Lots Of Noise On AM After Planned Power Outage

[cc333]

I don't know what happened, but after a brief planned power outage yesterday, the AM dial from about 600 to 1100 has been completely obliterated by extremely loud electronic noise. Is this the new normal?

I'm not happy, because it makes trying to listen to AM even more frustrating, and, of course, it now makes trying to DX anything on those frequencies completely impossible.

c

 

[boombox4]

You didn't say whether it was day or night, and what did you mean by "electronic noise"? If it was night, it could have been conditions, which can be noisy. Monday night I noticed more than a few static crashes on the X-band, and although DX was decent on Monday night, not so great here on Tuesday night.

It's also possible that you have a neighbor with a noisy solar panel system, which would still be working during a power outage.

 

[davideduardo]

I don't know what happened, but after a brief planned power outage yesterday, the AM dial from about 600 to 1100 has been completely obliterated by extremely loud electronic noise. Is this the new normal?

I'm not happy, because it makes trying to listen to AM even more frustrating, and, of course, it now makes trying to DX anything on those frequencies completely impossible.

Location? Indoor or in car? Rural or urban? And as Boombox asked, day or night?

 

[cc333]

Sorry, I was in a hurry when I first posted.

This happened about 12AM PT, and I'm at home indoors.

I'm in the suburbs, and I think a house across the street has solar, but it's been there for years and has never caused any problems.

By electronic noise, I mean a loud, constant buzz that seems like something one would hear with a poorly shielded switching power supply (or solar inverter, I suppose; perhaps the neighbors' system was damaged by the outage and is now malfunctioning somehow?) I doubt it's the conditions.

Normally, the noise level isn't great, but it's usable, especially with my AN-200, long wire and MLA-30+. I've never heard this particular noise (QRM?) until tonight, and I hope it goes away soon.

c

 

[Kelly A]

Sounds like a 'pole hog' (aka transformer) in your neighborhood is probably getting ready to fail. Older pole transformers have been known to create arching internally after power is removed and reapplied.

 

[boombox4]

Another possibility, the power surge -- when it came back on -- might have made an LED bulb's internals go particular. They can put out great light and still be noisy. And it can happen suddenly. LED is fine and quiet, and next day it goes noisy, and stays that way.

I've seen it happen. So, it's a possibility.

 

[cc333]

Sounds like a 'pole hog' (aka transformer) in your neighborhood is probably getting ready to fail.

I hope not. I've heard that when those go, it's often very violent, and anyone whose house is connected to one usually gets all its electronics fired I guess because it creates a big surge in power.

Another possibility, the power surge -- when it came back on -- might have made an LED bulb's internals go particular.

Hmm, maybe, but I don't think so.

I've heard what LEDs sound like, at least some, and it's more of a loud whooshing or zapping sound. The noise I heard last night sounds more like a very buzzy 60Hz hum.

Come to think of it, earlier yesterday (in the daytime), I heard the same noise up around 1710. Whatever is causing this, it's completely trashing the AM band in this neighborhood, but only intermittently, it seems....

I just checked, and the noise around 600-1100 was gone for a few minutes, and now just came back and seems to be present across the entire AM band. Only a few strong locals come through; DX is impossible.

c

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

My encounter may mean nothing, but I just toss it out.
In a 1st-floor apartment owned by the town's mayor (!) is where I lived after moving here from Long Island.
An incredible mess of a noise on AM started -- the whole dial. It took like a stingy 3-degree wedge of the loop to clear it somewhat. But it was increasing so much that I thought it might be ME causing it. Day and night.
A PP&L guy came out, asked around, and even sorted through His Honor's garage just in back of my pad.
Lo and behold: Electric blanket. Sill plugged in. For the summer. With some sort of thermometer adjustment that was starting to go fooey.
Futher DX (Unplugged) was like a waterfall stopping.

 

[Mark Roberts]

My first suspect in situations such as these is a dimmer switch nearby, especially one that's not either full-on or full-off.

