ARRLWeb: INTERFERENCE HANDBOOK Page 1of 26 FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION COMPLIANCE & INFORMATION BUREAU INTERFERENCE HANDBOOK . This electronic version of our "Interference to Home Electronic Entertainment Equipment Handbook" is provided as a service to our customers on the World Wide Web by the Compliance and Information Bureau of the FCC. (NOTE: The FCC no longer offers this Handbook. Ed.) Interference is any unwanted signal which precludes reception of the best possible signal from the source that you want to receive. Interference may prevent reception altogether, may cause only a temporary loss of the desired signal, or may affect the quality of the sound or picture produced by your equipment. Interference to home electronic equipment is a frustrating problem; but, fortunately, there are several ways to deal with it. This handbook provides a step-by-step process for eliminating the interference. If your problem is not eliminated by following the steps in this handbook, you should follow the instructions in the owner's manual of your equipment for contacting the manufacturer. We have provided a list of manufacturers. If the manufacturer of your equipment is not listed, look at the beginning of the list for additional help. Table of Contents I - Check the installation of Your Equipment. (cid:122) II - Identifying Other Sources (cid:122) III - Remedies (cid:122) IV - About Filters (cid:122) V - Manufacturer List (cid:122) http://www2.arrl.org/fcc/tvibook.html 02/19/2010 ARRLWeb: INTERFERENCE HANDBOOK Page 2of 26 I. Check the Installation of Your Equipment Many interference problems are the direct result of poor equipment installation. Cost-cutting manufacturing techniques, such as insufficient shielding or inadequate filtering, may also cause your equipment to react to a nearby radio transmitter. This is not the fault of the transmitter and little can be done to the transmitter to correct the problem. If a correction cannot be made at the transmitter, actions must be taken to stop your equipment from reacting to the transmitter. These methods may be as easy as adjusting your equipment or replacing a broken wire. These and other simple corrections may be accomplished without the help of a service technician. A. Simplify the problem Begin by disconnecting all equipment from the piece of equipment you are trying to fix. For example, if you are working with a television set, disconnect your VCR, stereo speaker wires and video game. Then, reconnect each of these additional devices individually to determine which device may be causing the interference to your television. Do the same thing for a telephone or stereo system. Disconnect all answering machines, telephones, CD players, facsimile machines, modems, etc. If the problem goes away when a device is not connected you have found the problem. It may be necessary to filter the device reacting to the transmitter. B. Check your connections. Make sure all cables are properly fastened and in good condition. Antenna wires, interconnecting cables and power cords often act as antennas and carry the interference into your system. All wires and cables should be as short as possible. If there are any loose connections or broken and damaged cables have them replaced or repaired. If you are using cable television services and have an in-house wire repair contract, contact your cable company for repair or replacement of the wires. You should also test all splitters used in your system, if there are any. (A splitter is a device that provides a signal to more than one location.) To test the splitter, bypass it by hooking the antenna/cable connector directly to one TV. If the signal quality is improved or the interference goes away, the splitter is defective and should be replaced. C. Check your amplifier. Temporarily disconnect the amplifier and bypass it. By doing this, you allow the signal from the antenna to go directly to the TV or radio receiver. If the interference disappears, then the amplifier is causing the problem. If your TV or radio receiver is connected to a master antenna television system (MATV), commonly used in large apartment complexes, you should contact the building management for assistance. D. Check your antenna system. http://www2.arrl.org/fcc/tvibook.html 02/19/2010 ARRLWeb: INTERFERENCE HANDBOOK Page 3of 26 Even though your antenna does not have moving parts, the wire and the antenna physically deteriorate due to the effects of time and harsh weather. Replace damaged or broken antennas. If the antenna is badly corroded clean or replace it. Check the incoming wire from your antenna for physical damage. If you are using twin- lead cable, replace it with coaxial cable. If you are currently using an inside antenna, try to replace it with an outside antenna to improve the signal. Twin lead is usually a flat wire that connects the antenna to a receiving device. It