Yeah, I know, Steve. ... Sorry about the bad math earlier. ... Do we
call those things brain farts?
How's that for a social scientific term coming from a professional
Sociologist who teaches courses on the Sociology of the Elderly?
Hope I didn't offend anyone here; just trying to provide some bad humor on
a Friday evening after a long week.
73 from tom Behler: KB8TYJ
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ham Steve" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 3:57 PM
Subject: Re: continuing RFI problems in travel trailer
> Tom,
>
> A quarte4r wave for twenty meters is about 16.5 feet, using 14.1MHz.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "T Behler" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 3:08 PM
> Subject: Re: continuing RFI problems in travel trailer
>
>
> > Steve:
> >
> > I've contacted the maker of the antenna, and he has no other suggestions
> > aside from being extremely sure that I have a good grounding system,
which
> > I
> > think I do.
> >
> > I don't really have a convenient way to try the rig on a 12-volt battery
> > right now, but I may be able to work out something.
> >
> > The quarter wave length of insulated wire attached to the ground lug of
> > the
> > rig sounds intriguing. I assume that a quarter wave for 20 meters would
> > be
> > about 8 feet? What gauge of wire should I consider, and where to I
attach
> > the other end?
> >
> > Thanks, and 73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Steve Forst" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 3:01 PM
> > Subject: Re: continuing RFI problems in travel trailer
> >
> >
> >> Tom,
> >> A lot of good advice thus far. Can you take the rig off the a.c.
> >> completely, by trying it on a 12 volt battery and see what happens?
> >>
> >> What about a quarter wave of insulated wire for 20 meters attached to
the
> >> ground lug of the rig? Some people have success with this in a home
> >> station where there is rfi on a particular band, but don't know how
it
> >> would play in a trailer situation.
> >>
> >> Have you contacted the mfg of the antenna? He may have heard of
> > something
> >> similar from other customers and perhaps has an answer.
> >>
> >>
> >> Good luck, Steve KW3A
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "T Behler" <[log in to unmask]>
> >> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >> Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 1:19 PM
> >> Subject: continuing RFI problems in travel trailer
> >>
> >>
> >> > Hi, all.
> >> >
> >> > I hate to bug everyone again about this, but I continue to have a
> > nagging
> >> > RFI problem in the 18-foot Fleetwood Pioneer travel trailer that my
XYL
> >> > and
> >> > I recently purchased.
> >> >
> >> > To review, when operating HF, I tend to cut off the air conditioner
> >> > whenever
> >> > keying up on CW. I don't trip the GFI circuit breaker--I just cut
the
> >> > unit
> >> > off, and it eventually re-sets itself and resumes normal operation
> > within
> >> > a
> >> > few minutes. The problem occurs mainly on 20 meters, although it
does
> >> > occur
> >> > on certain frequencies in other bands as well. I have found the
> >> > problem
> >> > to
> >> > occur even when reducing my power from 100 watts, say to 50 watts.
> >> >
> >> > My HF rig is an Icom 718, and my antenna is a Predator
> >> > screw-driver-type
> >> > antenna mounted on the back of the trailer. I use a device called
the
> >> > Turbo-tuner, to be sure that the antenna is indeed resonant on my
> >> > operating
> >> > frequency.
> >> >
> >> > The antenna itself is grounded to the bumper of the trailer, and I
have
> >> > installed two other grounds. One is a ground from the 718 to the
frame
> > of
> >> > the trailer, and the other ground is an earth ground that runs from
the
> >> > rig
> >> > to a grounding stake outside of the trailer.
> >> >
> >> > I am getting more and more stumped with this problem, although I have
> > two
> >> > additional thoughts. Let me run them by you here; I just don't want
> >> > to
> >> > spend more money unnecessarily on this problem:
> >> >
> >> > 1. I run the 718 with an MFJ Mighty Lite switching power supply. I
> > think
> >> > it's the 4125--it has 25 amps surge, and 22 amps continuous. Could
> >> > this
> >> > type of supply be causing the problem via some sort of stray current
> > flow?
> >> > Should I try an old transformer-type supply, such as an Astron RS20,
to
> >> > see
> >> > if the problem disappears?
> >> >
> >> > 2. I have the rig's power supply plugged into a relatively
inexpensive
> >> > power strip, since I sometimes plug my laptop into it as well. Is
> >> > there
> > a
> >> > higher-quality power strip that I might want to look at? Some have
> >> > suggested a power strip with something called a power isolator in it,
> > but
> >> > I'm not quite sure what it is.
> >> >
> >> > Please give me your feedback on both of these possible suggested
> >> > solutions.
> >> > Or, if you have any other suggestions, please send them to me.
> >> >
> >> > Some have suggested trying to put a capacitor across the leads of the
> >> > trailer's thermostat unit, but I really am hesitant to do that, at
the
> >> > risk
> >> > of somehow voiding the warranty on the temperature control system.
> >> >
> >> > Thanks for anything you can suggest.
> >> >
> >> > 73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ, Big Rapids, MI
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >
>
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