggestions? Thanks!

[NN5I]

I'd suggest ferrites on the dc lines going out, too. You can run several lines through a single ferrite -- don't need an individual ferrite on each wire.

There was a thread on this subject (converter noise) a couple years ago.

[N3LYT]

Yeah mine is bad on 10 meters I really am not on 10 much but my answer is to turn the converter off! I did some rewiring and put it on it's own breaker. I have some switch mode LED's that put the converter to shame totally wipes out my FM radio I have put in extra caps tried toroid’s wrapped the switcher in tin foil nothing works. I have even had them on the scope nice saw wave at 460 KC.

[N4MU Papi]

Thanks for suggestions folks. Have not done any ferrite work yet but grounding did make a noticeable improvement (when original post was made I had NO ground per se). I'm just hanging on until first quarter of next year when we will be relocating the 40 foot beast to Dade City, FL...permanently, so I'm not too concerned right now here in SC. Noise is not nearly as bad as I was suspecting and can communicate 99% of the time...now if I could figure out a way to make the bedroom A/C unit quieter...LOL

[NN5I]

Originally Posted by N4MU Papi

...now if I could figure out a way to make the bedroom A/C unit quieter...LOL

Just sit and wait. If you're like me, everything gets quieter year by year. It may not be long before everything is totally silent.

[Radio]

Originally Posted by N4MU Papi

Thanks for suggestions folks. Have not done any ferrite work yet but grounding did make a noticeable improvement ...

Years ago I built a new radio table for the ham shack, as the weight of the equipment was collapsing the old table.

While I had everything apart I installed a single point of reference ground system per the ARRL Radio Amateur Handbook. Noise I had assumed was inherent to radio operations was gone. Really, really quiet.

And then I put up the quad and things got even quieter.

[N4MU Papi]

Originally Posted by NN5I

Just sit and wait. If you're like me, everything gets quieter year by year. It may not be long before everything is totally silent.

Oh, I already have more "money" stuck in my ears than is in the ham shack! Aren't headsets great? LOL

[Jackmaster]

I have the same problem in my TT. I solved the problem by using a second power cable from the campgrounds electrical pedestal to the radio's power supply. No noise and I can still run the AC, etc. I cut a hole in the back wall of the TT and covered it with a outdoor duplex receptacle cover. The 2nd power cable, antenna coax, etc. are easily pushed through for use and pulled back out when not needed. The cover (gray) doesn't destract from the TT's looks and it is waterproof if you keep the gasket in place.

[wa8yxm]

Whenever someone says "The Converter" in any context. My first question is "Make and Model of Converter please.

Now to answer your questions.. I'd put it in a Faraday cage of course.

[NN5I]

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

Whenever someone says "The Converter" in any context. My first question is "Make and Model of Converter please.

Yeah, who knows, he might be talking about Billy Graham.

[wa8yxm]

I would still put the converter in a proper Farady cage. A copper screen, (like a window screen but frankly for all but UHF you can have fairly large holes) all six sides, with condenser/capacitors on all wires going in and out, Ground the cage to the same ground as your radio.. ARRL showed a cheap TV suffering from TVI from their multi-kilowatts.. And what happened when they caged it.

[NN5I]

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

I would still put the converter in a proper Farady cage.

Either that, or a Faraday cage.

Actually that's an excellent idea, but not always very easy to do. In my motor home, flor example, I would estimate that it would be a two- to three-day project, during which there'd be no lights in the interior -- excepting only a single fluorescent fixture over the galley sink; maybe not even that, since I'd have to kill the 12ovac to the converter.

The converter is at floor level under a closet, inconvenient to work on. When I replaced the converter a year or two ago, it was a significant job and took a whole day, even without the huge additional work of disconnecting, bypassing, and reconnecting all of the many wires.

Whew! I'd rather do without ham radio, unless I had somewhere else to live for a week or so while I cage the converter.

[JNeeleyW6ZKH]

I finally just ended up flipping the breaker at the power panel to OFF and that was the only way I could get rid of the hash, which was about 20 over S9.

[N3LYT]

I had a battery maintainer that was a really good QRP transmitter on 10 meters it could do 900' with no antenna I think with a key and an antenna I could work the world with it!

[wa8yxm]

There are several solutions up to and including a different converter. Some are worse than others.

Ferrites, Caps, And a Farady Cage are the top cures, that last one is kind of drastic, but very very effective.

[Wa2yly]

My converter and battery charger were on the same 110v breaker.I separated them and installed another 110v breaker.when im on the radio i shutoff breaker for battery charger.this helps a lot.I know this is not a solution,but a work around.
73 bob wa2yly