is not shielded and the entire length of wire acts as an antenna. This may cause some receiving problems such as ghosting. Coaxial cable consists of two concentric conductors (an inner conductor and an outer braided sleeve) and is used in cable tv installations to prevent unwanted leakage from the cable system as well as entry of unwanted signals into the cable system. If after following the steps described above your system continues to react to the interference, you should continue reading this booklet. II. Identifying Other Sources A. Simplify the Problem As a general rule, the more complex a system is, the more difficult it is to isolate a problem. Always start with the simplest system possible; one telephone, one television receiver, or just the stereo receiver. For example, if your television is reacting to a nearby radio transmitter, remove all accessories, such as video games, VCRs, stereo system connections, booster amplifiers and even cable boxes. If you are connected to a cable system, connect the cable input directly to your TV set. If the reaction stops when you disconnect any device, you have found the problem. You must now make a decision. You can attempt remedial action, contact the manufacturer for assistance, or replace the device with one that does not react to the nearby transmitter. If you choose remedial action continue with this section. B. Collect Information about the Interference Some basic information about the interference will help a lot in identifying its source. http://www2.arrl.org/fcc/tvibook.html 02/19/2010 ARRLWeb: INTERFERENCE HANDBOOK Page 4of 26 1. When do you get the interference? Keep track of the time of day you usually receive the interference. Do you get interference only at dinnertime? Does the interference occur day after day at the same time? Does the interference occur at all times or is it unpredictable? If your equipment is reacting to the transmissions of a nearby radio operator, you will have the interference only when the radio operator is talking. The pattern will be much like that of a normal conversation except that you will hear only one half of the conversation. Usually the interference will occur for brief periods during specific times of the day. If the interference is on constantly, it is not caused by a nearby radio operator. You may have electrical, broadcast, or paging interference. 2. What does the interference sound like? Listen carefully to the interference. Read this section and see which part best describes the interference you are experiencing. Do you hear music and voices from a broadcast station in the background? If so, try to identify which station you hear. Stereo and other newer televisions may have separate audio channel capabilities. A foreign language that synchronizes with the video, a description of what is happening on the screen, or even continuous traffic reports may indicate that your television is switched to the separate audio channel. Refer to your operator's manual for instructions on how to change the audio channel. Do you hear radio operator voices? Are the voices garbled? If the interference is intermittent and you hear clear or garbled voices, you are probably picking up the transmissions of a nearby CB or Amateur radio operator. If so, you will probably be able to see an antenna mounted on their house or car. Do you hear static, or a constant buzzing sound like bacon frying? You may be picking up interference from an electrical device in either your house or your neighbor's house. You may also be picking up interference from electrical power lines. If the buzzing noise only occurs for http://www2.arrl.org/fcc/tvibook.html 02/19/2010 ARRLWeb: INTERFERENCE HANDBOOK Page 5of 26 short periods of time, you may be receiving interference from a household appliance, such as a hair dryer, vacuum cleaner, or electric drill. Do you hear voices and tones? If so, you may be picking up a nearby paging system. Paging systems usually operate 24 hours a day, so your equipment may react to paging interference at any time. 3. What does the interference look like? a. Electrical Interference Electrical interference many times will be seen as two or three horizontal lines on the television screen and may be accompanied by a loud buzzing or sizzling sound through the TV speakers or stereo system. Many times the lines move upwards on the television screen and may be on for hours at a time or for a few seconds at a time. In severe cases, the entire screen may be covered with rolling horizontal lines. A simple way to discover if the source of interference is in your home, is by going to the main fuse or circuit breaker box in your home. Using your TV set or a portable AM radio, determine whether the interference is active. Electrical interference will sound about the same on an AM radio as it does on your TV so you can use a portable AM radio as a detector. Assuming the interference