Interference in Jefferson Twp (Morris County)

[regrasc1]

Hi,

Total newb here to the world of scanners so please pardon my ignorance. I live in Jefferson Twp/Lake Hopatcong (Morris County) and have an old analog Uniden BC365CRS that can't scan the programmed channels due to a constant interference on all channels. I've squelched and tried moving the unit to different parts of the house to no avail. This is an issue that randomly starts and runs for months, then ends for no reason only to start up again months later. I think its interference from the overhead lines near the house, but I have no way to tell.

Are these persistent periods of pure static common in this area? Would upgrading to a new digital scanner fix it?

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

 

[tvengr]

The first thing I would try is unplug all USB power adapters in the house. The switching power supplies can radiate signals over a wide part of the spectrum. That is often the source of that kind of interference.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Hi & welcome to the RR forums!
Do you still get said interference if you disconnect your antenna or even move the scanner to a different room?

Would upgrading to a new digital scanner fix it?

Probably not, though some folks mistake digital emissions (as those from P25, DMR, NXDN, etc) as "static". Can you provide an audio sample of what you're hearing?

 

[regrasc1]

The first thing I would try is unplug all USB power adapters in the house. The switching power supplies can radiate signals over a wide part of the spectrum. That is often the source of that kind of interference.

I haven't unplugged all the USB power adapters yet, but I recall that when I had my phone plugged into my laptop, I would get the static. I could clear the static just by changing how I held my phone. You could be on to something there. Video sample of my static below.

 

[tvengr]

Another thing to remember is that some AC outlet strips have USB ports as well as AC wall outlets and even some furniture. The signals from these USB ports can use the AC wiring in your house as a transmitting antenna. One thing you can do is turn off circuit breakers one at a time and see if the noise disappears to help isolate the location of the problem..

 

[tvengr]

Here is another possibility from another member.

I have a Hughes net satellite modem that has apparently gone off the rails. It was spewing so much radiation that that it blanked the entire house, even a small radius around the outside of the house.

 

[regrasc1]

Here is another possibility from another member.

I'm on a cable modem here, but I will certainly give that a try after work. This latest bout happened to conincide with our neighbor across the street having issues with her cable.

 

[Skypilot007]

Have you tried any higher frequencies? Low band can have lots of noise. Try your local NOAA weather station for starters, see if you can hear that.