grounding? [getting radio signal through outlets]

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cowe
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grounding? [getting radio signal through outlets]

Post by cowe » Tue Apr 04, 2006 3:32 am

hi guys.

first post and first thread here :) but i've looked around for awhile and there seems to be an abundance of good heads full of good words and a willingness to share, so hopefully i can do the same later on.


the problem i'm having is this:
i've been living in my current spot for about 5 months. when i moved in, i realized that any sound-oriented appliance i'd plug into a wall [directly, or into a strip or surge protector or etc] would have a buzz of radio underneath the actual sound signal coming out of the speakers.

so basically, this is no fun. whats even more awesome/horrible/hilarious is the fact that it's some sort of very angry spanish talk radio. listening to kind of blue should relax, not subconsciously frustrate. any break in dynamic or gaps between songs, boom. radio buzz. this dude likes to shout about things! and it's infecting all my good albums :)

i talked to the landlord about it and he said a few other neighbors have complained about this too, but that all outlets were grounded and he had no clue what to do about it. apparently the "signal is just too strong"

i had put up with it for awhile, and mostly just embraced the headphones and tried to dull the stereo buzz by daisychaining powerstrips, but now that i'm surpassing the common stereo equipment and trying to set up a tiny little mini-studio in here with more power-intensive sound stuff.. the buzz is becoming louder and more of an annoyance.

has anyone ever run into anything like this, and found any sort of solution?
any help is much appreciated :D

philbo
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Post by philbo » Tue Apr 04, 2006 10:35 am

Report the station to the FCC. There are laws regarding this. Almost certainly it won't help, but it'll make you feel better.
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Last edited by philbo on Sat Mar 19, 2011 11:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

BeepBeep
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Post by BeepBeep » Tue Apr 04, 2006 3:23 pm

I'm also in LA and having the same trouble. The angry Spanish station comes out of our amps when practicing. Actually it alternates between my amp and the other guitar player's, never both at once.

As far as recording, for vocals it as not been a problem, but when it comes out of a guitar amp I'm screwed.

Wish I could help. Let me know if you find a solution.

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cowe
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Post by cowe » Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:32 pm

beepbeep - craziness! that makes it seem like it isn't grounding.. but that the signal is just really THAT intense. it seems odd that a spanish talk-radio signal of all things would be strong enough to cause problems all over the place.

the only pseudo-solution i've found is device > power strip > another power strip > wall

o_0 ..but this doesn't actually get rid of it, just makes the buzz a bit quieter.

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Post by TapeOpLarry » Wed Apr 05, 2006 12:09 am

Ferrite beads that clamp over the power cable are supposed to help but in my experience didn't seem to do the trick. Lead shielding on the walls will do it. A friend helped cover the entire inside of a studio with copper mesh that was connected to a real earth ground. This is extreme but should clean it up.

Always try lifting grounds, rotating the device, changing outlets, and unplugging other devices that are not being used (I've heard a guitar amp make the one next to it make louder noise). Realize that you are in a spot where the FR from this station is strong, and that all the electrical wires in the building are acting like antennas.
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Post by TapeOpLarry » Wed Apr 05, 2006 12:12 am

Ferrite beads that clamp over the power cable are supposed to help but in my experience didn't seem to do the trick. Lead shielding on the walls will do it. A friend helped cover the entire inside of a studio with copper mesh that was connected to a real earth ground. This is extreme but should clean it up.

Always try lifting grounds, rotating the device, changing outlets, and unplugging other devices that are not being used (I've heard a guitar amp make the one next to it make louder noise). Realize that you are in a spot where the FR from this station is strong, and that all the electrical wires in the building are acting like antennas.
Larry Crane, Editor/Founder Tape Op Magazine
please visit www.tapeop.com for contact information
(do not send private messages via this board!)
www.larry-crane.com

philbo
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Post by philbo » Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:41 am

Ferrite beads really aren't effective below about 90 - 100 MHz. So they won't work for AM, Shortwave, CB, TV VHF channels 2 - 5, but will work for broadcast FM, and other TV channels (6 & up).

The screen room idea can work, but is expensive to implement properly. (I use these in my day job for sensitive RF measurements.) It is important to add RF filtering to the power lines at the point they enter the room, and that no other lines go into or out of the room without similar filtering. That means if you want to run Ethernet in/out of the room, use fiber-optic ethernet cards.

Learning the essentials of good grounding practices is a good place to start. Too much data to post here, Google for it.

In my very first studio, we had a neighbor who ran a CB with a 50 foot antenna tower and a 2000 Watt linear amp. After a couple days of trying to record with his constant "Breaker, breaker, good buddy" crap, me & my roommate got drunk and crawled up his antenna tower, putting pins through his coax every foot or two. Next time he keyed up to talk, his amp blew up... Problem solved.
(I don't recommend this if your neighbor is a rifle collector, by the way!)
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Last edited by philbo on Sat Mar 19, 2011 11:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by seaneldon » Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:48 am

BeepBeep wrote:The angry Spanish station
i reviewed mexican hardcore once. it sounded like the garbage man spilled the trash all over my lawn.

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