Dimmer Switches
 

Hello all,

My wife seems to be using the dimmer switch more in the winter just
when I'm listening to SW. The noise blanker doesn't seem to help. Are
there dimmer switches made that don't produce the "pleasant" buzz of
the standard one? Presumably it would be more expensive, but might be
worth it.

Thanks,

DWP

Dimmer Switches
 

CelticDude wrote:
Hello all,

My wife seems to be using the dimmer switch more in the winter just
when I'm listening to SW. The noise blanker doesn't seem to help.
Are there dimmer switches made that don't produce the "pleasant" buzz
of the standard one?

Yes, they will be marked "Includes radio frequency interference
suppression circuitry" or similar.

Presumably it would be more expensive,

Yes

Dimmer Switches
 

CelticDude wrote:

Hello all,

My wife seems to be using the dimmer switch more in the winter just
when I'm listening to SW. The noise blanker doesn't seem to help. Are
there dimmer switches made that don't produce the "pleasant" buzz of
the standard one? Presumably it would be more expensive, but might be
worth it.

Thanks,

DWP

The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better, with
more RFI suppression than usual.

I buy them for neighbors. In your own house, they're still audible but not
nearly as bad as the economy dimmers.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Dimmer Switches
 

In article .com,
"CelticDude" wrote:

Hello all,

My wife seems to be using the dimmer switch more in the winter just
when I'm listening to SW. The noise blanker doesn't seem to help. Are
there dimmer switches made that don't produce the "pleasant" buzz of
the standard one? Presumably it would be more expensive, but might be
worth it.


Replace the dimmer with an on/off switch. It's cheap and 100%
effective. Then find a bulb with the right brightness.

I have not looked for them but they used to have bulbs with three
wattage setting and a extra contact in the base requiring the right
type of lamp. Three choices should be all she needs.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Dimmer Switches
 

Ron Hardin wrote:


The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better, with
more RFI suppression than usual.

Interesting! Didn't know Lutron had an upscale ($30) version. The Lutron
I am waiting to put in was 15 bucks at Home Depot, about triple the cost
of the cheapies they sell.

Dimmer Switches
 

In article ,
Ron Hardin wrote:

CelticDude wrote:

Hello all,

My wife seems to be using the dimmer switch more in the winter just
when I'm listening to SW. The noise blanker doesn't seem to help. Are
there dimmer switches made that don't produce the "pleasant" buzz of
the standard one? Presumably it would be more expensive, but might be
worth it.

Thanks,

DWP

The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better, with
more RFI suppression than usual.

I buy them for neighbors. In your own house, they're still audible but not
nearly as bad as the economy dimmers.

I've tried them and they do reduce the RFI but the noise is still there.
The Lutron switches also get worse with age.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Dimmer Switches
 

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:03:14 GMT, Carter-k8vt
wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:


The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better, with
more RFI suppression than usual.

Interesting! Didn't know Lutron had an upscale ($30) version. The Lutron
I am waiting to put in was 15 bucks at Home Depot, about triple the cost
of the cheapies they sell.

Dumb question, do the dimmer contraptions make noise only when a light
is on, being dimmed, or do they also produce noise when the light is
off and/or not being dimmed.

I've got a few old dimmers that came with the house, and this may be
one of my noise sources.

bob
k5qwg

Dimmer Switches
 

Bob Miller wrote:
On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:03:14 GMT, Carter-k8vt
wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:

The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better, with
more RFI suppression than usual.
Interesting! Didn't know Lutron had an upscale ($30) version. The Lutron
I am waiting to put in was 15 bucks at Home Depot, about triple the cost
of the cheapies they sell.

Dumb question, do the dimmer contraptions make noise only when a light
is on, being dimmed, or do they also produce noise when the light is
off and/or not being dimmed.

*Generally*, only when the light is being dimmed. The better switches
have a detent for full on and full off, thus bypassing the dimming
circuitry. They typically use a thyristor or SCR for the dimming
function and it works by varying the width (chopping off) part of the
sine wave. As you get away from the pure sine wave (full on/no dimming),
the waveform becomes more and more distorted and causes the interference.

