Weird interference on certain X band stations.

[gar hi]

Since X band catches have been mentioned lately, I've wanted to do more DXing but for some reason, I get the strangest sounding interference on some X band stations and not others.

It's frustrating because I can't listen to many frequencies. It's constant too.

The best way to describe it is a combination of an electrical buzzing sound and light IBOC hiss.

I get it starting on 1630, not much on 1640 because of the good signal from the Biloxi station, 1650, none noticed on 1660 because of the Marco Island station, 1670, and 1680.

It's not on 1690 and 1700.

Any ideas what this could be?

 

[kenglish]

If you are talking about a high-pitched grinding noise, it's a neighbor's Plasma or LCD TV set.
Those darned things are starting their noise spectrum at lower and lower frequencies.
I'm hearing them as low as 1200 KHz.

 

[ddsparxx]

Perhaps this may be why I'm hearing these noises on rainy days, especially the whooshing noises... That may be also the reason why I moved my laptop computer away from my radio listening area. At my places I am also hearing loud grating-sounding 60 Hz noises when most people are home at my apartment complex, especially at 940 kHz, 1270 kHz and the X band and when they're not asleep.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

I'm wondering if the 60 Hz grating sound is from a dimmer switch or touch on lamp. Also, could some of it be heterodynes from off freqeuncy TIS stations? Occasionally, you can get skywaves from those, as I'm sure experienced DXers have heard. I got the TIS from near O'Hare Airport in Sotheastern Michigan at times. Also some carrier shift navigational beacons. Most of this was before the expanded band stations.

 

[gar hi]

OK, this is even weirder.

I just noticed that I don't get this strange sound at all on my Sony SRF-M37 Walkman.


???

 

[FreddyE1977]

If you are talking about a high-pitched grinding noise, it's a neighbor's Plasma or LCD TV set.
Those darned things are starting their noise spectrum at lower and lower frequencies.
I'm hearing them as low as 1200 KHz.

Yep. I am noticing that as I drive around listening to AM stations, when I pass by certain
houses my radio absolutely freaks out. Either they are splitting atoms in their basement
or they have a big screen plasma turned on.

 

[spunker88]

OK, this is even weirder.

I just noticed that I don't get this strange sound at all on my Sony SRF-M37 Walkman.


???

Then you've narrowed it down to interference through the electrical wires. TVs (especially newer LCD/Plasmas), fluorescent lamps, , pretty much any new electronic device are all really large noise makers that like to backfeed their noise through wiring. Try turning everything electrical off that you can and see if the problem persists. Start turning things back on to see what causes the problem.

There are also noise filters you can get that you plug the radio's electrical cord into and it plugs into the socket.

 

[gar hi]

I already did that where I turned off everything and I thought at first it was my computer but it wasn't that either.

The sound is pretty much consistent everywhere throughout my place too.

I don't recall it happening this time last year either.

 

[Darth_vader]

Do you live near or under power lines? Or does your power company use a telemetry system for the power metres (like the local PUD does here) instead of sending a metreman around to read them?

In my case both conditions are true, and any time I'm near a power transmission line of some sort, be it in the air, or the ground, or in a wall, my radio gets flooded with very loud, wideband 60-cycle buzzing. Makes it a real bitch to try and hear anything intellegible on shortwave, too.

You might consider calling your power company or PUD and enquiring if they are using such a system. If they are, that might also be contributing to your problem.

(Deffo agreed on the plasma/LCD noise too. I can usually tell when my neighbours in the unit directly below mine are home and waching their 55" LCD, just by how my mediumwave rig sounds! 0 )