is occurring, you should follow these steps to identify the circuit in your house that has the device causing the interference. Be very careful to avoid contact within anything in the box except the fuses or circuit breakers. Remove one fuse at a time, or shut off one circuit breaker at a time. If the interference stays on, turn the circuit breaker back on and try the next. If you are using your television to know that the interference is active, when you turn off the power to the circuit that supplies power to your TV to test that circuit, plug the TV into another circuit. If the interference stops when a fuse is removed or a circuit breaker is turned off, go to the area that receives the electricity supplied by the disconnected circuit. Turn the power back on and wait until the interference is present. Next unplug each device on the circuit one at a time. If the interference stops after you unplug a device, you have found the culprit. The device causing the interference must be repaired or replaced. Remember that the device might be hidden. For example, you may have a bad amplifier in your attic, or a defective doorbell transformer that is connected directly to the power circuit. An alternative method to locating electrical interference is to tune to a quiet frequency at the lower end of the AM dial. If you hear static or a buzzing sound, check to see if it corresponds with the interference to your TV or telephone. If it does, use the portable radio as a detection http://www2.arrl.org/fcc/tvibook.html 02/19/2010 ARRLWeb: INTERFERENCE HANDBOOK Page 6of 26 device to locate the source of the interference. The noise will be loudest in the room where the interference is originating. Unplug each electrical device in the room one by one until the interference stops. If you cannot locate the interference source in your own house, check with your neighbors to see if they also receive interference. The house that has the worst interference will most likely be the source of the interference. If your neighbor has strong interference, you may wish to try to track it down with a portable AM radio or run the circuit breaker test described above. If you determine that the interference is not caused by any device in your home or that of your neighbors, contact the customer service department of your local power company. b. Interference to Television (TVI) The following pages illustrate what many common types of interference look like on a TV set. Find the one that best matches your interference. Use this picture for comparison with the other pictures in this section. TV stations are intended to serve viewers only within a limited distance of their transmitters. You can improve picture quality by raising your antenna or using a more directional antenna. Check your antenna line and connections. Try reorienting your antenna for better reception. If necessary, consider installing an outdoor antenna or a booster amplifier. Changing from flat twin lead to round, coaxial cable may also help. http://www2.arrl.org/fcc/tvibook.html 02/19/2010 ARRLWeb: INTERFERENCE HANDBOOK Page 7of 26 Double images of a TV program, or "ghosting", is a common problem with off-air TV reception in urban areas. Ghosting may be caused by the TV signal being reflected off of a tall building or mountains. Ghosting may also indicate problems with the TV antenna or lead in wire. Reorient your antenna, or install a shielded (coaxial) lead in wire. You may need to install a directional, outdoor antenna. Images from two different programs may appear on your TV screen when your set simultaneously receives two TV signals. Co-channel interference looks much like ghosting, except that the two images are different, as though one picture has been placed on top of the other. If the problem is caused by atmospheric conditions, it is usually temporary. Installing a directional, outdoor antenna, or relocating your indoor antenna may improve reception. You may also have similar interference if you are picking up signals leaking from a cable TV system. If you believe that you are picking up cable TV stations but you are not connected to the cable system, contact the cable TV company. This picture may appear on your TV screen when your set is reacting to signals from a CB, amateur, police, or other two-way radio transmitter. The pattern will appear only when the operator transmits. The "lines" in the interference pattern may be wider, or may seem to "roll" up through the TV picture. If your TV is reacting to CB or amateur radio transmissions, you will often hear the operator's voice, although it may be garbled. If you are very close to the transmitting antenna, the TV screen may "black out" when the operator transmits. It is also very common to pick up the CB or amateur operator's voice on the telephone or on your radio or stereo system. For information about possible remedies see Section