Lewis Lebentz asks:
In my kitchen, I have LED’s underneath my cabinets, and just underneath them is a radio on the counter. When the lights are on there radio goes fuzzy and unlistenable. Is there a way I can make this stop, or would I have to connect it to the internet and use up data? (Only get 60GB’s a month). Is there a new radio I can buy that this wouldn’t affect? It even affects a radio upstairs!
7 Answers -
Frederick Doe
August 26, 2012You could try putting some metal foil or wire mesh between the LEDs and the radio, but your best bet is probably to move the radio. I’m no electrical engineer (Biomedical for the win!), but I would guess that the power adapter* inside the LED strip is broadcasting interference. It’s broadcasting much, much less powerfully than the radio tower, but it is much, much closer.
*LEDs can’t run off of the 120V, 60Hz AC power your home provides, so the box that the LEDs are mounted in as a power adapter inside of it.
April Eum
August 26, 2012i would put some metal boundaries on it. fm radios can go through metal, but itll block the led’s from interfering, if it’s am then i would say you’re out of luck
ha14
August 26, 2012change the position of the radio, rotate to other side?
perhaps to put aluminium can between lights and radio.
How to Strengthen FM Radio Reception
http://www.ehow.com/how_114024_strengthen-fm-radio.html
VictorGeis
August 26, 2012Usually touching the radio’s antennae to some other long piece of metal fixes clears up a lot of static. My guess is that it isn’t the LEDs messing with the radio’s static but the wiring of the LED lights. Hopefully you get it cleared up!
Alan Wade
August 27, 2012Get a lenght of wire and wrap one end round the antenna and the other end round a radiator that should boost your signal.
This is what I would try: extending or moving the antenna, basically.
August 27, 2012Oron
August 27, 2012As others have said, shielding (covering the noisy circuit with a metal cage/foil) and relocating the radio are the best ways. Increasing the aerial’s length will probably not help much, as the ideal length for an antenna (particularly for very short waves such as FM) is half the wave’s length – a fixed figure.
As for using internet radio, that’s a excellent idea. Internet radio bandwidth is quite low and will hardly have an impact on your 60 GB download limit.
Tony Batty
September 1, 2012Lewis, I would go with Justin’s advise, LED will not interfere with your radio signal, I know since I had the same problem, (1) don’t keep phones near, (2) ensure the cable used as antenna is extended, (3) ensure that no power cable for other appliances are no where near the radio (Microwaves, Etc)
I found this pdf and it explains some possible problems:-
http://legacy.novafm.com.au/lib/images/contents/radioreception_nova937.pdf