I've got a few old dimmers that came with the house, and this may be
one of my noise sources.

There is a very good chance of that being a true statement. Easy enough
to check by just turning them all the way off and see if the noise goes
away.

Good luck and HNY...
73,
Carter
K8VT

Dimmer Switches
 

To check all your old (and otherwise) dimmers, get an AM portable, tune
between stations and sniff around outlets and switches with it. You will
find the culprit(s) fast!!!
Al

"Bob Miller" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:03:14 GMT, Carter-k8vt
wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:


The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better,
with
more RFI suppression than usual.

Interesting! Didn't know Lutron had an upscale ($30) version. The Lutron
I am waiting to put in was 15 bucks at Home Depot, about triple the cost
of the cheapies they sell.

Dumb question, do the dimmer contraptions make noise only when a light
is on, being dimmed, or do they also produce noise when the light is
off and/or not being dimmed.

I've got a few old dimmers that came with the house, and this may be
one of my noise sources.

bob
k5qwg

Dimmer Switches
 

I use General Electric Reveal 60 watt light bulbs in my table lamps and
my floor lamps.Each of the ceiling lights hold three light bulbs.No
dimmer switches here.
cuhulin

Dimmer Switches
 

Thanks everyone, for all the good info and advice. A standard switch
seems like the easiest and cheapest solution, and may even fly with my
wife.

Thanks again, and a good New Year to all!

DWP

Dimmer Switches
 

In article , lsmyer
wrote:

When we moved into this house a few years ago, I was really disappointed
about the radio noise. Someone suggested that a dimmer switch might be
to blame, but this house only had one and it was in the far corner of
the house on a different floor and it wasn't even turned on. But I went
ahead and replaced it with a regular switch, and it was amazing how
quiet our house had instantly become.

Since then, we added cable internet and a wi-fi network with four
computers and two wireless keyboards and now it's nearly as noisy as the
old dimmer switch days.

Usually if the dimmer switch is off or fully on it does not make much
noise. Why you ask? They way they work is to switch a portion of the 60
Hz cycle on and off to the light. When very dim the switching device is
off most of the cycle and is on more of every cycle as you cause the
control to brighten the light. When full on the switching device is on
all the time and when the control is fully off the switching device is
off all the time. It is only when it is between the two extremes that
the switching device turns on and off every 60 Hz cycle. It is that
switching that generates the pulse noise. This square wave pulse noise
is very broadband in nature being composed of many frequencies.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Dimmer Switches
 

In article .com,
"CelticDude" wrote:

Thanks everyone, for all the good info and advice. A standard switch
seems like the easiest and cheapest solution, and may even fly with my
wife.

Thanks again, and a good New Year to all!

And good SW listening to you!

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Dimmer Switches
 

CelticDude wrote:
Hello all,

My wife seems to be using the dimmer switch more in the winter just
when I'm listening to SW. The noise blanker doesn't seem to help. Are
there dimmer switches made that don't produce the "pleasant" buzz of
the standard one? Presumably it would be more expensive, but might be
worth it.

Thanks,

DWP

We have two of those damn dimmer switches, and I can't lsiten to ****
on AM, while thos things are turned on - maybe, I'll move out back !

Dimmer Switches
 

How about them Clappers? Clap Clap,it's on,Clap Clap,it's off.I wouldn't
have one of them if they (I think they have the ''Clap'' anyway) me one
for free.Or a Salad Shooter either.
cuhulin

Dimmer Switches
 

I am getting a horrible buz across the bands that is coming from my
neighbors apartment. Would one of those ANC-4 or the MFJ unit get rid
of it.

Dimmer Switches
 

In article .com,
"MojaveDxer" wrote:

I am getting a horrible buz across the bands that is coming from my
neighbors apartment. Would one of those ANC-4 or the MFJ unit get rid
of it.

Periodic noise, that's noise spaced every few kilohertz is probably a
TV, maybe a plasma TV.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Dimmer Switches
 

Telamon wrote:
In article .com,
"MojaveDxer" wrote:

I am getting a horrible buz across the bands that is coming from my
neighbors apartment. Would one of those ANC-4 or the MFJ unit get rid
of it.

