136kHz – Pansonic Plasma TV – Society

I have blogged about the interference from a local Panasonic Plasma TV before, the TV a TH42 PX80B disrupts my operation on frequencies from LF to VHF. I was late identifying the culprit as I thought it was some other 24/7 interference source, not a domestic device.
The only solution for me has been to abandon the worse effected bands, however recently I wanted to try the 136kHz band again, noting the owners leaving on Sunday I installed my Loop antenna outside and saw a clean band.

Yesterday the interference was back, it was still there at midnight when I turned off my RX, at 06:00 this morning it was there again when I switched on. Panasonic should never have been allowed to market TV’s that clearly radiate over and above the specified agreed levels. I told Panasonic so, their plasma TV’s are notorious, I also told them that I would describe illustrate and publicise the problem as and when. I had many Panasonic devices in my household, recently when replacing my domestic TV, as I promised them, I changed my brand.

Here is the 136kHz band at my location with the Panasonic on.

Despite the interference, stations can look at my Grabber and see the clear slots, amazingly as propagation was good last night I copied Stations in the UK and Germany between the interference lines.

The levels of radiation from the Panasonic TH42 PX80B can surely not be healthy, society allows the flouting of regulations by big corporations. Unfortunately the reason for this TV and many others being on at 06:00 or earlier is because modern parents consider it OK to put a dummy in the mouth of babies and young children and sit them in front of a TV on the Cartoon Channel for hours on end whilst they get on with their lives. I hope the kids don’t suffer any consequences from being reared on junk.

 

28MHz Openings – Ham Radio in General

Ten Meters has had its openings over the last few months, my QRP MEPT has made it to Australia and South America as well as, FR8,FR1,4X and TF.

These reports are all from WSPR. My MEPT sits just above the Italian QRSS Beacons, recently, (the last five days) has produced regular reports from IW2,IK1,EA6,DJ0,OE3,LB9 and CN8 all in the 1000km to 2000km range yet not one report has been received on QRSS3.

Today’s results on Ten Meters WSPR show that if you weren’t there between 08:00 and 10:30 today you just weren’t there.

2011-05-18 10:28 G3ZJO 28.126052 -15 0 IO92ng +23 0.200 IW2DZX JN45kp
2011-05-18 10:18 G3ZJO 28.126053 -5 0 IO92ng +23 0.200 IW2DZX JN45kp
2011-05-18 10:08 G3ZJO 28.126056 -25 0 IO92ng +23 0.200 IW2DZX JN45kp
2011-05-18 08:58 G3ZJO 28.126039 -1 -1 IO92ng +23 0.200 DJ0ABR JN68nt

I am a member of several groups, some have turned their attention to 28MHz off and on, however that is what the propagation is, off and on. A foray onto the band for a few hours when its convenient achieves nothing and nothing is learned.

Love it or hate it WSPR is the mode for propagation study. Unfortunately there are too many haters, something I just can’t understand. One member of one group considers the use of computers is fine but only for QRSS, WSPR use will make you a Satan Worshipper.
Another member of another group says it’s fine to use computers and accurate timing and frequency stability to achieve results but only up (down) to a QRSS speed that he advocates as the limit and you MUST use QRO. Use technology in any way other than how he says and sin of sins use QRP and he will feel he has the right to insult and ridicule you. Achieving DX distances using simple antennas using, ‘messing about with totally pointless QRP’ just doesn’t count in his book. Just run WSPR and you are a ‘Black Box Operator’ who has no skills. My WSPR is produced from a hand full of components, home designed and home brewed using my own software but he knows that I am a Black Box Merchant.
Surprisingly some who once showed an interest have decided that WSPR is second class and can be plugged up by skill less fools and just left to talk to itself, their CW is of course ‘proper Ham Radio’.

Why, oh why, do Hams have to alienate them selves from each other.
Ham Radio has lots of facets some using the internet do seem to be ‘not radio’ to me, but live and let live, if you like it, do it, those who do the technical provision of the systems are doing valid work.

Very Very Long Wavelengths are Impressive

I had heard mention of Communications with Atomic Submarines under the ice caps at the poles being around 90Hz. Yesterday I was informed about ZEVS a Russian ELF Submarine Transmitter on 82Hz.

This morning the ELF region was very quiet, I took a look up above the 50Hz mains frequency, precisely on 82 Hz was a perfectly straight carrier. On my best ELF Spectrumlab RX set up for the signal is was very clean. Foolishly I attributed some other lines to interference. After some guidance from Marcus Vester it was plain to see that this was a message consisting of several 5 minute dashes between 82 and 83Hz followed by an hour of carrier on 82Hz.

 

Considering my antenna is 0.35m long and the Probe optimised for performance above 3kHz this is amazing stuff. The wavelength at 82Hz is 3658.5 km a quarter wave ‘whip’ would be over 914m tall.

ULF and Winfried Otto Schumann

The ULF region is most interesting, I was surprised to see quite a reasonable response from my VLF E-Probe at down to 0Hz.
Even more surprising is the possibility that when Sferics are very quiet I can see Schumann resonances. The fundamental resonance of the Earth’s natural cavity resonator is 7.5Hz with multiples on the even and odd harmonics.
Our Brains and Nervous system work in this frequency range, what a coincidence aye.

 

The peak in general noise level below 5Hz is not necessarily equipment noise but there is a natural peak in signals due to magnetic micropulsations which originate in the Earth’s magnetosphere.

At my urban location there are several carriers visible, 5.9Hz,8.8Hz,11.7Hz,16Hz, 23Hz and 32Hz. I had to smile when we searched for the source of 11.7Hz signals. Would you believe that the small hairs (cilia) in your nose resonate at 11.73 Hz, unless you ingest cocaine, that slows them down.
One possible source of 16.7Hz and 33.4Hz signals are some European railways. The 15 kV, 16.7 Hz AC railway electrification system is used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and Norway. I don’t see these frequencies or indeed 60Hz US mains.
I do see 16Hz and 32Hz from unknown origins. I wondered if the Tetra radio system which uses a 17.6Hz switching rate mixes to produce any carriers, I see nothing here. The Police Tetra system is unbelievably strong at my location being line of sight to both local and regional masts.
50Hz is of course prominent, the Railway overhead cables are closer, 2km than the HV Grid cables, around 10km.

Vertical lines on the Screen shot above (white and bright red) are strong sferics from lightning strikes, this really is the wrong time of year for examining these frequencies.