Scanner Noise in my house

[Powercall]

Wonder if you guys can help me shed some light on this. In my house, I have a radio shack Pro96 and Pro 2096, as well as a 46.380 low band Minitor for my FD. I have a million electronic machines in my house, including my business machines which are in the basement. Each one of my radios has a noise in them that breaks the squelch and there is no way to stop it. I'm sure it's something plugged in to the house, but I cannot figure out how to get the noise out of the radios. It basically sounds like someone has an open mic, but of course, that's not what it is.

I am sure that other people have had this problem, but wondering if anyone has suggestions on how to remedy this noise, other than unplugging everything in the house, which I have actually tried most things. I know that GRE has a new APCO radio out there for about 500 bucks, but I am hesitant to purchase the new radio if the noise will still be here. I can't even have my minotor in "Listen" mode because this noise always breaks the squelch. Anyone have any ideas' on what this can be? It's not a 100% all the time noise, but most of the time.

David.

 

[N1BHH]

You gave it away that you know it's something in the house, so go find it, snoop it out. Shut stuff off one by one and you'll find it. Everything electronic these days gives off some kind of unwanted RF, so it's up to you to find the source, modems, TV's thermostats. Go do it.

 

[W2NJS]

Desktop and laptop computers are well-known and notorious sources for low-level RF that they radiate when in use. As was suggested, turning things off will probably show you what's doing it.

 

[jfhtm350]

I have had lights that do that, turn of the light and it went away. I get all kinds of what you are describing. I just lock it out. I have a laptop that loves to make noise in the 150Mhz range and also the low band stuff 45Mhz. A PL or DC works great. Doesnt matter what scanner you have you will still have the noise.

 

[gmclam]

1) Use an external antenna. If your scanner is picking up a signal being generated in the house, move the antenna the scanner is receiving with away from the source.

2) Does the signal you want use a CT or DC tone? If so, program that into the scanner so the squelch only opens when that tone is detected.

3) If the noise is constant, use the scanner as a locating device to try and find the source. Do you receive the noise regardless of where the scanner gets its power (even on batteries)? Does moving the scanner around change the noise? Computers, Internet modems, routers and cable TV boxes are among the biggest sources I've encountered. With the power off to the whole house, and scanner on batteries, no noise. One by one turn stuff on.

 

[boaznruth09]

well...like n1bhh said...remove one plug at a time...and see what is causing the noise. Once you find the culprit...you could add additional shielding to the cord...and if it were me, I would go outside...dig a nice deep hole, pour a carton of salt in the hole (makes it more conductive, not to mention corrosive...) and drive a copper grounding rod into the ground and hook up that offending appliance to that ground rod. Just a suggestion. Perhaps a simpler fix, would be to find the offending frequency and use the right formula to make a notch filter and blank out that one area. just a suggestion.

 

[magicjellybeans]

from my exp

1. Linksys routers - 2 meter MESS 146.565 carrier
2.Kenwmore appliances - 440Mhz noise-
3.Dell Computer - 440 MHZ broadband noise mess

Look for METAL ballloons,yes thats right,on utility poles = oh boy!

Verizon Fios - all kinds of noise on 440 Mhz =yuck!

 

[mm]

I can honestly say that I have encountered all of the above wonderful RFI emitters but in this wonderful ever changing age of Green initiatives add the wonderful Electric Lawn Mower to the growing number of noise generators, courtesy of the Green Party or whoever came up with this nonsense before even testing things out.

I recently traced a particularly bad RFI problem where noise from <500 KHz to over 225 MHz was killing receivers for over a 1/8 mile radius.

It was traced to the charger used on a big name electric lawn mower.

This is a typical example of the LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, where we are forced to adhere to new technologies without sufficient testing and with no regard to how they effect other things, plus the FCC not caring anymore for anything except for the manufacturers profit margins who can turn out any kind of garbage emitters.

Anyone dealing with cold fluorescent and LED lighting instead of good old incandescent bulbs can relate to this or how about ROHS, removing lead from electronic components and all the money that was spent to get good electrical contacts after everyone changed their manufacturing processes to the use of zero lead solder.