Periodic noise, that's noise spaced every few kilohertz is probably a
TV, maybe a plasma TV.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

It's a constant buzz from the bottom of the BCB to 40 meters. I
get the same buzz when the dimmer on my halogen lamp is being used. Its
so strong that my loop antenna wont null it out.

Dimmer Switches
 

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 20:39:57 -0500, "AL"
wrote:

To check all your old (and otherwise) dimmers, get an AM portable, tune
between stations and sniff around outlets and switches with it. You will
find the culprit(s) fast!!!
Al

Good suggestion -- my Sony 2010, tuned to about 800 kHz, picks up a
good buzz on my dining room dimmer, and also on my energy-saving
flourescent lights -- maybe I need to re-think all of the
flourescents. The dimmer buzzes only when in use, so that's not so
bad.

bob
k5qwg



"Bob Miller" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:03:14 GMT, Carter-k8vt
wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:


The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better,
with
more RFI suppression than usual.

Interesting! Didn't know Lutron had an upscale ($30) version. The Lutron
I am waiting to put in was 15 bucks at Home Depot, about triple the cost
of the cheapies they sell.

Dumb question, do the dimmer contraptions make noise only when a light
is on, being dimmed, or do they also produce noise when the light is
off and/or not being dimmed.

I've got a few old dimmers that came with the house, and this may be
one of my noise sources.

bob
k5qwg

Dimmer Switches
 

In article .com,
"MojaveDxer" wrote:

Telamon wrote:
In article .com,
"MojaveDxer" wrote:

I am getting a horrible buz across the bands that is coming from
my neighbors apartment. Would one of those ANC-4 or the MFJ unit
get rid of it.

Periodic noise, that's noise spaced every few kilohertz is probably
a TV, maybe a plasma TV.


It's a constant buzz from the bottom of the BCB to 40 meters. I get
the same buzz when the dimmer on my halogen lamp is being used. Its
so strong that my loop antenna wont null it out.

Buzzing noises that are louder at lower frequencies are indicative of
switching pulse noise. These square pulses are rich in higher harmonic
frequencies. The power of these harmonics drops off the higher in
frequency you go.

Switching power supplies, gas vapor lights starting up, light dimmers,
and other items generate low frequency pulse currents.

Another thing happens in the receiver itself. When you hit the front
end of a radio with these large low frequency pulses it generates very
broad spectrum intermodulation products that desensitize the front end
of the radio by raising the noise floor across the bands and also
affecting the AGC so even when you are not tuned to a harmonic of the
pulse noise it adversely affects your reception.

One way you can improve reception in a noisy location is to use a high
pass filter with a corner frequency of a few hundred kilohertz.

You can see that low frequency pulse switching noise has several
adverse affects on radio reception.

I have no experience using the ANC-4 of MFJ noise canceling units.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Dimmer Switches
 

On Sun, 31 Dec 2006 13:35:50 -0600, wrote:

Plasma tv? I never thought about buying one of those before.A few weeks
ago,I went to one of the Cowboy Maloney's Electric City stores here and
I bought a new Toshiba 27 inch flat screen CRT tv set.A few days
later,that Toshiba developed a little blurb/blob spot in the lower left
hand corner on the screen.I took it back to Cowboy Maloney's and turned
it in.I paid $32.00 extra for a new Sony 27 inch screen CRT Trinitron
Wega tv set.Damn FINE picture my new Sony Trinitron Wega tv set
gets.It's sooooooo gooddddd,,,, it almost gives me a hard on.
cuhulin

You were robbed.

Dimmer Switches
 

The Toshiba at Cowboy Maloney's was $329.00 plus Mississippi Rip Off
sales taxes.After I turned in the defective Toshiba to Cowboy
Maloney's,I paid $32.00 and pocket change for my new Sony tv set.I
really like the picture the Sony tv set gets on all tv
channels,especially the tv channels I watch for the old,old movies I
like.The Sony has an analog tuner and a digital tuner.I subscribe to
DirecTV so when the big HDTV switchover happens in 2009,I think I will
be all set for that,even though the Sony doesn't have a built in HDTV
tuner.I am satisfied with my new Sony tv set.
cuhulin