Electrical Interference / Static?
A new ballast for the the florescent light and a new dimmer might help. You probably didn't want that answer.
You could try a clamp on ferrite core/choke. They're available at Radio Schlock or online from any number of sources. You clip it onto the radio cord. It's a cheap fix if it works.
n00b said:
I've got an under cabinet radio in the kitchen and the AM reception gets real static-y when lights on the same circuit are turned on. Two in point: the dinning room light (a dimmer) causes static and hum, and the basement lights, which are not on a dimmer but some of the lights are fluorescent, and this causes static but not hum.
I'd rather not have to change the location of the radio, so is there another way to cleanup the line noise?
catch22 said:
You could try a clamp on ferrite core/choke. They're available at Radio Schlock or online from any number of sources. You clip it onto the radio cord. It's a cheap fix if it works.
n00b said:
I've got an under cabinet radio in the kitchen and the AM reception gets real static-y when lights on the same circuit are turned on. Two in point: the dinning room light (a dimmer) causes static and hum, and the basement lights, which are not on a dimmer but some of the lights are fluorescent, and this causes static but not hum.
I'd rather not have to change the location of the radio, so is there another way to cleanup the line noise?
This.
Would that work for my buzzing phones as well? Gotta turn off the kitchen lights to talk on the phone.
wharfrat said:
catch22 said:This.
You could try a clamp on ferrite core/choke. They're available at Radio Schlock or online from any number of sources. You clip it onto the radio cord. It's a cheap fix if it works.
n00b said:
I've got an under cabinet radio in the kitchen and the AM reception gets real static-y when lights on the same circuit are turned on. Two in point: the dinning room light (a dimmer) causes static and hum, and the basement lights, which are not on a dimmer but some of the lights are fluorescent, and this causes static but not hum.
I'd rather not have to change the location of the radio, so is there another way to cleanup the line noise?
This?
http://www.amazon.com/Ferrite-Core-Cord-Noise-Suppressor/dp/B0002MQGE0
zucca said:
Would that work for my buzzing phones as well? Gotta turn off the kitchen lights to talk on the phone.
Corded or cordless? If corded, that may help. If cordless, probably not. But getting a cordless phone that operates in another band is likely to help. 2.4 GHz phones were subject to many kinds of interference. After that, they came out with 5 GHz phones, which were great. Since then, the latest cordless phones are called DECT 6.0 which makes people assume they are at 6 GHz, but they're actually at 1.9 GHz, but that doesn't really matter. Higher isn't necessarily better. You just want a clean band, and the DECT 6.0 phones are likely to satisfy.
Yes, something like that. There are a lot of options depending on the cord diameter . Don't give up on the first pass if it doesn't work perfectly. Sometimes it helps to make the cord into a loop and clip the choke in the middle of the loop. YouTube or Google is your friend. I used to know why these worked, but it's been 20+ years since my undergraduate E&M classes. Something about the neurons, the morons, and the fig-newtons.
jasper said:
wharfrat said:This?
catch22 said:This.
You could try a clamp on ferrite core/choke. They're available at Radio Schlock or online from any number of sources. You clip it onto the radio cord. It's a cheap fix if it works.
n00b said:
I've got an under cabinet radio in the kitchen and the AM reception gets real static-y when lights on the same circuit are turned on. Two in point: the dinning room light (a dimmer) causes static and hum, and the basement lights, which are not on a dimmer but some of the lights are fluorescent, and this causes static but not hum.
I'd rather not have to change the location of the radio, so is there another way to cleanup the line noise?
http://www.amazon.com/Ferrite-Core-Cord-Noise-Suppressor/dp/B0002MQGE0
catch22 said:
... I used to know why these worked, but it's been 20+ years since my undergraduate E&M classes. Something about the neurons, the morons, and the fig-newtons.
I'm sure I never really understood that subject, but I do like fig newtons. : - )
I'll throw that thing into my Amazon shopping cart for the next time I place an order and report back if it works. In our case, it's interference from the bathroom light dimmer switch on my clock radio. It's hardly an earth shattering problem, but it is annoying when I'm trying to listen to the news/weather in the morning and someone else is using the bathroom.
Plugging a laptop into the line causes a whistle/hum in the radio (sounds like a tea kettle).
A dimmer, a laptop, a fluorescent. Every little thing on the line "speaks" through this radio. Is this a weakness of the radio, or is there something wrong with the line?
As far as those ferrite cores go, I'd like to try one. They seem to come in different diameters to match the cord. Does it matter if I get the wrong size?
n00b said:
As far as those ferrite cores go, I'd like to try one. They seem to come in different diameters to match the cord. Does it matter if I get the wrong size?
No, if it's larger than the cord, then loop the cord around it and pass it through the core twice.
n00b said:
I'd rather not have to change the location of the radio, so is there another way to cleanup the line noise?
Can the radio be rotated, say, to be at right-angles to its present position? Or is it fixed to the cabinet?
marksierra said:
n00b said:Can the radio be rotated, say, to be at right-angles to its present position? Or is it fixed to the cabinet?
I'd rather not have to change the location of the radio, so is there another way to cleanup the line noise?
It's fairly fixed. 1) It's screwed to the underside of the top cabinet. 2) It faces in a good direction.
I could consider putting it somewhere else altogether; but I really like where it is, aside from the interference.
But why is it so sensitive to line noise?
FWIW, I have a similar situation with my car. I get hum thru the radio (WNYC-NY) when I turn my headlights on.
Just jinxed like that...
The reason for rotating was to see whether the interference could be reduced by turning the radio's inbuilt ferrite rod to pickup from another direction, and to see whether that reduced the interference. As the radio is in a fixed position, we'll scratch that idea.
Does the radio have provision for an external antenna? And external ground? There will be sockets (usually) in the rear of the radio, if it does.
If so, you could consider installing an external antenna, and grounding the radio.
Interesting about the car radio. Are you listening to the AM or the FM transmission from WNYC ?
It is a function of the radio's quality. Manufacturers don't have much demand for good quality AM radios, so they make them very cheaply. The number of people with this problem is small, and the number of people with the problem AND complain about it is even smaller, so it's not cost-justified for them to do a good job. If you want good AM, it might pay to find a very old radio. Ralph at One Stop Repairs sometimes has antiques for sale.
Interesting suggestion, Tom.
I'll try the ferrites first, if that doesn't work I might try another radio.
(Or figure out how to listen to the radio on an Android phone and bluetooth speaker. Not my first choice.)
I listen to internet radio a lot, but I admit it's not as convenient as turning on and tuning in.
I agree with everything Tom says. I'm wondering, though, what the radio is that you have in the kitchen? How old is it?
I'm also curious about the radio in the car. It's strange that you're hearing a hum through it when you turn your headlights on.
I've got an under cabinet radio in the kitchen and the AM reception gets real static-y when lights on the same circuit are turned on. Two in point: the dinning room light (a dimmer) causes static and hum, and the basement lights, which are not on a dimmer but some of the lights are fluorescent, and this causes static but not hum.
I'd rather not have to change the location of the radio, so is there another way to cleanup the line noise?