Post
by hotpaw2 » Mon Jul 01, 2019 4:26 pm
Those periodic spikes and waves look like the symptoms of electronic switching RF noise.
This kind of RF noise can be generated by LED lights, power supplies, network equipment (cable modem, WiFi/ethernet hubs, etc.), PCs, monitors, printers, and etc. Not only in your place, but from inside any nearby buildings in your neighborhood as well. Perhaps even from your laptop.
To test for RF noise near your setup, take your RTL-SDR plus an antenna to some open field or park several hundred meters from the nearest building or electric power source, and re-check the spectrum. To see if the RF noise is from your own place, kill your main power circuit breaker. If the noise drops, you are generating it (your LED lighting, network, etc.), and can hunt it down. If it doesn't, it's from your neighborhood.