AM reception - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

DJMala · 12-19-2004, 07:35 PM

Question for any radio geeks or gurus out there..

My dad is trying to pick up WFAN in New York from his house in southeastern Massachusetts using cheap, boombox type radios, without much luck. He asked me to come down with my Sangean CC Radio, to see if it would be any better. I had a little more luck, but not much.

The problem doesn't seem to be the usual interference you get when trying to pick up a distant AM station. From pretty much anywhere in the house, there is a definite buzz or whine which is audible across most of the AM dial. Only the closest stations are strong enough to overcome it. It seems like the intereference must come from something in the house or in the area, because he says that on rare occasions the whine stops completely and the station comes in perfectly well.

We tried shutting off all of the electrical devices we could. We also tried using the CC Radio on battery power, to see if the problem was coming from the power lines themselves. Nothing seemed to help at all.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where this intereference might be coming from or how to stop it?

shakran · 12-19-2004, 11:53 PM

kill all power to the house, then run your radio on batteries. See if there's interference.

Are you near any power lines? Any radio / TV towers? An airport? really tall buildings? In a valley surrounded by mountains? All this stuff can wreck havoc on radio reception. What's the reception on your car's AM radio like? How far do you have to drive before it gets better. If you really wanna nail it down, drive away from your house in several different directions and see where teh signal strengthens. Once you have a border around the trouble area you can isolate where the interference is coming from.

fatbob · 12-20-2004, 05:11 AM

sounds like mains hum ...
could you have a dodgy earth somewhere?
advice above sounds good...

flat5 · 12-20-2004, 12:44 PM

use a small portable AM radio that has an internal antenna only.
These ferrite rod/coil antennas are quite directional.

Walk around with the radio to find the source of the noise.
It may be a light dimmer (but you said you turned OFF (not down) all
electronic stuff. Or a computer. Or fluorescent light.

I like the idea above to go to the fuse box and shut off all power.
If that works, turn on circuits till the noise returns. That should give you a hint.

If the noise is there with the power to the house off, suspect a noisy transformer
on a near by power pole. Looks like a trashcan on the pole or a paint can.
If you think that's it, call the power company. Good luck.

Last resort, check your neighbors :-)

12-19-2004, 07:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
DJMala Crazy Location: MA	AM reception Question for any radio geeks or gurus out there.. My dad is trying to pick up WFAN in New York from his house in southeastern Massachusetts using cheap, boombox type radios, without much luck. He asked me to come down with my Sangean CC Radio, to see if it would be any better. I had a little more luck, but not much. The problem doesn't seem to be the usual interference you get when trying to pick up a distant AM station. From pretty much anywhere in the house, there is a definite buzz or whine which is audible across most of the AM dial. Only the closest stations are strong enough to overcome it. It seems like the intereference must come from something in the house or in the area, because he says that on rare occasions the whine stops completely and the station comes in perfectly well. We tried shutting off all of the electrical devices we could. We also tried using the CC Radio on battery power, to see if the problem was coming from the power lines themselves. Nothing seemed to help at all. Does anyone have any suggestions on where this intereference might be coming from or how to stop it?

12-20-2004, 05:11 AM	#3 (permalink)
fatbob Insane Location: Edinburgh	sounds like mains hum ... could you have a dodgy earth somewhere? advice above sounds good... __________________ change happens when those who don't normally speak get heard by those who don't normally listen.

12-19-2004, 11:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	kill all power to the house, then run your radio on batteries. See if there's interference. Are you near any power lines? Any radio / TV towers? An airport? really tall buildings? In a valley surrounded by mountains? All this stuff can wreck havoc on radio reception. What's the reception on your car's AM radio like? How far do you have to drive before it gets better. If you really wanna nail it down, drive away from your house in several different directions and see where teh signal strengthens. Once you have a border around the trouble area you can isolate where the interference is coming from.

12-20-2004, 12:44 PM	#4 (permalink)
flat5 Very Insignificant Pawn Location: Amsterdam, NL	use a small portable AM radio that has an internal antenna only. These ferrite rod/coil antennas are quite directional. Walk around with the radio to find the source of the noise. It may be a light dimmer (but you said you turned OFF (not down) all electronic stuff. Or a computer. Or fluorescent light. I like the idea above to go to the fuse box and shut off all power. If that works, turn on circuits till the noise returns. That should give you a hint. If the noise is there with the power to the house off, suspect a noisy transformer on a near by power pole. Looks like a trashcan on the pole or a paint can. If you think that's it, call the power company. Good luck. Last resort, check your neighbors :-)