RF interferences with scanning?

[sirsmiley]

Just wondering what an ideal setup would be , my computer room currently has the following

a) ceiling fan (motor inside, its physically noisy)
b) dsl modem (ive heard these are noisy for interference wise)
c) 2.4ghz wireless g router
d) lcd 20"
e) 2 desktop pcs
f) surround sound speakers (shielded, supposedly)


my antenna is about 6 feet away from the dsl modem and router, i know the power is very low on the wireless router but ive heard that they can cause interference in reception, even if youre listening in other frequencies.

just trying to get the best reception that i can!

 

[shaft]

I have a ton of gear in my computer room and have not received any type of interference.
Between the 4 desktops, 3 laptops, lcd, 3 CRTs, switch, cable modem, wireless router, and no intereference. My scanner is usually on the desk right next to the CRT and wireless router.

 

[w0fg]

In my office I have 2 laptop PC's, a 17" LCD monitor, a DSL modem, Linksys 2.4G WI-FI router, fluorescent lights, and a ceiling fan. The only interference I experience on either my VHF or 800 Mhz M-RKs or my PRO-84 scanner is a bit of hash when the switching power supply on my Acer laptop is unplugged from the computer. If your scanner is not locking up on any of your programmed frequencies, then you're good to go.

 

[Turbo68]

Hello i use 2 laptops and a pc and there is 20 radios around the computers & i never got any intereference.

Regards Lino.

 

[sjcscanner]

i have a cable modem, just some old standard speakers, and of course my pc, and just your standard old monitor(not sure of the model), and i get tons of interference, not sure why....

 

[gmclam]

PCs, monitors, modems, routers, 2.4G equip, phones...

My office has all the stuff you mentioned and tons more. Some scanners pick up signals from some devices. I installed an outside antenna for the scanners and all is great now. Plus I get better reception too!

 

[Don_Burke]

None of my computer gear causes any problems with my scanning.


MF and HF are quite another story.

 

[kb2vxa]

There is no such thing as an "ideal" set up. The only answer to your question is try it and see, make changes as necessary. The bottom line is every set up is different and only yours suits you, nobody else's.

 

[ScannerDude244]

My damn DSL modem makes alot of intereference! thank god for PL tones!

 

[Big_Ears]

Geez,
Finding the RF interference that's causing your scanner to lock on a particular frequency? Sorta need a spectrum analyzer to sort it out. Perhaps it's a 2nd,3rd or 4th order harmonic. Or a harmonic of a birdie.

 

[mtindor]

Anybody that tells you "i have a gazillion electronic devices" near my scanners and i have NO interference are feeding you a line of BS.

Show me laptops, desktops, printers, power supplies, LCDs and CRTS, modems and routers - Turn it on and then give me a working scanner with its stock antenna in close proximity to that equipment and i'll show you interference from your equipment.

Some people may be fortunate enough to have no noticeable interference on the frequencies they listen to in particular, but it's there.

Mike

 

[gmclam]

Anybody that tells you "i have a gazillion electronic devices" near my scanners and i have NO interference are feeding you a line of BS.

It could be that they are only monitoring a SINGLE frequency.

 

[Don_Burke]

Anybody that tells you "i have a gazillion electronic devices" near my scanners and i have NO interference are feeding you a line of BS.

Show me laptops, desktops, printers, power supplies, LCDs and CRTS, modems and routers - Turn it on and then give me a working scanner with its stock antenna in close proximity to that equipment and i'll show you interference from your equipment.

Some people may be fortunate enough to have no noticeable interference on the frequencies they listen to in particular, but it's there.

Mike

Resurrecting a thread over a year old? Hmmmmm

Is your point that any signal my scanner is capable of receiving is interference? By that definition, all of the local TV and FM stations are interference.

If the signal does not interfere with what I am doing, it is not interference.

If you wish to call it "radiated energy", fine. It has to interefere with something to be interference.

