I sincerely appreciate all responses.  All have been helpful.  Ferrite cores don't do the trick, so I'm not using the radio while the stove is on.  Looks like I'll be repositioning the antenna this Spring!

73,

Emmett
K2ADK

Hoo boy, is this site ever worth the price of a subscription!  Thanks for the help.  I've had my license for just over a year, and have spent most of my time trying to get my CW past 18 wpm rather than understanding the stuff I'm working with.  

How many ferrite cores should I use?    Sorry about the questions, but after all, I teach SECOND grade, not THIRD.  

Thanks for your reply.  Yes indeed, my antenna in use is an off-center 40m - 6m dipole, up about 18 feet, with the coax feed coming to within 8 feet of the stove.  I've tried reducing power, and there is indeed an attenuation of RFI with 25 watts, even more with 5. 

We have a small house, so I share my shack, of necessity, with the pellet stove that heats this place.  However, on certain frequencies (harmonics of 7) the RFI causes the fan to pulse and the machine to eventually shut down.  Not good on a day like today, when the temperature here in northern New York is not expected to top zero.  What can I do to eliminate this problem?  Would laying in a new circuit dedicated to the radio work, or is RFI entirely independent of that? 

I appreciate your time and consideration.

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions.  Since the S9+ noise level came and went on that day, the 22nd, I can't put the suggestions to use right now -- noise levels are back to normal, and except for the incoming CME yesterday, all is well.  However, next time I do hear this anomaly, I will get out the battery and the generator, and run a few tests without household power, and will post my report here.

Thanks again.

Emmett
K2ADK

Radio Shack is another victim of Verizon's selfishness and of its own managerial lack of direction.  I'm very concerned about this trend, because I rely on RS for cables, connectors, batteries, and such.

If anyone who works for Radio Shack is reading, here are some suggestions.

Start selling radios again.  Car radios.  Satellite radios; internet radios; HD FM / AM radios.
Get out of the cell phone business.  Best Buy has shown that it leads nowhere.
Get into sound design.  Do consulting in homes for people who want the best sound systems available, and install them.

That's a start.

Emmett
K2ADK

I'm no expert at propagation, but when I look at QRZ and SolarHam and see that the bands are open and registering a noise level of S0 to S1 -- only to turn my rig on and hear nothing but extreme QRN on all HF bands.  The only band that had any ops was 40 meters, and even those were few and far between; the noise on that band was slightly below S9 but still far out of the ordinary.

My rig has its own circuit, so there was no electrical interference from the house.  Could there really be such a tremendous difference between what I hear here and what is reported in other North American areas such as those where QRZ and SolarHam are located?  If so, why is this? 

(You see, my aim is to become much more proficient in this interesting area of radio!)

Emmett
K2ADK

If someone sent me an out of date IRC, I'd probably not reply.  Some stations in sought-after countries would go broke after two days making up the difference.  But as far as IRCs go, and some post offices exchanging them for less if in the same continent -- this is absolutely, positively, and as I've found out conclusively, not true.  After having heard from several foreign post offices, the United Nations, and the Universal Postal Union, an IRC is universally accepted for letters of 50g or less.  In fact, the UPU has no record of complaint by any postal patron who has not been able to use a legitimate, up to date International Reply Coupon. 

So, full postage is covered by one IRC no matter where you send your QSL.  But given the extra effort and burden of sending out even fully pre-paid and self-addressed envelopes, it would be reasonable to send a buck or so if you feel that ham deserves it.  I would do this in a place like Moldova, Mongolia, or Phillippines, but likely not in some countries not likely to receive so many requests every time they're on the air.

I don't like to suggest that hams are profiteering off QSOs but perhaps the recent change in value (where they needed an extra stamp) left some lasting confusion.  It would be a good public service if ARRL could do somthing on this subject.  IRCs are a wonderful invention designed to simplify life for international correspondents, and that is exactly what it does.  Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Case closed.

Emmett
KD2AIP

An update.  I wrote to the Danish Post Office and the Paraguayan Post Office.  Both said that they sell and accept IRCs with no additional expense if the item is under 50g. 

As I thought.  And I still haven't heard from anyone to whom I've sent more than 1 IRC (that is, 3 DX stations.)

KD2AIP

You might want to check your math.  5 DKK X 2.60 = 13DKK.  $2.60.  And it is of no matter that the currency fluctuates; that is why there is such a thing as an International Reply Coupon.  If the exchange is at a discount, I certainly would not ask for a rebate. 

Quite right; my mistake.  "I need 3" is what misled me.  But I've sent QSLs to Denmark before, and I never had any problem with 1 IRC.  Furthermore, if you go to http://www.upu.int/en/activities/international-reply-coupons/about-irc.html you'll see the following:

Mandatory to exchange

The UPU's International Bureau processes several million coupons each year and deals with of all accounting aspects. The International Bureau does not sell IRCs directly to customers; they must buy them from their local post office. Although Posts are not obliged to sell IRCs, it is mandatory for Posts to exchange the coupons. If a Post does not sell IRCs, it is possible to purchase them in a post office located in a neighbouring country.

Not only that, but Denmark entered the UPU in 1875.  And a 50g letter to the USA is DKK13, which turns out to be $2.16.   There is no question but that something is amiss here.

My understanding is that an IRC, as per International Postal Union rules, is good for letter postage in any signatory country.  Yet I see some DX stations asking for 3 (such as OV1CDX) or more.  The only time I ever did send more than one, which was to Paraguay, I never got a QSL back. 

I think this is a scam.  One IRC should be enough.

Think of 14.313 MHz as the perfect example of what not to do in radio.  Then you can turn to 30 meters and see what radio is supposed to sound like! 

Great, thanks!  I see from FB that SolarHam now has a dedicated server, to which I say, "Okay, I'll help pay for that!"

I've not been able to log on to solarham.com all day -- get a message that the account has been suspended.  As a person who's responsible for maintaining a school web site, I know what that means...and that sometimes it also means that data has been blown away.  Does anyone have any details on this?  I love solarham!