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I have a bit of a problem with my speakers. Whenever they’re on, I can faintly hear my campus radio station. Now don’t get me wrong, I like WNUR, but I don’t like hearing it when I’m working. Or napping. It’s mostly the napping thing.
I visited the website for my speakers and found out that the radio interference problem is a common one. There’s all kinds of radio signals in the air and any wire can become an antenna if its length is on the same wavelength as a signal. This problem has been compounded recently as everything is going wireless. What’s worse, if a signal gets mixed up with the connection between a modem and a computer, data can get mangled and lost.
The problem works with any device that carries rapidly changing electric currents. That’s any electromagnetic device or even natural objects, like the Northern Lights or the Sun. The electromagnetic signals can interfere with just about any circuit and may make it less effective.
I’ve been trying to fix the interference problem using the website’s suggestions. Moving the speakers across my desk didn’t work, and neither did moving across campus. Ditto for bundling the wires. The last suggestion is buying ferrite beads, which block signals. You’ve most likely seen them on computer wires - they’re the huge bumps at the end. Even though the ferrite beads would likely help the problem, I don’t think I’m welcome in the local Radio Shack after I bought a VCR, then returned it after I taped The Office. I’d also like to solve the problem without spending very much money.
So I’m opening it up to you, readers. Have you tackled any problems with radio interference? How much of a nuisance was it? And, how can I fix the problem without setting foot in Radio Shack?
Comments (22)
Comment
I have a HUGE problem with radio interference…I live in between the 2 largest hills in Rochester, NY - which is a relatively flat city, so the 2 hills are prime real estate for radio towers and thus full of them. Normally, I can’t keep a wireless connection on my laptop for more than an hour without disconnecting. Sometimes I can’t connect at all and have to break out the 837 foot (at least it seems that long) cord that has inevitably gotten tangled sine the last time I used it - and sometimes I’ll go weeks without losing a connection. But for the most part, it’s a daily annoyance.
a friend who used to live a couple blocks closer to one of the hills picked up local radio stations though his TV whenever it was on.
no clue about how to fix the problem - with or without stepping foot in Radio Shack…So I’ll be checking back here for suggestions ;)
:)
posted by Clotho on 11-30-2007 at 6:10 pm
Try getting a speaker cable that has a thicker coating. This should help. Also, you can terminate the ends of the speaker wire with “banana plugs”. That might cut back on some of that interference.
posted by Joe E on 11-30-2007 at 6:19 pm
Try making a makeshift “Faraday Cage” using aluminum foil from your kitchen. The foil could be applied directly to the back /inside of the speakers themselves, or the wall behind the speakers. The idea is to disrupt the radio signal enough not to be noticed by your local receiver. Still, it’s not going to be as good as if you constructed an entire cage with brass mesh, but you may yield some good results. Think of it as a tin-foil hat for your stereo.
-Austin
posted by Austin on 11-30-2007 at 7:28 pm
I don’t know about radio interference, but does anyone else’s electronic devices occasionally make a sort of metallic “bip bip bip” sound? I’ve got an alarm/radio that does that ALL the time, even when it’s playing music… i have also heard a lamp make this noise which was creepy.
posted by Korin on 11-30-2007 at 7:53 pm
My cell phone (at&t, krazr) makes my speakers make all kinds of super loud noises whenever its anywhere nearby (within 5 ft). Any suggestions?
posted by Amy on 12-1-2007 at 12:10 am
I had a huge problem with my telephone picking up a local AM station. I had some limited success wrapping the telephone wire from the wall to the base station around a bar magnet. That quieted it down a little. Mostly, I just had to live with with it for the three years I lived in this bldg. On the positive side, I could keep up with all of the talk radio shows while I was talking to my friends and family. Sorry. I wish I had some better info.
posted by T.R. on 12-1-2007 at 2:34 am
The cell phone Bip Bip Bip thing has to do with the way they connect to their network. Nextel was famous for this. I used to have one the old Brick Phones back in the day, and when i was in my car, i could tell when i was getting a call before my phone rang because my speakers in my car would flip out.
As for a solution, i have no idea. My guitar amp recently developed the same tendency to pick up a local radio station. i think i’m going to try the tin hat idea.
posted by Andre on 12-1-2007 at 4:34 am
Well, a couple of thoughts on the subject:
- Buy better speakers. Most cheap PC speakers are what you’d expect… wire, magnet, cone, plastic casing; with nothing to shield errant signals from getting in. Better quality speakers offer a degree of shielding in the event that it’s the wires inside the speaker acting as an antenna.
- Buy better speaker cables. Shielded cables can be had for (probably, I have no idea) less expensive than new speakers would be. Better wire insulation should mean that they’re less likely to be exposed to a signal.
Lastly, and this is just a thought, but if the theory is indeed true that ‘any wire can become an antenna if its length is on the same wavelength as a signal,’ then it seems like you could just cut the existing wires to a different length, thereby changing the wavelength, and hoping it doesn’t pick up a different station.
