This is more of an account than a question but here goes. I have a
second
qth in the Sierra at about 4000 feet. The soil is rocky and dry,
especially this time of year. Using a G5RV at about 40 feet in a tree
I was plagued by a surprisingly high noise levelon 80/40 meters. It
sounded like power line noise but I can't say for sure. Playing with
various grounding schemes seemed to help somewhat but never really got
rid of the noise. One scheme seemed to work for awhile and the next
week it didn't.

The solution was to close in the bottom of the G5RV forming a full
wave loop.
The noise is no longer discernible. It went from approximately an s-6
to zero!

My question is: What can I conclude from this? Either concerning the
nature of the noise or the efficacy ofthe solution. Loops is gud?

Aside, the loop seems to be good close in as it is fed from the top
(Like a G5RV) but I am considering a corner feed to improve low angle.

Tony WA6LZH

On 23 Aug 2004 10:01:35 -0700, (Tony Angerame)
wrote:

The solution was to close in the bottom of the G5RV forming a full
wave loop.
The noise is no longer discernible. It went from approximately an s-6
to zero!

Hi Tony,

If it is a crackling noise, it is most likely static. Are you using a
BalUn with 0 Ohms continuity across the feedpoint? If not, add one,
or add a small resistor (10KOhm) across the feedpoint to drain the
charge and make sure your set is grounded (to as good a ground as you
used as a remedy before).

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

Tony Angerame wrote:
My question is: What can I conclude from this?

A 4:1 voltage balun will also solve the problem or
simply an RF choke across the dipole feedpoint. The
problem is static electricity common in dry climates,
building up between the two antenna conductors, and
can be caused by wind or snow. It is enough voltage
to cause arcing across the coax connector. (Hint: The
quad was invented to solve a Yagi melting problem.)
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp



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Thanks to all who replied. The static roblem is one I hadn't thought
of.It is indeed a "Crackling" but is also very constant, unlike an arc
followed by some quiet. For what it's worth I had the powerline
company check and they said it was "Clear for miles". Oh well. The
balun/choke/resistor is easy enough to try.I'll report back on what I
find. Thanks!

Tony WA6LZH



(Tony Angerame) wrote in message . com...
This is more of an account than a question but here goes. I have a
second
qth in the Sierra at about 4000 feet. The soil is rocky and dry,
especially this time of year. Using a G5RV at about 40 feet in a tree
I was plagued by a surprisingly high noise levelon 80/40 meters. It
sounded like power line noise but I can't say for sure. Playing with
various grounding schemes seemed to help somewhat but never really got
rid of the noise. One scheme seemed to work for awhile and the next
week it didn't.

The solution was to close in the bottom of the G5RV forming a full
wave loop.
The noise is no longer discernible. It went from approximately an s-6
to zero!

My question is: What can I conclude from this? Either concerning the
nature of the noise or the efficacy ofthe solution. Loops is gud?

Aside, the loop seems to be good close in as it is fed from the top
(Like a G5RV) but I am considering a corner feed to improve low angle.

Tony WA6LZH

(Tony Angerame) wrote:
For what it's worth I had the powerline
company check and they said it was "Clear for miles".

I'm not sure I'd trust my power company to say that they're ok. If you don't
have a small battery operated SW receiver, get one. I have an old Sony model
that turned out to be a needed piece of test equipment. I've used it several
times over the years to localize QRN from the power lines, often right to the
pole. When I could be specific about where and/or what the failure might be
(leaking insulator, cap, transformer, ground/guy wire ect) , I usually got a
quick response as this could be an indication of a more serious power line
failure than just a complaining ham...