I bought a new electric razor

[vchimpanzee]

Maybe this should be no surprise.

I wake up with a clock radio that is on a station I can receive clearly before sunrise. This is an issue in the winter. I'm not completely certain this is happening, but I get serious interference occasionally on a station 20 miles away which I listen to on a second clock radio that comes on an hour later. Whatever the mystery problem is, it doesn't seem to affect the clear station, which is nearly 10 miles away. And yet when I recharge my electric razor, plugged into the same outlet as the clock radio (because it takes an hour to recharge and waking up to that clock radio reminds me) on Sunday, the one day a week I use the new one, and the one day I sleep an hour later, NOTHING BUT STATIC. I could understand shaving, but recharging?

 

[KeithE4]

Maybe this should be no surprise.

I wake up with a clock radio that is on a station I can receive clearly before sunrise. This is an issue in the winter. I'm not completely certain this is happening, but I get serious interference occasionally on a station 20 miles away which I listen to on a second clock radio that comes on an hour later. Whatever the mystery problem is, it doesn't seem to affect the clear station, which is nearly 10 miles away. And yet when I recharge my electric razor, plugged into the same outlet as the clock radio (because it takes an hour to recharge and waking up to that clock radio reminds me) on Sunday, the one day a week I use the new one, and the one day I sleep an hour later, NOTHING BUT STATIC. I could understand shaving, but recharging?

Keep the razor at least 2 feet away from the radio. Try plugging it into a different outlet. My Norelco razor puts out a pile of hash, but only out to about 2 feet (radiation that low should still be within Part 15 limits). It's a cordless unit that only puts out noise when plugged in to an AC outlet.

 

[Tom Wells]

The fundamentally active force in all new electronics is radio interference.

I had a car cell-phone charger that was as as bad as your razor.
Sure makes me wish we had the FCC of the 1950's back.
Some guys with buzz-cuts, one of 'em with black frame glasses, would show up, have a look, and tell you what you had to do.
Only this was not to radio station people. It was to industrial users.

Shaving soap, a brush, and an actual razor make no RF.

 

[audioguy]

If that doesn't work, another thing you can try is an ac line noise filter. I have not had very good luck with the inexpensive ones, but you can always give it a try. The kind that have a ground terminal usually work the best. On the other hand, increasing the separation is usually pretty effective.

 

[1st of 5]

Not intending to change the subject, but for the past two years I have had a similar interference problem that affects my DX-398, whip antenna or external, DC or AC power, especially 15-17 MHz range and only during the day. But there are some rare days when the interference is totally absent and the bands crystal clear. I have tried to locate the source, but so far no luck, or its not in the immediate vicinity. I suspect that all that noise is caused by those flat screen plasma TVs or something that TWC (I don't subscribe to cable or SATV and have removed the coax from my property years ago) is running through their lines.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

My cell phone charger puts out some mean near-field RF when it's plugged in, as well. My razor probably puts out a little bit, too, but I don't remember for sure at the moment.

Yeah... I think either the rules, or the enforcement of the rules, has gotten a bit lax. In the FCC rules, there are separate sections for intentional radiators, incidental radiators, and unintentional radiators. I just looked at the rules, and it appears that the basic limits for unintentional radiators are the same as for intentional radiators (comparing 15.109 vs 15.209). I personally think that's not the way it should be, though. I won't go into detail in this post for what I think intentional radiators should be allowed to radiate, but I would like to see it much higher than current limits, at least in some bands.
As for unintentional radiators... I would like to see them toned down... a LOT. The limits I'm specifying would be as measured at the internal surface of the exterior cover of a device or cable. (This is to keep the interference under control even when the device is operated with its cover off.) Basically, the field strength at those locations, in my opinion, should be no higher level than 90-120dB below the level of naturally-occuring noise, whether it's atmospheric, galactic, or whatever other types of natural noise I neglected to mention. Also, it wouldn't hurt to have better selectivity / off-band attenuation for intentional radiators, as well.
So if we had limits like that, would the spectrum go back to being as quiet as it was before man discovered electricity (except, of course, for frequencies where there are legitimate radiators, licensed or not)?

 

[vchimpanzee]

Maybe this should be no surprise.

I wake up with a clock radio that is on a station I can receive clearly before sunrise. This is an issue in the winter. I'm not completely certain this is happening, but I get serious interference occasionally on a station 20 miles away which I listen to on a second clock radio that comes on an hour later. Whatever the mystery problem is, it doesn't seem to affect the clear station, which is nearly 10 miles away. And yet when I recharge my electric razor, plugged into the same outlet as the clock radio (because it takes an hour to recharge and waking up to that clock radio reminds me) on Sunday, the one day a week I use the new one, and the one day I sleep an hour later, NOTHING BUT STATIC. I could understand shaving, but recharging?

Keep the razor at least 2 feet away from the radio. Try plugging it into a different outlet. My Norelco razor puts out a pile of hash, but only out to about 2 feet (radiation that low should still be within Part 15 limits). It's a cordless unit that only puts out noise when plugged in to an AC outlet.

The good news is that I usually turn off the radio anyway. Sunday is the only day I need to do this but there aren't any outlets left (unless I move the dresser but there's too much junk on it to do that)! I had to move the timer I use for when I'm in the mountains or at the beach. And the only way to remember to plug the razor in is when I'm turning off the radio, so it really needs to be plugged into that outlet.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Shaving soap, a brush, and an actual razor make no RF.

