Serious interference at the higher frequencies
Posts: 264
Threads: 51
Joined: Aug 2014
City: San Antonio, TX
I have had it in mind to revisit the alignment of my 66 cathedral since I took it off my bench. I was doubting the calibration of my signal generator (Eico 320), so I kept putting it off. I was going to buy a frequency counter to calibrate the signal generator, but opted for a small digital radio instead ($8 vs. $50). I got the digital radio today, put some batteries in it, and fired it up. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the same buzzing and station masking at the higher frequencies as on the 66! I took it out to the backyard (a big space-hundreds of feet back there) I was at least 100 feet from my house and about 90 feet from the nearest house and found only a marginal difference in the buzzing interference which seems to get a bit louder if the radio is tuned to where a station should be.
Any guesses about the sources? Wi-fi networks abound out here, every house is all-electric with central air and heat from heat pump units, we have no electric sub-stations near us, my cable TV has to get a signal bump from a signal booster so I assume I'm not alone in that problem. It looks like this is an issue that has no solution since it is everywhere in the neighborhood.
Funny how the problem is worse on the 66 than on other radios in my collection.
Charlie in San Antonio
Posts: 4,707
Threads: 51
Joined: Sep 2008
City: Sandwick, BC, CA
Look for a light dimmer, or something powered by a China junk switch mode power supply. Sometimes you can track down the source with a portable radio by walking around the property.
Regards
Arran
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Joined: Sep 2005
City: Evanston, IL
Wireless thermostats, wireless light/fan control, wireless remote house lighting too.
Chuck
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Joined: Oct 2007
City: Linn Creek, MO
Do you have a motion sensor light?
Steve
M R Radios C M Tubes
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Threads: 24
Joined: Jan 2014
City: Edmonton AB CA
We had a touch lamp that pretty much wiped out AM reception in our house, found it as suggested above with a handheld transistor set.
Gregb
Posts: 264
Threads: 51
Joined: Aug 2014
City: San Antonio, TX
No touch or motion lights, but I've noticed this morning that the buzzing all but disappeared when the AC wasn't running in the early morning. After work this evening, I will take the little digital radio around the house looking for the sources. Unplug all wall warts, turn off all fluorescent lights, shut down the AC, shut off the wireless and wireless phones, then turn them back on one at a time and see what happens.
Charlie in San Antonio
Posts: 264
Threads: 51
Joined: Aug 2014
City: San Antonio, TX
Found it. Before I went to the college today, I went around with the little radio and found the buzzing got faint if I went upstairs. I took a tour of the first floor with the radio and found the culprit is the big screen Samsung in the family room. That is one noisy television set. When I turn it off, the buzzing disappears. I need to run a long wire outside still, but I can get stations across the dial on the Philco 66 with the television turned off.
Charlie in San Antonio
Posts: 395
Threads: 33
Joined: Jul 2013
City: Horsham, PA
Sounds like a win-win. Television off, and good radio reception 
Posts: 1,402
Threads: 70
Joined: Oct 2007
City: Linn Creek, MO
Must be a plasma TV.
Steve
M R Radios C M Tubes
Posts: 4,707
Threads: 51
Joined: Sep 2008
City: Sandwick, BC, CA
Since it's a Samsung, if it really is a plasma set it should self destruct before long and then the interference problem will be solved.
Regards
Arran
Posts: 348
Threads: 48
Joined: Oct 2013
City: Tioga, Texas, USA
There are some clip-on ferrite sleeve devices that can be placed around the AC cord and the coax cable to the set that may help eliminate the problem. There are various sources - do a Google or Yahoo search. Place them as close as possible to the back of the set.
Joe
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