Author Topic: 1216H + L rotator control RF interference  (Read 1477 times)

W4AFK

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1216H + L rotator control RF interference
« on: 2021-01-01, 22:01:28 »
I am posting this here as there doesn't seem to be any activity in the 1216 section

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We have a 1216H and 1216L at our remote site and control a rotator. I've had the 1216 H + L for several years and finally decided to put them to use as originally planned.

First: It does work, and I can remotely control the rotator (see rotator and motor diagram)

The challenge: What we noticed was that the 1216H (or L) generates very strong interference over ~10kHz 17m and on other bands. The interference will drift when the 1216 is powered on then stabilize, but very strong (see attachment for a snapshot of the interference as captured on a FLEX6400 waterfall) <-- This interference appears at many spots and stops moving after a few minutes that teh 1216 is ON.

The interference seems to be coming from the 1216L and not the H.

The interference also changes center frequency when you rotate the antenna. The noise seems to be radiated via control cable and is picked up by the RF cables running up the tower. If we switch to the antennas on the other side of the garage, the interference is still there but much lower.

Has anyone experienced this type of interference and if so, how did you resolve it?

As a temporary solution, we plan to connect the 1216L DC power to one of the 1216H relays so that we can turn the 1216L "OFF" when we don't need the rotator. We would turn the power ON then use the rotator.

 
« Last Edit: 2021-01-01, 22:06:58 by W4AFK »