glenn@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Glenn C. Scott) (10/28/85)
[] I need some help with identifying and, hopefully, correcting a TV and FM radio interference problem. The best description of the problem is noise (static) in the audio of the TV and the FM radio. The video on the television has a tiny bit of snow in two distinct bars on the screen; one in the top half and one in the bottom half. The trouble appears periodically in the evening. I've checked with another neighbor and they have the same problem. If I can't find the problem myself who can I contact to get more help, etc ? Any help would be appreciated. Glenn
speaker@ttidcb.UUCP (Kenneth Speaker) (11/01/85)
In article <2425@sdcrdcf.UUCP> glenn@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Glenn C. Scott) writes: >[] > > I need some help with identifying and, hopefully, correcting a TV and FM radio >interference problem. The best description of the problem is noise (static) in >the audio of the TV and the FM radio. The video on the television has a tiny >bit of snow in two distinct bars on the screen; one in the top half and one in >the bottom half. The trouble appears periodically in the evening. I've checked >with another neighbor and they have the same problem. > > If I can't find the problem myself who can I contact to get more help, etc ? >Any help would be appreciated. > >Glenn I live over in the valley of the Jewish Princess and have the same problem you describe, but only on low band channels (2-6). Surely this can not be as widespread as Woodland Hills to Santa Monica or the FCC would have received complaints....(?). What do you do folks, call the "local" FCC office and complain? --Kne
fish@ihlpm.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (01/23/86)
> [] > > I need some help with identifying and, hopefully, correcting a TV and FM radio > interference problem. The best description of the problem is noise (static) in > the audio of the TV and the FM radio. The video on the television has a tiny > bit of snow in two distinct bars on the screen; one in the top half and one in > the bottom half. The trouble appears periodically in the evening. I've checked > with another neighbor and they have the same problem. > This problem has appeared numerous time in this newsgroup, so I thought I'd post this response. The problem you describe can usually be attributed to somebody operating a brushed-contact electric motor nearby. Power tools are the most common source. A brushed-contact motor applies current to the armature windings by means of direct electical contact with a sleeve on the rotor. There are gaps in the sleeve, and when the brush crosses the gap, you get sparks. Anybody who has ever used a power drill can see them. The greater the load on the motor, the bigger the sparks. One of my old professors had this comment about the bandwidth of a spark: "you can hear it, and you can see it." In other words, it's a pretty good source of RF noise. The only solution is to find out who's running the motor and complain. It's probably a router or a saw, something like that, or it could be a vacuum cleaner. Your washing machine, furnace, and refrigerator don't bother the TV because they use brushless, induction motors, which don't spark. Tools are another story. If you want to see the phenomenon for yourself, just run your drill in the same room as the TV set; you will see the same kind of disturbance you describe. It's kind of funny that the FCC bitches about EMI from computers, but does nothing about power tools. Maybe it's all that military stuff the gummint buys from Rockwell. -- __ / \ \__/ Bob Fishell ihnp4!ihlpm!fish