Finding the source of your electrical interference
As an amateur operator trying to work the HF bands, electrical interference can be debilitating. Getting the noise to go away is a bit of a process.
Follow the steps below to verify its not coming from inside your home before taking it to the next level. It is very important you do this for every new noise you encounter.
You do not want to waste the time of yourself or others finding what you may not even hear from your station when all the while the primary noise was in your own home.
- Find the highest frequency you are able to detect the noise and put your radio into AM mode, then remove all filters, noise blankers or noise reducers.
- Narrow up your noise by pointing your antenna in its direction (if you have a moveable directional antenna) and next attenuate your signal until the noise is about an S5.
- Make sure your radio station has a full battery and no charger attached. Every good amateur station should be capable of operating on battery.
- Go to your load center (breaker panel) and switch off the main breaker to the house. If you don't have a main, go ahead and switch off every single breaker.
- Check if your noise has disappeared. If your noise has disappeared, go to the next step. if noise is still present, go to
- Switch everything back on and verify noise returns.
- For this step you may need a helper. Brief your helper in what noise looks/sounds like on your radio and have them wait there and either call out to you when it disappears or use portable radios to communicate.
- Switch off breakers one at a time until your helper tells you the noise is clear. Once you have found the breaker, mark it with tape and turn the rest of the breakers on.
- With the offending breaker off and the rest of the panel back to normal, verify your radio is in fact clear of noise and then go looking around the house to see what is off (or verify what that breaker feeds).
- With your offending breaker marked, switch it back on and verify noise on your radio returns. If it does, go and unplug devices one by one that your offending circuit breaker feeds.