It's a wireless world! It seems like every day another electronic gizmo joins the radio-controlled ranks of gizmos.

That's fine -- unless you are a ham trying to transceive in a wireless world. Wireless equipment transmissions have been interfering with our ham receivers since just about Day One and we have learned how to deal with that problem.

But what about ham radio transmissions interfering with wireless equipment receivers? In a recent e-mail, a Surfin' reader asked, "I wonder if the topic of wireless routers used in the ham shack has ever comes up? I expect a large percentage of hams use wireless in their homes, and I imagine many are like me and have their Internet connection and router in the shack, close to their amplifier.

"I had used satellite Internet until a few months ago, when I switched to a local WiFi network. The WiFi network is faster and less expensive than satellite, but the WiFi system seems to be more sensitive to the particular type of router I use. I used a D-link router successfully with the satellite system, but it tends to disconnect at random with the WiFi system.

"I was told by the WiFi provider that they had good luck with Belkin routers, so I got a Belkin unit. It does not disconnect at random, but it does disconnect when I transmit more than about 500 W. I've tried all the usual things: Ferrite cores on the cables, grounding the unit, etc., but nothing helped. It simply must not be designed for an RF environment. So I would like to find out which wireless routers other hams use that do not have problems when they transmit high power."

Any ideas? I figure that some you out there in the Surfin' audience have encountered and overcome this problem. If you have, please share your experience.

Until next time, keep on surfin'!

Editor's note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, wonders "When did 'wireless' become 'radio?'" To contact Stan, send him e-mail or add comments to his blog.

Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor