Apple Watch Charger interference

[electroplater]

Found that if I put my scanner within an inch or two of my Apple Watch while it is
on the charger the scanner will stop on 462.68750 (Family Radio Service Channel 6)

Doesn't cause problems, I just move them apart.

Didn't know if this would be interesting to others.

-Chris

 

[popnokick]

Like most small electronic devices, the Apple Watch charger probably uses a "switching" power supply, rather than an AC transformer with DC conversion. They are found in nearly every USB charging device (including 12V cigarette lighter adapters for vehicles) and most "wall wart" type AC power supplies. Most of them are not designed to minimize EMI emissions, and in fact are huge sources of RF "pollution" across wide swaths of the RF spectrum. I had a horrendous "open squelch" / EMI problem with the BCT15 in my car that I finally traced to the 12V USB charger for my phones. The solution was to switch to a different USB charger... oddly enough in this case, a less expensive charger. So the rule and advice is: "Scanner / receiver behaving badly? Look for a nearby device that employs a switching (transformerless) DC power supply."

 

[jaspence]

Should be no big surprise. There have been many hams complain about the phone charger interfering with radio recption in their mobiles.