HF noise level past 2 days

[KU4GU]

Everyone,
  A couple of days ago I finally set my HF station back up and on both nights that I have tried to operate the noise level on 15meters through 160 has been anywhere from s7 to s9+.  It isn't just the ham bands, but everywhere from 1Mhz to around 22 Mhz.  It begins to drop off at 24Mhz or so.  I have never operated HF from this qth and am worried that my new home is in the middle of some RFI nightmare.  Have the bands been particular bad the last couple of days, or do I need to start looking for a source?

73,
Mike

[K0BG]

In a word, no. Atmospheric noise varies from day to day and sometimes just after a solar flare it can be quite high, but not continuously. I suspect you have a leaking power line near your QTH.

Get yourself a battery powered AM radio and go looking for the loudest signal, and then call the power company.

Alan, KØBG

[KU4GU]

Thanks for the reply.  I too am coming to the conclusion that the noise is man-made.  Especially since I had the same problem last night which makes 3 nights in a row.

73,
Mike

[KA5S]

Regarding the RFI nightmare scenario, information on the ARRL Website indicates that the FCC has granted an experimental BPL license to a provider who may be operating in your area:
Southern Telecom, WC2XZG, AL, FL, GA, MS, unspecified locations
See http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/




Cortland

[W6OPO]

Another possible source is one or more electronic ballast running 400 watt HID lamps in a neighbor's aquarium.  Electronic ballast for these HIDs used in the hobby are being imported by TBI and sold by Champion Lighting in PA - exclusively.  They have no FCC approval.

The noise was in the same part of the spectrum you mentioned.  And the noise was about the same strength but did not change unless the ballasts were turned off.

He went to e-ballast due to lower heat output, more efficient but it destorys the spectrum.  It shut down all his X-10 modules.  These things are on for 8-10 hours a day.  He and I did everything we could to reduce the noise.  Ultimately after more than a year he went back to coil & core ballast.  Silence on the spectrum.

I found him using my Sony ICF-2010 battery operated SW receiver and walking around the neighborhood.

Bob