RADIO NOISE TROUBLESHOOTING

AM RADIO NOISE PROBLEMS AND

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Annoying buzzes are many times transmitted through an AM radio. Here is a check-off list of the most likely causes:

Dimmer switch.

Fluorescent light.

“Touch lamp” type light fixture (even when turned off).

Automatic on and off night lights.

Outdoor yard lights which come on automatically.

Electronic bug and pest controllers.

A light bulb that is about to burn out.

A faulty electrical switch of any kind.

A nearby television set.

A store that has a fluorescent light or a public recreation room that has fluorescent lights located near you.

Blinking bulbs of all kinds such as Christmas tree lights.

If you live in an apartment a neighbor’s dimmer switch could be the culprit.

Scanners of all types.

Dirty insulators on a nearby power pole allowing arcing.

Electric blanket.

Smoke detectors that run from AC current (battery operated is OK).

It is best to eliminate the interfer- ence at its source. Here’s a list of possible solutions:

The most obvious is to turn off the offending device.

Try a battery operated radio to see if the interference is coming in from the AC 120 Volt line, through the air, or both.

Turn off the circuit breakers to see if the noise stops. If it does, then you know it is something in your house. Turn off one circuit at a time to iso- late where the noise is coming from.

Use a battery operated radio as a direction finder. Turn the radio until the loudest noise is heard — the front and back of the radio will point to the noise origin.

Carry a radio around the neighbor- hood and see if you can find the origin of the noise. Ask other neigh- bors if they have the same problem.

If a power pole is suspected, call the utility company and they will check the area and possibly wash the insulators. Dirty power pole insu- lators are sometimes a cause of difficult-to-find radio interference.

If you have a hum in your receiver from AC line noise sometimes grounding the radio can reduce the hum greatly. Finding a good earth ground may be difficult.

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C. Crane CCRadio plus instruction manual Radio Noise Troubleshooting