All my radios are now doing this!

2/26/2012 9:35:51 PMBrett

Every one of my radios are picking up some type of interference, It must be from my house wiring. Every 1.7 sec. theres a putt...putt...putt...putt. I don't know what I could have added to cause this. Any ideas?
Thanks, Brett

2/27/2012 7:32:31 AMScott

Here is a good site for suggestions on how to determine source of interference.
http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/interference/am-fm-radio-interference.php
The breaker test is a good way for identifying area of home causing issue. Ofcourse it could be outside the home. Recently in my area a street that I drive down regularly, completely obliterates AM with for about 100 yards. Would hate to be living in that stretch.

2/27/2012 8:42:56 AMEdM

:Every one of my radios are picking up some type of interference, It must be from my house wiring. Every 1.7 sec. theres a putt...putt...putt...putt. I don't know what I could have added to cause this. Any ideas?
:Thanks, Brett
:
Try unplugging your cell phone charger, and anything else that charges a battery. Such as a laptop. These pulse type chargers are notorious for this type of interferrence. Could even be your neighbor's that shares the same 120 volt distribution transformer. EdM

2/27/2012 7:17:16 PMMmakazoo

Brett: You have my sympathy. This occasionally happens in my house. I have tried switching off all the breakers and no luck. I think it is coming from a neighbor's house. Thankfully, it happens only rarely. Mark from Kalamazoo

2/27/2012 8:16:53 PMBrett

I pulled the plugs on everything that has a charger or DC adapter and still have the same problem. I think it may be the college kids next door.

2/27/2012 8:26:52 PMmarv nuce

Brett,
My old garage door opener was ancient and of the plain vanilla type. After it failed, a new unit was installed, and its more like a smart phone. Changing codes regular, updating the remote, searching etc. All sorts of regular activity, which plays havoc with AM radios. If unplugged its quiet, and at regular intervals, stops all its random activity quenching radio interference.

marv

:I pulled the plugs on everything that has a charger or DC adapter and still have the same problem. I think it may be the college kids next door.
:
:

2/27/2012 8:50:34 PMMmakazoo

Marv: My folks had the same problem and so my dad rigged a switch to turn the power off to the garage door opener when they aren't using it. So many modern electronic items cause terrible interference with AM, but since hardly anyone listens to it anymore I guess no one complains. My TV causes a bad whistle on AM even when turned off. I have to unplug it. Mark from Kalamazoo

2/28/2012 7:48:44 PMEdd

Sir Brett . . . . .

After initially identifying the line serving my radio and then the BREAKER box switching off of progressively all of my breakers in the house and then even a switching off of THE "MASTER" switch always seemed to let me find my home related inteference sources.

I have even left myself "off the grid " and ran a 100 ft extension cord from my neighbors outlet and powered up the radio in its "problem " spot in my house, to further evaluate.

Are you familiar with the quasi / directional finder capabilities of a common battery powered transistor radio ?

If you will use its directionality of pick up characteristics of its internal ferrite bar / rod loop antenna, it can quite usefull to trace out the direction of the source of that inteference .

Once you know the physical positioning of the bar inside of the radio or the direction to a local radio station, you can use that effect to ascertain the direction.

Specifically, if the antenna is broadside to the received signal, reception will be the strongest, which is not a lot of help with out some metering, BUT more importantly if the set is rotated to have that loop having its bar/rod being pointed at the signal source, the signal will appreciably decrease and null at that point.

Now, THAT is the effect that you want to work with, as you can then aurally detect the variance of the reception.

Try that with identifying your inteference and see what happens, and don't neglect to walk away from your house as long as you can still be picking up the inteference.

Working from more distance can be helpfull in narrowing down the direction .

As important as my compass . . when I'm trekking afar on a hunting or fishing sojourn in unknown territory. . . is an AM portable radio carried with me, as I can always null in on a local AM radio station or even use yet another to be able to roughly "bi-angulate" my position.

ASIDE:

The Right Honourable and Esteemed . . .Mark from Kalamazoo . . .sez . . .

My TV causes a bad whistle on AM even when turned off. I have to unplug it.

That's from the standby switchmode power supply inside the Tee Wee . . . . being in its intermittent "sleep" mode when the TV is turned off.

( So's that yer 'mote troll can still be 'wukkin . . . at your ever demand. )

73's de Edd

Is it weird on this forum, or is it just me?.

:Marv: My folks had the same problem and so my dad rigged a switch to turn the power off to the garage door opener when they aren't using it. So many modern electronic items cause terrible interference with AM, but since hardly anyone listens to it anymore I guess no one complains. My TV causes a bad whistle on AM even when turned off. I have to unplug it. Mark from Kalamazoo
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2/29/2012 8:36:12 AMEdM

:I pulled the plugs on everything that has a charger or DC adapter and still have the same problem. I think it may be the college kids next door.
:
:By the combination of using a battery operated radio and switching off breakers, locating the source of the problem is made easier. If something connected to house wiring is causing the problem, it can either be radiated directly through the air, or through house wiring. If house wiring, a line filter will help. You may want to buy a loose filter, and mount it in a box. Jameco is one source. I have also had good luck hanging an AC capacitor directly across the line; needs to be 10 to 35 MFD, 330 VAC (or higher), such as used in airconditioning motor RUN, or outdoor lighting. Try to find salvage - expensive from WW Granger, etc. Take fire and electrical precautions, such as size of wire, mount in a fireproof box, etc. In many locales, the power company now sends a signal down the power line to read meters remotely. This can cause AM radio interferrence. You can hang the cap right at the incoming breaker box, but be sure to go thru a breaker, and observe precautions as above. If you want to knock out interferrence to specific stations you absolutely love, (a) wavetrap(s) across the line will knock it out. but that gets a little bit complicated. EdM

