Has Paul (or anybody else for that matter) put together a video about finding local sources of RF noise and eliminating them? My AM/SW radios all seem to pick up a lot of noise, drowning out even some nearby stations. Would be nice to come up with a list of tips/techniques for finding and squashing noise emitters.
I haven’t made a video. In my experience very common sources are non-incandescent lights. Florescent, LED, mercury vapor, HID’s…anything with high voltage ballasts or switching power supplies. Also, brush armature motors. Also computers with switching style power supplies. My technique is to turn things off while listening the radios.
Yes there is one, not sure where off the top of my head. Either youtube or patreon. A pocket/transistor radio is good for locating noises. Most items these days are not designed with quiet in mind.
Radios + Tubes + Scopes + Cars= Nothing better!
I’m new to this site, and not electronically literate. I want to buy (or make) a meter that will help me locate the source(s) of what I believe is an audible high-pitch RF source in my home, or outside my home. I have contacted a company that makes a meter (Cornet ED98 QPro5G) that can measure low-frequency electrical and magnetic fields, high frequency RF and LED light flicker issues. Any thoughts on this device. It only costs about $200, so I think I’ll buy it. If anyone can let me know what other references out there are for hunting down RF sources, that would be super.
@jksulli Welcome, see above for a start. Generally a portable AM radio will pick stuff up. If audible, should be pretty easy to track down. RF frequency it self is far too high for you to hear so likely not that, but high frequency audio could be it.
I probably wouldn’t jump on the meter unless it was a last resort, I have no experience with that device to know if it is worth the money. Another way to do it is turn off one breaker at a time. When you find one that makes the noise stop, go through each thing on that circuit and isolate it down to the noise maker. If you have a small radio or pick one up, try running it down each breaker and find one that is noisy compared the others. Then again go through each thing like above and find it. Many ways to get around it.
Radios + Tubes + Scopes + Cars= Nothing better!
Get a portable AM Transistor radio (that works) with an extendable external antenna. And then turn it on and go searching.