Am I a good candidate?

[jchonig]

I received my invitation for a System Blue and am doing my homework.  I live in the Finger Lakes region of New York State.

I am 3km from antenna towers broadcasting on 1160kHz at 5000W, is that an issue?

My house and pasture is surrounded by electric fence for sheep and dogs, closest it comes to the house is about 15-20m.  I get arching when wires touch and when vegatation grows onto the fence.  Will I be able to compensate for interference this close and still be a useful contributor?

Thanks.

Jeff

[cutty]

I received my invitation for a System Blue and am doing my homework.  I live in the Finger Lakes region of New York State.

I am 3km from antenna towers broadcasting on 1160kHz at 5000W, is that an issue?

My house and pasture is surrounded by electric fence for sheep and dogs, closest it comes to the house is about 15-20m.  I get arching when wires touch and when vegetation grows onto the fence.  Will I be able to compensate for interference this close and still be a useful contributor?

Thanks.

Jeff

Your nearby AM station should b3e no problem. If they're 'directional' and lobe aimed at you, then the ERP down that lobe may be much stronger than 5KW. and you may have some sub harmonics... unlikely, but possible.. the optional filters might take care of any,,,, just keep in the back of your mind...

The electric fence could be an issue... is it a DC only fence? or one of those fancy 'pulsed', electronic types?  If arcing only occurs as you mention, keep the wires taut, and vegetation out of it... the electronic fences can be real issues for some folks because of the frequencies they operate.  The system can handle interference, to certain degrees.. and a KNOWN noise source is much more comfortable than the dad gummed sporadic junk some of us live with... my situation is horrible at times... used to be great... we live with it...

after all, in effect, our system is designed to locate noise....

Do a walk by with an AM radio, tuned off channel, at about 530KHZ, and see how much noise it picks up....
Might also scan this forum for discussions re fences. robot mowers, smart electric meters... etc the effects can be similar... but a lot of it may not be in the public forums.

We've a long discussion and experience thread, especially from the 'early' days, about noise and so forth, at]
http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=20439.0

Just remember... most tend to start their system experiments with antennas and probes poorly located, many times in the same room with computers, other noise generators... also using lower quality power supplies... and when there are known or suspected 'outside' interferers mixing in the resolution of 'what is what' can be frustrating...
This isn't "Plug and Play"... there is a learning and configuration experience ahead, and it may take some time to find the 'sweet spots' for your antennas and probes... 

Get your system... get to know it... don't give up too early in the 'parenting' process!

And welcome...
Mike

[jchonig]

Get your system... get to know it... don't give up too early in the 'parenting' process!

And welcome...
Mike

Thanks @Cutty.

I hope to put the antennas in the attic, but with all the tuning that will be a long term goal.

I would like to power the system via PoE.  I've seen the posts about noisy supplies and will be researching a good option.

Thanks.

Jeff

[dupreezd]

Get your system... get to know it... don't give up too early in the 'parenting' process!

And welcome...
Mike

Thanks @Cutty.

I hope to put the antennas in the attic, but with all the tuning that will be a long term goal.

I would like to power the system via PoE.  I've seen the posts about noisy supplies and will be researching a good option.

Thanks.

Jeff

Cutty, provided very good information.
I mounted my antennas on a camera tripod. It provides a stable platform, easy to move around and leave it in a spot. An added bonus is that it can be height adjusted. Finding that perfect spot can take weeks, so don't be in a hurry. Best to leave the setup in one spot for a day or two. What works during the day, might not work at night.

Regards

Dries

[byronbay]

Regards

Dries

Tripod - what an excellent idea!

[allsorts]

I would like to power the system via PoE.  I've seen the posts about noisy supplies and will be researching a good option.

If you've not come across my posts about PoE dig a bit deeper. Details on using the relatively cheap TP-Link TL-POE10R 802.3af splitter and a home made LC filter to control the supply line noise it produces. Works well for me.