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R
ADIO NOISE TROUBLESHOOTING
Annoying buzzes are many times
transmitted through an AM radio.
Here is a check-off list of the most
likely causes:
• Dimmer switch.
• Fluorescent light.
• “Touch lamp” type light fixture
(even when turned off).
• Automatic on and off night lights.
• Outdoor yard lights which come on
automatically.
• Electronic bug and pest controllers.
• A light bulb that is about to burn out.
• A faulty electrical switch of any kind.
• A nearby television set.
• A store that has a fluorescent light
or a public recreation room that has
fluorescent lights located near you.
• Blinking bulbs of all kinds such as
Christmas tree lights.
• If you live in an apartment a
neighbor’s dimmer switch could be
the culprit.
• Scanners of all types.
• Dirty insulators on a nearby power
pole allowing arcing.
• Electric blanket.
• Smoke detectors that run from AC
current (battery operated is OK).
AM R
ADIO
N
OISE
P
ROBLEMS AND
P
OSSIBLE
S
OLUTIONS
It is best to eliminate the interfer-
ence at its source. Here’s a list of
possible solutions:
• The most obvious is to turn off the
offending device.
• Try a battery operated radio to see if
the interference is coming in from
the AC 120 Volt line, through the air,
or both.
• Turn off the circuit breakers to see if
the noise stops. If it does, then you
know it is something in your house.
Turn off one circuit at a time to iso-
late where the noise is coming from.
• Use a battery operated radio as a
direction finder. Turn the radio until
the loudest noise is heard — the
front and back of the radio will point
to the noise origin.
• Carry a radio around the neighbor-
hood and see if you can find the
origin of the noise. Ask other neigh-
bors if they have the same problem.
• If a power pole is suspected, call
the utility company and they will
check the area and possibly wash
the insulators. Dirty power pole insu-
lators are sometimes a cause of
difficult-to-find radio interference.
• If you have a hum in your receiver
from AC line noise sometimes
grounding the radio can reduce the
hum greatly. Finding a good earth
ground may be difficult.