III. http://www2.arrl.org/fcc/tvibook.html 02/19/2010 ARRLWeb: INTERFERENCE HANDBOOK Page 8of 26 This picture may appear on your TV screen when your set is reacting to an electrical device operating in or near your home. Home appliances and electrical equipment, such as hair dryers, electric razors and electric drills may cause temporary problems. You may choose to live with this type of interference as it is often expensive to correct. You may also experience intermittent problems from other home appliances, such as refrigerators and air- conditioners. For example, you may notice interference on your TV when your air conditioner cycles on or off. If the interference is on continuously, it may be caused by power line equipment. For information about possible remedies, see Section III. Doorbell transformers are a common source of interference to TV reception. This interference looks like snow or bars on the TV screen. It looks very much like electrical interference, except it does not cover the whole screen. It appears as bars of electrical interference. A frying or sizzling sound comes and goes at about seven second intervals (the intervals may vary). The interference may also be received hundreds of feet from the source. If you suspect that you are experiencing interference from your own or your neighbor's doorbell transformer, and are unable to locate the transformer, you may wish to contact a service technician. This pattern may appear on your TV screen if you are picking up signals from an FM broadcast transmitter. For information about possible remedies, see Section III. http://www2.arrl.org/fcc/tvibook.html 02/19/2010 ARRLWeb: INTERFERENCE HANDBOOK Page 9of 26 This type of picture may appear on your TV screen if you operate a computer in close proximity to the TV antenna. The interference may look like electrical interference or a series of diagonal dashed white lines among other patterns. Computer interference will usually occur only when the computer is very close to the TV antenna. You may try to reorient your antenna or computer cables, or move the computer or TV set to another location. For information about possible remedies, see Section III. Low power radio devices, such as garage door openers also can cause interference. This pattern may appear on your screen, if you are picking up signals from a garage door opener or radio frequency doorbell. Booster amplifiers are often used to help receive weak or distant TV signals. Booster amplifiers may be installed at the TV set, at the TV antenna, or even in the attic. Although booster amplifiers do increase the TV station signal strength, they may also cause interference to your TV or even your neighbor's TV. A variety of patterns may appear on your TV screen because of booster amplifier interference. Sometimes a wavy pattern may appear, or the screen may black out for a short time. If your antenna system uses a booster amplifier, you should disconnect it and turn it off. Next connect your antenna directly to the TV. If the interference disappears, have your booster amplifier repaired or replaced. If you still have interference after disconnecting your booster amplifier, you may be receiving interference from a neighbor's amplifier. If several of your neighbors have interference, the one with the most severe interference is probably the one with the defective amplifier. Amplifiers may also generate interference when used near strong signal sources, such as TV and radio broadcast stations, paging transmitters, or two- way radio stations. c. Summary of Possible Interference Sources 1) Broadcast AM Radio Station (cid:122) FM Radio Station (cid:122) TV Station (cid:122) http://www2.arrl.org/fcc/tvibook.html 02/19/2010 ARRLWeb: INTERFERENCE HANDBOOK Page 10of 26 2) Two-way Radio Transmitters Citizens Band (CB) (cid:122) Amateur (Ham) (cid:122) Taxi (cid:122) Police (cid:122) Business (cid:122) Airport/Aircraft (cid:122) 3) Paging Transmitters 4) Cable TV 5) Electrical Devices Doorbell transformers (cid:122) Toaster Ovens (cid:122) Electric Blankets (cid:122) Ultrasonic pest controls (bug zappers) (cid:122) Fans (cid:122) Refrigerators (cid:122) Heating pads (cid:122) Light dimmers (cid:122) Touch controlled lamps (cid:122) Fluorescent lights (cid:122) Aquarium or waterbed heaters (cid:122) Furnace controls (cid:122) Computers and video games (cid:122) Neon signs (cid:122) Power company electrical equipment (cid:122) Alarm systems (cid:122) Electric fences (cid:122) Loose fuses (cid:122) Sewing machines (cid:122) Hair dryers (cid:122) Electric toys (cid:122) Calculators (cid:122) Cash registers (cid:122) Lightning arresters (cid:122) Electric drills, saws, grinders, and other power tools (cid:122) Air conditioners (cid:122) TV/radio booster amplifiers (cid:122) TV sets (cid:122) Automobile ignition noise (cid:122) Sun lamps (cid:122) Smoke detectors (cid:122) http://www2.arrl.org/fcc/tvibook.html 02/19/2010