An Interesting discovery

Following on from my last post it seems I have found the main source of QRM that was caused by one of my PCs at least. In the pic with my previous post you may have noticed  the "Black box" Icom PCR1000 receiver, sitting on top of my little HF linear amp. That receiver is connected to the main pc-the one I have moved onto another desk.Having moved that PC I found that the S9 of noise on 10 metres which was always there when the PC was on had disappeared. Today I decided to reconnect the Icom receiver. Since the Icom uses a serial port connector I use a USB to Serial lead out of the PC which connects to serial lead and then to the Icom.
Plugging the lead into my USB hub, Windows 7 automatically installed the USB to serial driver and then............S9 of noise on 10 meters. Moving the lead directly into a USB on the PC reduced this to S6 but unplugging altogether reduced the noise to nil.
I don't know why this lead should be radiating noise like this, but I will try and move the Icom receiver to be controlled by the other PC. Perhaps winding the lead around a ferrite ring would help? I think I have one here and will give it a try.If that doesn't work I think I will be moving the Icom on.

Things are looking up

This week I have not been home early enough from work to check the higher bands, but I have been told on the air and read on the internet that things were picking up, especially in the case of the 15metre band.On Friday I was in the shack a little earlier, in time to catch 15 metres open and managed to work a couple of stations using PSK31, including SV3DCX. Not DX I know but it is some time since I worked anyone on this band. It seems that 24Mhz had also been open as there were still a few weakish signals around at around 1600, however I didn't manage any contacts on that band.
Today I have had a few household chores to do, but I did manage a few QSO's,again on 15 metres so it seems the sunspot cycle is now improving and we should have better conditions ahead. I hope we will see a consistent improvement in the coming months.
A little while ago I mentioned in this blog that I felt the magazine "Practical Wireless" which I believe is the only independent Amateur Radio magazine in the UK was "dumbing itself down". The reason I felt this way was because the magazine was and still is running a series of articles called "What Next". The series has taken the reader step by step on how to turn of and transmit with an FT817 (I Kid you not!), how to attach an antenna to the rig, and how to have a QSO through your local repeater! I felt that the level of these articles was insulting. I am the first to admit that I am not the most technical of people in this hobby but surely if people have obtained their licence they will have at least this level of knowledge?
Anyway at the time I was considering whether to continue to buy the magazine, and, for now at least I have decided to do so.In the March Edition of PW there is a letter from an amateur regarding the "local" QRM many amateurs have in their shacks I don't mean the YL or XYL shouting at you to come out of the shack and get on with your chores! This QRM is from the PCs, monitors and associated power supplies that many if not most amateurs have in the shack. It Seems that Practical Wireless is going to publish an article on this problem and how to solve it. I am looking forward to this as I noted in an earlier blog entry that the PSU for my monitor generates QRM on VHF. I  have also become aware that one of the PCs or peripherals here is generating around S6 of noise on 20 metres.Since I like to use the data modes its not practical to switch the PC off when I am operating so I need to try and trace exactly what is causing the interference.