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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2018 3:13:25 GMT
Massive Noise Attack Sunday Morning
We have come to enjoy very low noise AM band here at Worldround Radio, except Sunday morning around 8:30 CDT the dial was over-whelmed by the most massive noise attack we have ever experienced!
It continued for several minutes and then switched off and we haven't noticed it again.
While it was happening I wondered if we were being subjected to a major radiation assault coming from space ray guns.
Perhaps a neighbor got a really terrible kitchen appliance of some kind.
It's the kind of thing that could get blamed on Carl's Food Truck, but the truck is stalled over at Walmart.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2018 15:57:50 GMT
There is/was supposed to be a solar flare which may disrupt communication. Don't know if it would cause noise.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2018 16:00:02 GMT
Also
A solar flare wouldn't switch off all at once.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2018 16:12:08 GMT
Of course not. That would be silly.
It was probably the electronic equipment damaged by the flare that shut off.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2018 19:48:46 GMT
Unsolved Chronic Mysteries
That major blast of AM band noise on Sunday morning is not a chronic problem because so far it's only been observed one time.
But chronic problems, those that go on and on without solution, also arise.
Chronic Problem # 1 -- My main monitor at the control desk of my radio stations has long been a CCrane Radio Plus, the original model that tuned AM, FM, TV VHF Analog Audio, and Weather Band.
On some audio material the volume changes randomly by going from strong to weak, strong, weak.
I don't think it's a loose wire because tapping or shaking the radio doesn't cause or change the problem.
Originally I thought it was a dirty volume control, but it only happens on some audio and not all audio.
My newest theory is this: I believe that although the radio only has a mono speaker, I'm pretty sure it decodes stereo for the headphone and line jacks. Yes, it has Left and Right Line Jacks.
I suspect that the stereo decoder is malfunctioning and one of the channels is switching in and out on certain audio material.
Taking the radio apart to inspect the interior is something I may do next year.
Chronic Problem # 2 -- At unpredictable times, once a day or less, I get raspy static on top of my 1550 kHz signal, that sounds like a an electricly hot wire being dragged along a chain-link fence.
I have inspected for audio connection problems or antenna system trouble, but when the static stops after about a-minute-and-a-half it is not triggered again by messing with audio or antenna wiring.
Therefore it is probably something external that is coming over the power lines.
Chronic Problem # 3 The Decade GPL-20 Dipole FM Antenna for KDX-FM is mounted in horizontal plane flat against the wall across the top of a window and door, the same window that provides the Wintenna for KDX AMT3000 Transmitter, the metal window frame functioning as part of the vertical antenna.
Therefore the AM and FM antennas are in proximity of each other.
When I turn off the FM transmitter the modulation level of the AM transmitter's signal as heard on the radio
increases, but it only does this in the evening and never during the daytime.
These are reliable problems because they loyally continue month after month.
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Post by Boomer on Mar 23, 2018 10:52:12 GMT
I receive all kinds of noises on my AM radio at different times: hums, beeps, whirring, growls, pops, buzzes, ticks, tones, hiss and more. FM has noise too, but fewer noises than AM.
One issue was CFL 'corkscrew' bulbs. I installed some from K-Mart in their early days of popularity. Sometime later I noticed that the AM radio was noisier than it used to be, but didn't connect it to the bulbs right away, but when I did, started testing bulbs by taking an AM portable to the different bulbs, and some were transmitting noise out 3-5 feet, and feeding it along the power cord, so it was getting into the AC system. I switched back to filament bulbs again.
Now I'm trying to upgrade to LED, and I've been testing some of those. My findings so far, when it comes to noise, the cost of the bulb doesn't seem to relate to the noise it gives out. I got 50 cent 800 lumen bulbs from Dollar Tree that were better than more expensive ones from a home improvement store.
Another low noise bulb is the filament type LED. I got some at a hardware store, and they have a clear glass bulb with long yellow LED filaments, with no big base on as a heat sink or cover for the ballast. They were the lowest noise of any LED I've tried so far, and I can see in the base, and there are only a few tiny parts down in the bulb. They're also the most efficient LEDs I've found, and use a few watts less than other bulbs with the same lumens.
My test setup is basic, just a lamp plugged into AC power where I try different bulbs. I use an AM radio tuned between stations, and bring it close to the bulb, and then the power cord close to the receptacle, and see how much noise it throws out.
Boomer
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2018 12:28:58 GMT
ALPB Bulb Researcher
At this time we recognize Boomer as the official bulb researcher for ALPB.
Thank you for sharing the findings of your bulb testing center.
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Post by Boomer on Mar 29, 2018 5:29:57 GMT
I had to be a bulb researcher, it was something I never had to worry about until CFL twist bulbs came out, and I had my rude awakening about how much noise they were causing, especially to AM reception.
Other things I hear are noise from Christmas lights displays, and someone's invisible Dog fence up the street puts out a beeping noise when you go past their yard on my frequency too.
I've found noise in other small items as well, I have an LED flashlight that sends a noise signal 2 feet, and a rechargeable USB battery that puts out a small signal on the AM band, even when not connected to anything, for a range of a few inches, but it's there.
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