 

[keithmj]

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in here..My BCT15 scanner will not receive at times when I have my laptop on. It is about three feet from the scanner. It will scan but not stop on anything. It all depends on the frequencies that each unit is operating on. My wireless phone will shut down my internet connecton when I answer it and it is on a different line bt itself. So yes it does interfer..Cheers..Keithmj

 

[mtindor]

It could be that they are only monitoring a SINGLE frequency.

True. I guess my point was that with a host of devices like that, especially computers, there would be some interference somewhere in the tuning range of the scanner. If it's not in a range where somebody listens, then I guess they wouldn't consider it interference. It's kind of like that question "if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a noise?"

Mike

 

[mtindor]

Resurrecting a thread over a year old? Hmmmmm

Is your point that any signal my scanner is capable of receiving is interference? By that definition, all of the local TV and FM stations are interference.

If the signal does not interfere with what I am doing, it is not interference.

If you wish to call it "radiated energy", fine. It has to interefere with something to be interference.

I didn't intentionally resurrect a year old thread. I don't know how I came about this thread, but when I responded I thought it was a recent thread. I must have been doing a search on the forums and forgot that what I had pulled up wasn't necessarily recent. the topic caught my eye and I responded, that's all.

And no, my point isn't that any signal your scanner receives is interference. My point is that the host of equipment mentioned will indeed generate interference somewhere in the tunable range of the scanner and the scanner. I understand that if it generates interference on 154.800 and you don't listen to 154.800, it's not interference to you in particular. But the equipment still generates signals that are interference - the equipment was never intended to intentionally produce signals strong enough to come over your scanner, but it often does.

Mike

 

[SCPD]

I have a Linksys router and I don't get interference from it, but it is located on a shelf above my desk. When I use my laptop downstairs and have my PRO-96 near the laptop I pick up noisy hash and have to turn the scanner off. This is kind of a bummer as I'm presently in week 7 of a 10 week period that I have to rest in bed, waiting for a fractured hip to mend. I have to turn the laptop completely off to stop the interference. I can't separate the computer from the scanner as both need to be within my reach.

 

[mtindor]

I have a Linksys router and I don't get interference from it, but it is located on a shelf above my desk. When I use my laptop downstairs and have my PRO-96 near the laptop I pick up noisy hash and have to turn the scanner off. This is kind of a bummer as I'm presently in week 7 of a 10 week period that I have to rest in bed, waiting for a fractured hip to mend. I have to turn the laptop completely off to stop the interference. I can't separate the computer from the scanner as both need to be within my reach.

My laptop, when plugged into my PSR-500 via the USB cable, induces interference that is noticeable on the PSR-500 on a local P25 control channel I attempt to monitor with Pro96Com. Because I don't get a strong enough signal on the P25 CC, the interference is too much and I cannot decode the CC data on the laptop.

As somebody else mentioned in this thread, I also note that interference by consumer devices is much more noticeable 30 mhz and below, especially up between DC and about 14 Mhz. My Linksys ethernet controller plays havoc on my HF if I have something plugged into it. I ended up getting a USB wireless adaptor for my computers so that I didn't have to have any ethernet cable looping all around the joint radiating.

Mike

 

[Don_Burke]

I didn't intentionally resurrect a year old thread. I don't know how I came about this thread, but when I responded I thought it was a recent thread. I must have been doing a search on the forums and forgot that what I had pulled up wasn't necessarily recent. the topic caught my eye and I responded, that's all.

What probably happened was that you saw this thread in the "similar threads" list at the bottom of some other thread.

And no, my point isn't that any signal your scanner receives is interference.

Actually, it is.

See below

My point is that the host of equipment mentioned will indeed generate interference somewhere in the tunable range of the scanner and the scanner.

There it is.

A signal that has not interfered with something is being called "interference."

I understand that if it generates interference on 154.800 and you don't listen to 154.800, it's not interference to you in particular.

It is not interference at all until you come up with something being interfered with.

But the equipment still generates signals

Skip the next part.

that are interference -

now back to reality...

the equipment was never intended to intentionally produce signals strong enough to come over your scanner, but it often does.

With a little editing, you are close to correct. The signals do not even need to be unintentional, but they do need to interfere to be interference.

No "line of BS," just technical fact.