[600MRG] Distance from powerline question - new approaches

[Bill Cromwell]

Hi Pat,

Well I have started working on some of these same issues. The noise 
problems where I live are not as severe as some of the trouble that is 
reported by some of our friends on here. There are infrequent episodes 
of "S-8" to maybe "S9+" noise of various types and various parts of some 
of the bands. I have not had noise wipe out entire bands or worse - all 
of HF! Still it is sometimes a problem for me. I am playing with 
reworking the radios, the antennas, DSP, and even SDR approaches. I'm 
reading between the lines when anybody reports any experimental results 
to see if anything can be adapted for relief for us. I have a Kenwood 
R-599 that is rather easily overloaded and I have made some dramatic 
improvements even with that radio at least sometimes. Part of it is the 
way I operate the radio, part of it is the antenna, and I even use SDR 
software with it - and no it has not not been modified for SDR operation 
(or at all). No single thing I have tried has been the sliver bullet but 
taken together some of those things might give us a chance. I have been 
able to copy DX stations with some of those tools when I couldn't 
otherwise hear Ohio! There seems to be a lot of subtle little things 
instead of one silver bullet (unless dropping out of ham radio counts).

Your idea just got added to my heap. As with all all of the above 
measures there are multiple ways to utilize and recombine the 
'ingredients'. When the regulators relegated us hams to the useless 
spectrum of 200 meters and down we did not roll over and die. We ain't 
going to now, either!

I have not done much 'computer programming' for a long time. I have just 
acquired some inexpensive microcontrollers named Arduino, ATtiny, and 
Raspberry Pi that could be extremely helpful implementing solutions - 
including your remote receiver idea. They have renamed and relocated 
everything about programming so I have to learn new uses for some of the 
same old words. The dumb asses. We already had words for all of those 
things. Forget about Pac Man and "office suites". Some of these 
'computers' can do some of that stuff but these are more about 
nitty-gritty, under the hood work in *other*, non computer systems. All 
of these things cost under $100 and some are under $10! As for quick 
relief from me - well I'm only just statrting. I have noticed the light 
at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming freight train and I don't know 
how much time I have left. I learned to stop looking at that light <evil 
grin>.

I already know there are people who detest anything with SDR or DSP in 
the name. There are more ways than one or two to take advantage of those 
and they really help. So get over it!

I have looked at some of the contests and other on-air events. Many of 
them allow a remote receiver if it's the only one used for the entire 
event AND most often within the same region - a few miles from home. 
Your idea has a lot of merit and there are multiple ways to implement 
it. Anybody else?

73,

Bill  KU8H


On 12/08/2014 11:38 PM, Pat Hamel wrote:
> Has anyone considered the approach of a receiver in a quiet place securely
> accessible from the internet? (Banyan-style access list + password required)
> It might make QSOs easier for high-noise environments.
>
> It would take someone younger than me to insure that the internet-connected
> computer would not be "hackable" for someone to use as a relay to rob banks.
> (A MicroVAX or other non-PC boat-anchor computer would stop the
> script-kiddies).
>
> Probably more than one receiver would be necessary, but there are ham
> "remote stations" on the ham bands and we are not looking for DXCC
> (yet).....
> Just an idea,
> Pat /6
>