2/29/2012 9:48:21 PMeeprof

:Every one of my radios are picking up some type of interference, It must be from my house wiring. Every 1.7 sec. theres a putt...putt...putt...putt. I don't know what I could have added to cause this. Any ideas?
:Thanks, Brett
:
Brett: I have had several instances where alarm systems cause exactly what you are describing. They scan the array of switches digitally and "load up" again for another scan that can take 1-2 seconds. If it is an alarm then the number of pulses will be consistant AND it can be transmitted through the air very efficiently since alarm systems have wires running to all doors, windows, etc. Killing the breaker will NOT cut an alarm system off as they have backup lead-acid batteries to insure against power failure. Hope this helps - Tom

3/3/2012 2:18:53 PMDale

::Every one of my radios are picking up some type of interference, It must be from my house wiring. Every 1.7 sec. theres a putt...putt...putt...putt. I don't know what I could have added to cause this. Any ideas?
::Thanks, Brett
::
:Brett: I have had several instances where alarm systems cause exactly what you are describing. They scan the array of switches digitally and "load up" again for another scan that can take 1-2 seconds. If it is an alarm then the number of pulses will be consistant AND it can be transmitted through the air very efficiently since alarm systems have wires running to all doors, windows, etc. Killing the breaker will NOT cut an alarm system off as they have backup lead-acid batteries to insure against power failure. Hope this helps - Tom
:
I have noticed this with my internet, wireless modem that works like a cell phone, causes interference, even the computer amplified speaker gets it, sound like the same sound kind of like a beebing, put put you describe, cell phone does it too.

3/3/2012 2:52:13 PMBrett

This may sound funny from a guy that collects radios, but I don't own a transistor radio. To much going on right now to dig to deep into it. Wasn't the easy fix I was hoping for. I'll get a radio and get to it in the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted. Thanks guys.

3/7/2012 1:05:12 AMbill

Hi Brett,

I had this problem awhile back, and did the breaker test in my home. Found nothing. I noticed the problem consistantly appeared around the same time every night and lasted into the early morning.
What happened was there was a short in the street light across the street, since the problem only appeared when the light came on and off. The power company replaced the light assembly, and no more problem,

Point is to try and see if your interference has any consistancy.

:This may sound funny from a guy that collects radios, but I don't own a transistor radio. To much going on right now to dig to deep into it. Wasn't the easy fix I was hoping for. I'll get a radio and get to it in the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted. Thanks guys.
:
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3/9/2012 9:26:45 PMElton

:Brett I also had this problem about a month ago, try shutting off each breaker one at a time, I found one of my breakers must have been dirty , because after I shut each one off ( including the main)and turned them all back on it disappeared
E.
:
:Hi Brett,
:
: I had this problem awhile back, and did the breaker test in my home. Found nothing. I noticed the problem consistantly appeared around the same time every night and lasted into the early morning.
:What happened was there was a short in the street light across the street, since the problem only appeared when the light came on and off. The power company replaced the light assembly, and no more problem,
:
: Point is to try and see if your interference has any consistancy.
:
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:
:
::This may sound funny from a guy that collects radios, but I don't own a transistor radio. To much going on right now to dig to deep into it. Wasn't the easy fix I was hoping for. I'll get a radio and get to it in the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted. Thanks guys.
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3/9/2012 9:31:22 PMKarlof

Throw them in the trash. They are haunted.

3/11/2012 12:43:34 AMStephen

Things to check:

1) I would turn off anything electronic in your home (e.g. computers, routers, cable modems, TVs, DVD/BluRay Players, shavers, battery chargers, flourescent lights, washers, dryers, microwave ovens, remote control cars, baby monitors, intercoms, alarm systems, etc and see if the problem is still there. If not, turn on each device (ONE AT A TIME) until the problem re-appears.

2) If the problem is NOT solved by #1 above, then I would look into other sources of interference in your neighborhood. I would check the following:

* Did any neighbors install any new devices or have any malfunctioning devices from #1 above in their house or apartment that could be causing the interference?

* Was there any changes or recent installations in devices, equipment, or other things outside your home that could be in your area?

Such areas to check could include your HOA (if you have one), the power company, other utilty companies, recent changes or installations by the defense department, news media, new transmitters installed by commercial radio operators (which would include radio stations, TV stations, companies, police, fire, corporate, schools, etc)

3/12/2012 8:25:12 AMEzblah

The battery powered radio can be of great help. Used one once to locate a similar sound years ago ABOUT TWO MILES AWAY from the house. Narrowed it down to one or more of half a dozen power poles along the road. While a friend listened to the radio (tuned to a blank spot on the dial), I took a large, heavy sledge hammer and whacked each pole until the sound "changed". The one problem pole where a whack produced a change was located and reported to the local power company. Cracked insulator. The pounding on the pole scheme is not my idea, and has been used for decades by others.
Another time, the battery radio was used and lead to what I thought was a single bad branch of the house wiring on the second floor. Just as I was about to rip into things, I noticed the smoke detector (AC with battery back-up)high up on the wall. Pulled the battery. Noise stopped. Replaced battery. Noise resumed. Checked wiring to detector...all OK. Replaced detector. Problem solved.
Good Luck!