• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

VHF noise when inverter is on

Status
Not open for further replies.

yorkphotog

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 21, 2007
Messages
486
Location
Toronto, ON, Canada
I've recently completed an install on a 2012 Ford Escape with 10 scanners (pics to come!).

Most of the radios are running 800 Mhz trunking, but I do have a couple that do VHF (an MCS2000 and a 996XT).

Whenever I turn on my power inverter (with any sort of load), there is interference in the VHF radios. The power inverter is powered from a separate wire directly from the battery. All of the scanners and other gear are also on their own wire (going through a DC fuse panel).

I'm thinking possibly bad ground on the inverter..? The inverter is in the back of the car and all of the radios are up front.
Once I have some time it will go back to the installer for more investigation...

Any ideas..? Thanks! :)
 

LtDoc

Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2006
Messages
2,145
Location
Oklahoma
A bad 'ground' is one possibility, but there are others. Probably the most common is that inverter is radiating RF. The 'cure' for that is shielding (enclosing all that RF), or routing it to ground by by-passing it (inside the box). Some inverters are just noisier than others, usually because the manufacturer didn't do an adequate job of 'filtering' the thing, probably didn't figure on it powering something that was RF susceptible. Because of how they work, inverters are terrible noise generators to start with. It is NOT a simple thingy to clean up, and usually why the 'better' ones are more expensive.
Good luck.
- 'Doc
 

yorkphotog

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 21, 2007
Messages
486
Location
Toronto, ON, Canada
Thx!

I should also mention -- the inverter is a Xantrex ProWatt SW1000 (true sine). I had the 600w version in my old car with no issues...
I just took a closer look at it and realized the "CHASSIS GROUND" terminal on the inverter isn't connected to anything. :p
 
Last edited:

yorkphotog

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 21, 2007
Messages
486
Location
Toronto, ON, Canada
Nope, not resolved yet. Just haven't had time to work on it. :)

It is indeed like a white noise static that covers the audio the second you turn the inverter on.

If anything is plugged into the inverter, the static is even worse.

The inverter is run on a separate 0 gauge wire from the battery straight to the inverter.
 

bikinjohn

Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2011
Messages
76
Location
Las Vegas, NV
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.3.4; en-us; DROIDX Build/4.5.1_57_DX8-51) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

You may want to try a power filter on the radio's power, they're not very expensive. Maybe that'll work
 
Last edited:

yorkphotog

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 21, 2007
Messages
486
Location
Toronto, ON, Canada
Sadly it seems like it isn't necessarily the inverter causing the issue.

Even when my Toughbook is running via battery power, it is causing obvious interference in the VHF stuff. I'm also thinking power issue...?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top