Too messy and I've never done it. My bathroom doesn't even have a place for that stuff.

 

[kenglish]

I thought of this particular letter as soon as I read this thread:

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Part 15 Letters/04-06-24-Battery Charger.pdf

 

[LibertyNT]

I've known Plasma TV's to kill the am band. Even upstairs at least 100 feet from the damn TV it still killed a semi local 1400 unless I turned the loop just right.
It also causes buzzing under all AM Stations.
Unless it is off of course

 

[crainbebo]

Man I'm glad to not have a plasma!

Big problem here at NIGHT is our 60w energy efficiant bulbs. They aren't GREEN for the enviroment on AM! It blocks pretty much most of 650-1050 except for strong signals, and sometimes up around 1400-1500 kHz too.

-crainbebo

 

[ddsparxx]

I don't have one of thoes plasma TVs but some of my neighbors in my apartment complex have them and I hear the buzzing noise somewhere along at 550, 940, 1290 kHz. But there's nothing we can do about it. When we have Verizon technicians install new fiber optic cables at out apartment complex, at every apartment, there was a loud hash almost all over the AM band.

 

[Tom Wells]

I don't have one of thoes plasma TVs but some of my neighbors in my apartment complex have them and I hear the buzzing noise somewhere along at 550, 940, 1290 kHz. But there's nothing we can do about it. When we have Verizon technicians install new fiber optic cables at out apartment complex, at every apartment, there was a loud hash almost all over the AM band.

Must have been noise off the many optical modems....fiber optic CAN"T radiate RF,

 

[BRNout]

Big problem here at NIGHT is our 60w energy efficiant bulbs. They aren't GREEN for the enviroment on AM! It blocks pretty much most of 650-1050 except for strong signals, and sometimes up around 1400-1500 kHz too.

-crainbebo

Little known fact: compact fluorescent bulbs (CFRs) aren't green for the environment at all! Each bulb contains a little bit of mercury. Break one and you have mercury in your home. Toss it into the garbage (as millions will do over time) and the mercury ends up in the landfill. Collectively, the 'greens' are creating an environmental issue where none existed before. Incandescent bulbs, on the other hand, are clean. The filament is usually tungsten, you have glass and a bit of harmless sodium. Which is why the light from CFLs have that white/blue tint (though some are adjusted with sodium to 'look' more yellow) and the incandescent bulbs have the softer yellow/white glow.

I know, this would appear to be a thread hijacking - and it's not intended as such. Just pointing out that beyond screwing up AM reception for those of us who like to dx, they will also cause other long-term impacts that nobody seems to want to think about.

 

[ddsparxx]

I don't like these CFRs either. I used to use them in hopes to lower the bills but they also made the AM dial noisy. But the more reason for quitting using them are the use of mercury in them.

 

[Tom Wells]

I'm a lot less worried about the mercury than the RF pollution. The mercury came from the environment, and back it shall go
one day. It is an element, like iron, that cannot be broken down. The RF pollution happens full time, all the time they are on,
and is IN ADDITION to any naturally occurring noise we must accept. I'm not sure why the EPA is only concerned with protecting SOME aspects of the environment, and not others. Then too, where in the heck is the FCC on these noisemakers?
They shouldn't even be allowed to be sold with the amount of pollution they create in operation.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

I'm with Tom on the RF pollution issue... although I personally would rather see it more strict. In my opinion, the maximum level allowed should be at least 150dB below atmospheric or galactic noise, whichever is the lower level, measured on the INSIDE surface of the offending device's cover. That way you would be able to have your radio right next to a "noisemaker" that has its cover removed, and not get any interference at all.
Also, btw, while I'm not against digital radio, I think IBOC has got it all wrong. For one thing, if you're using an analog-only radio, you shouldn't even be able to tell that there's anything "digital" going on with the signal at all. Even if you are within 1/4 wavelength of a 50kW digital transmitter, it shouldn't interfere with your listening to a somewhat weak (maybe 20dBuV/m, or 0.1mV/m (not sure if those values are the same)) distant analog signal on the same frequency. Also, with a digital-enabled radio, it should work even if the analog signal is very poor. Basically, if you lose the digital signal, then even if you were to use extrordinary means to try to recover the analog signal, like using QRSS CW (or whatever mode is able to be detected with the weakest signal), you couldn't even so much as detect a carrier. Also, you should be able to detect a weak signal, even if you're within the 100,000mV/m contour of a strong signal on the same frequency. Or.... has the technology just not gotten there yet?

 

[Mid West Clubber]

I dont use anything that can mess up my shortwave, In fact I can hear Radio Habanna Cuba on 6060 right beside my computer.

 

[ddsparxx]

"Then too, where in the heck is the FCC on these noisemakers?"

I think the FCC is too big, is inefficient and they don't care. I'm, too, (a bad word here) off about the noisemakers

 

[kenglish]

Happy to report that the new owners of the former Tony Roma's building have gutted out the big neon sign, and I'm hoping it will be re-built properly. It was a pretty nasty mess for years, with multiple fluorescent lamps and junk-y neon..... All of which was exposed to rain and snow, since the top access cover blew away decades ago.

Now, if the mall (across the street) can finish burning down (see previous posts about bad wiring ), and the Plasma TV sets all crap-out (usually takes exactly 3 years), I'll be able to DX again.