 

[Kelly A]

Rather than speculating, why not foxhunt this issue? Put some batteries in a portable radio, tune in to the noise, then walk around your home monitoring the noise level. Just think of the noise as Foghorn Leghorn and you are the nerdy chick:

 

[cc333]

Rather than speculating, why not foxhunt this issue?

That's a superb idea!

I have batteries in my DX-398 and new PR-D4W, so I'll tune into some noise and wander around to see where it's strongest and weakest. Maybe even outside.

It could be a failing appliance for all I know (if it is, my prime suspect would be the refrigerator, which has been making some very weird and concerning noises lately. It's still working though, so....).

c

 

[cc333]

OK, so I'm listening to the radio now, and the noise is still there, but much quieter so some distant stations can break through. KYNO 940 (right in the middle of the noisiest part of the dial) is coming in fairly well, but the noise is building. I hope it doesn't get to be overpowering like it was last night. That was disappointing.

c

 

[boombox4]

I've heard what LEDs sound like, at least some, and it's more of a loud whooshing or zapping sound. The noise I heard last night sounds more like a very buzzy 60Hz hum.

Come to think of it, earlier yesterday (in the daytime), I heard the same noise up around 1710. Whatever is causing this, it's completely trashing the AM band in this neighborhood, but only intermittently, it seems....

I just checked, and the noise around 600-1100 was gone for a few minutes, and now just came back and seems to be present across the entire AM band. Only a few strong locals come through; DX is impossible.

c

I've gotten 60 hz hum from bad LEDs. No swooshes. The AC hash. I have one in a box which is marked as such but stashed away as a spare in case a bulb burns out and I don't have any new ones in the cupboard. It will still work as a lightbulb. I just will never use it long term, because it puts out AC hash.

I also go the same AC hash from a failing CFL bulb with the same indicators --- light operating regularly, ad is nothing was wrong -- but the electronics inside the device were coating the lower half of the MW band with what sounded like AC hash.

Check your lights, at the very least, especially if any of them are left on 24/7. And don't forget that other electronics can start putting out RFI that sounds like AC hash, too. All it takes is one or two small components in the circuitry to fail, and the device will still operate normally, it's just that whatever inside the device filtered the RFI component out is no longer working.

One thing to remember, of course, is that if it's a neighbor's failing device, you're sort of stuck. That's where ferreting out the noise with a battery portable would help. And remember, RFI can travel down power lines, which act as antennas.

 

[Kelly A]

OK, so I'm listening to the radio now, and the noise is still there, but much quieter so some distant stations can break through. KYNO 940 (right in the middle of the noisiest part of the dial) is coming in fairly well, but the noise is building. I hope it doesn't get to be overpowering like it was last night. That was disappointing.

Rather than being disappointed or whining about it, have your portable radio at the ready and go find the noise. I mean, WTF??

 

[cc333]

Rather than being disappointed or whining about it, have your portable radio at the ready and go find the noise. I mean, WTF??

It was late and I had a rough day. I was just too tired and lazy to bother to actually do anything, and I just felt like whining.

Yesterday, feeling much better, I did take my portable radio and walked around a bunch, inside and outside. I discovered that all the noise is inside the house (I went outside to the front yard and the noise vanished), so there's something inside that's spewing RFI everywhere, which will take further research.

It was just the timing of it that made me suspect the power company (PG&E, probably one of California's most hated companies), but it seems that it isn't (if it were, the noise would probably be just as bad outside, since the power lines are only a few dozen yards away from the front yard).

c

 

[kevtronics]

Plasma TVs are fantastic generators of broadband RFI, if you happen to still have one.

 

[cc333]

So I've heard.

However, all my TVs are LCD, and they're relatively quiet on the RF spectrum, so unless something is failing, which I doubt, I don't think they're causing the noise.

c

 

[radiofan2023]

Maybe the noise is coming from the Miami Sound Machine….

 

[cc333]

....All the way in California?

I think I sense a joke here somewhere, but I'm not getting it....

c

 

[K6JHU]

If the noise is coming from inside he house, set up the portable on batteries, check the noise level. Then one by one turn the breakers off until the noise disappears. Then turn that circuit back on and unplug devices on that circuit one-by-one until you find the noise.