Typical question: My (Icom, Yaesu, Lex, Kenwood, etc) transceiver is experiencing RFI from my solar array – what can I do?
Standard Answer:
Our products can solve the problem of mitigating the interference at the source during installation. After the install, you don’t have much choice except to protect the victim (your radio) from noise getting in.
here is a simple test, unconnect the coax from your radio and measure the noise level. now connect the center conductor only of the coax and measure the noise level, and finally connect the outer shell of the coax connector. If the noise jumps up significantly when the outer shell is connected, then our coax noise filters will suppress this common mode noise. If there is little or no difference between coax shell connected and not connected then the noise (RFI) is coming down the center of the coax from your antenna (it is picking up the radiated RFI radiated by the solar panel string wiring between the panel (acting as a loop antenna) which is being generated by the micro-inverters or power optimizers on each panel (acting as switching power supplies).
Solution is to move the antenna away from the solar array, or operate only when the solar array is not functional (night).
If there is no difference in noise when you plug in the antenna and with no antenna, then your noise level may be in the AC power lines and is transferred thru your DC power supply to the radio. A filter on the DC power supply such as a ring ferrite core may help. Use mix 75 with 6-8 turns thru the center (part # F240-75).
Bob, AK6R
Chief Engineer