I’m not familiar with this scenario, so I don’t know if you mean the external wires or the wires within the speaker, but it’s worth a shot, and if you have something to cut and strip wire with, free.
posted by Barry Melton on 12-1-2007 at 8:17 am
looks like you’re just gonna have to get new speakers
posted by tom on 12-1-2007 at 9:07 am
Well, a suggestion from me would be to use the Faraday cage idea, but wrap the foil or mesh around the wires themselves, since this is where the signal is being picked up, and not in the speakers themselves.
A similar idea is found in any coaxial cable. It consists of an inner and outer core, with the inner one carrying the important signal and the outer one acting as a Faraday cage to prevent interference.
posted by Rich on 12-1-2007 at 12:37 pm
tried messing about with aluminum foil? i use to also live near the hills in rochester ny. the reservoir?
anyways.. thats what all us kids did to our cheap stereos. move about aluminum foil.. i’ve found proper grounding can help. but, in all likelyhood.. you need shielded speakers..
posted by tr.panda on 12-1-2007 at 1:53 pm
The ferrite beads are the answer. Best are actually ferrite rings, about an inch in diameter. Loop each wire through the ring about 3 times at the end nearest the speakers. I have had this problem in several places, and the rings work!
Buy them from a real electronics supplier. There are several good online suppliers. Stay out of Radio Shack! They are pure evil!
posted by Johnston on 12-1-2007 at 3:18 pm
Since speakers in their natural state really don’t have any sort of radio receiver and you’ve gotten yourself on the wrong side of Radio Shack, it’s fairly obvious that one of their “associates” has infiltrated your office/home and planted a bug of some sort in your speakers. These guys mean business; your only hope is to purge your life of all techie toys, change your identity, and move to the Montana foothills.
Godspeed J-Plautz; I’ve dealt with these Radio Shack types before, and you don’t want to mess with them.
posted by Dave on 12-1-2007 at 4:18 pm
My (hated) Nextel phone causes any near-by speaker make a weird noise just before the phone rings. I used to think it was something to do with radio frequency, but it even does it to computer speakers streaming satellite over the internet. It makes my clock radio click and buzz all the time - incoming call or not. I’ll use it as another excuse to ditch the Nextel!
posted by Lynne on 12-1-2007 at 4:38 pm
Has nothing to do with Nextel. All electronics cause interference… I can’t even have my phone in the same room as my television, the signals cross, and even if I’m not getting a call, the signal will cause the television to freak out.
I’m with J on this one.
That is, confused/annoyed…>
posted by Renee on 12-1-2007 at 7:41 pm
RF interference problems are not easy to solve. Ferrite choke cores could help.
Consider not only the speaker wires but the AC power cable to the speakers.
posted by Phil on 12-2-2007 at 12:58 am
I had the same problem and fixed it by reverting back to semaphore flags. No electrical interference, work with or with out power, no problems with SPAM, Nigerian prizes or e-mail from work.
posted by Scott on 12-2-2007 at 6:58 pm
There are loads of things you can do to reduce interference and induced rf reception on your speakers, not the least of which is to keep all your speaker cables as far apart from any power cables as you can. Invest in heavily shielded replacements for all replacable cables and make sure they all have good connections to earth. Use spike filters on all your electronic devices. Obtain some ferrite rings to place around your speaker and comms cables, move your wifi antenna into a different room, unplug anything that injects signals into the mains, try changing channels on any wireless equipment, turning off flourescent lights, using gold-plated connectors wherever possible, replace any electronic equipment over five years old, borrow or buy an rf hotspot detector and move all your speaker equipment away from any hotspots you find. You could also try unplugging everything in the house/building except for the speakers and one sound source, see what result you get and try selectively connecting devices until you hit on the combination that turns your speakers into antennae.
Any or all of the above may do something, or nothing to help. Obviously, I cannot accept responsibility or liability for any damage to any property, physical or otherwise which may or may not ensue from the heedless following of Slippy’s advice.
Failing all of the above, you could try living in the woods with a tinfoil hat and a bamboo PC. :-)
posted by Slippy Lane on 12-2-2007 at 7:16 pm
Are these computer or stereo speakers? First, reorient the power cord, as they often incorporate or act as an antenna. Next, try the ferrite choke coils on the speaker cables near the speakers. Option 3 is to filter your power supply, as the signal may be in the building power grid. Finally, you may have to resort to shielded speaker cables. Last resort would be to fashion some type of metallic grid between the speaker wires and the signal source, but that doesn’t work with most decors.
Or you could just turn the speakers off.
posted by teal on 12-3-2007 at 8:48 am
Switch to headphones.
posted by DW on 12-3-2007 at 11:23 am
Q: “…how can I fix the problem without setting foot in Radio Shack?”
A: Try Best Buy?
Sorry, J-Plautz, I couldn’t resist.
posted by Trena on 12-3-2007 at 3:27 pm
i have redio interference problem in monitor of LG which is connected with our machine.monitor is rendomly going to on and off.what should i do to keep ON screen of monitor.
posted by milind deshpande on 1-2-2008 at 5:14 am