OK sorry off my rant for now but I'm just so sick and tired of tracing down RFI problems that are blocking the front ends of my receivers which consist of trunking scanners to ham radios to search and rescue radios.

It used to be that in the good old days when my 10 meter or 6 meter radio got into someones TV or Fm radio that they could complain and I'd have to fix the problem but anymore when the shoes on the other foot and the interference is to our hobbyist receivers, well then we have no recourse, especially when it is caused by home appliances with their so called part 15 certification.

 

[w2xq]

Been there. I would go about it in a slightly different way.

Assuming you have portable capabilities (is the noise heard on a portable scanner or AM radio?) I would turn off the main breaker and all individual circuit breakers first. Don't forget to turn off any UPS's that you may have. If you still hear the noise, go outside and prowl around the nearby power poles to find the noisiest one. Report the pole number to whatever utilities (power, telephone, cable) necessary and your job is done. It's been my experience that follow-up calls are usually necessary <grin>.

If the noise is not outside, turn on the main circuit breaker and then turn on and off each individual circuit breaker and related UPS's. When the noise appears, you'll know which area of the house wiring has the offending noisemaker.

Hope this helps.

 

[boaznruth09]

hmmm...

Wonder if anyone besides me...read the warnings of the Part 15 rules in 1980's....where it stated that if your electronic device caused interference....you needed to fix the problem....now...if you read the FCC's latest statement...your electronic device MUST ACCEPT ANY AND ALL INTERFERENCE, EVEN IF IT CAUSES UNDESIREABLE OPERATIONS......sounds like communism...at best.
\

 

[W2PMX]

hmmm...

Wonder if anyone besides me...read the warnings of the Part 15 rules in 1980's....where it stated that if your electronic device caused interference....you needed to fix the problem....now...if you read the FCC's latest statement...your electronic device MUST ACCEPT ANY AND ALL INTERFERENCE, EVEN IF IT CAUSES UNDESIREABLE OPERATIONS......sounds like communism...at best.
\

Part 15 has always included both:

15.5(b) "Operation of an intentional, unintentional, or incidental radiator is subject to the conditions that no harmful interference is caused and that interference must be accepted that may be caused by the operation of an authorized radio station, by another intentional or unintentional radiator, by industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) equipment, or by an incidental radiator."

Can't cause and has to accept. Part 90 doesn't have to accept, and that's what interference on a public service frequency is, whether you hear it in a police mobile radio or a scanner. (If it's caused by the design of the scanner, that has nothing to do with the FCC, it's just inferior equipment.)

 

[boaznruth09]

part 90

ahh....I see...the elusive part 90....hmm...I think I need to sit down and reread the regs...
well...that would make sense now. Thanks for clarifying that point.
many of the electronic stuff these days seems to have the "must accept" phrase.

soo...Powercall...have you isolated your noise problem yet?

 

[radioman2001]

I prefer the shotgun approach, if you scanner is a portable shut the main breaker in your house off first. If it's still there then you need to look elsewhere, possibly cable TV. If it's still in you house, put the main back on, and then shut off one breaker at a time, this will lead you to an area of your home. Then you can start turning ON devices that were off to find your issue, and it will save you a lot of time. If you have multiple interference generators you can turn off all your breakers and then put them ON one at a time, and do the same thing and isolate it.

 

[c5corvette]

Been there done that. Also listen closely to the noise and see what it sounds like and try to relate that to an appliance! Even with my antenna 20 ft above the roofline connected with LMR400 I have horrible sounds from the washer spin cycle down in 39 MHz.

 

[UPMan]

I read a report a couple of years ago where an amateur radio operator spent 3 hours trying to work an elusive contact...only to find that it was actually his refrigerator.

 

[ScannerWayne]

Lol Upman... Back when I was a novice (KB4FBM) I was sending CQ on ten meters. Every time I stopped sending I could hear a dash coming through. Not strong but readable. Started driving me nuts because I was sure someone was sending right over the top of my signal.

I was about ready to give it up in a fit of disgust when it dawned on me that what I was hearing was the tail end of my own call. Around the world? Can't say for sure, but it drove me crazy for about 10 minutes or so.. <grin>

Wayne...
N4SZY