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Author Topic: RFI mapping with Q900 while driving  (Read 82 times)

NO9E

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RFI mapping with Q900 while driving
« on: February 21, 2023, 08:05:09 AM »

As many hams have found, perhaps the best way of finding a noisy power pole is with a VHF AM radio. Since poles can create noise as far as 1 mile away, it means lots of walking. Even more if the noise is intermittent.

A Chinese Q900 is a transceiver with a receiver from 1 to 2000 MHz. About $650. It has a compass and GPS built in. So with appropriate software and a wideband antenna on the car, one could drive while recording signal strength and coordinates. Perhaps not only 130 MHz but possibly 300 MHz or more if it gives a better resolution. Then map the results and perhaps average across days. 

Does such software exist or would it be easy to write it?

Ignacy NO9E
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KG4RUL

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Re: RFI mapping with Q900 while driving
« Reply #1 on: February 21, 2023, 10:32:32 AM »

After a quick perusal of the user manual, command reference, there appears to be no way to read the transceiver GPS via software.  So, you would have to provide a GPS on the computer.  If you did that, you could, via software:

  • Set a center frequency
  • Read the Spectrum Display contents
  • Record the the GPS coordinates from the computer's GPS receiver and frequency of any signal that exceeded a preset threshold
  • Set the next higher center frequency
  • Repeat the above

Depending on how long it took to check the whole range of frequencies, you may need to be stationary for a significant period of time.
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WB6TIX

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Re: RFI mapping with Q900 while driving
« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2023, 02:11:37 PM »

I have had my wife drive the car while I "work the radio" to get a general idea as to the power line noise location....with "general idea" being 200-300 meters.  Once at that point, it's "out and walk around" with the radio and a set of binoculars. 

I also look at power lines as I'm wandering about.   I just found another power line problem, but this one was a "visual find" as it was not causing noise....

Eric
WB6TIX
« Last Edit: February 21, 2023, 02:14:23 PM by WB6TIX »
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NO9E

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Re: RFI mapping with Q900 while driving
« Reply #3 on: February 21, 2023, 05:41:55 PM »

Tnx for info. Back to driving with mfj856.
Ignacy NO9E

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