On 10/20/09 12:35 , Bill Baka wrote:

Second, I have to mention that those el-cheapo CFL's that Wal-mart is
selling have one hell of an RFI output. I thought my radio had gone down
when I thought to turn off all the CFL's in my house and it got
listen-able. I have an oscilloscope monitoring the audio and the noise
spikes are at 60 Hz and very consistent.

I think that if someone wanted to get into their radio it would be a
small matter to put a line synced blank pulse when needed.



A late thought, here....have you put a bit of capacitance across
the lamp? I had a torchiere in the studio that was creating some
enormous spikes on the line, and was getting back into the audio.
Eventually, I pulled the SCR fader out. But a quick short term
solution was to put a capacitor across the line. Put an orange drop
in a 3 to 2 line adaptor, and plugged it into the power strip.
Quieted things right down. Even elimated spikes that were getting
into my AM receiver.

Cheap solution. Good results.

D. Peter Maus wrote:
On 10/20/09 12:35 , Bill Baka wrote:

Second, I have to mention that those el-cheapo CFL's that Wal-mart is
selling have one hell of an RFI output. I thought my radio had gone down
when I thought to turn off all the CFL's in my house and it got
listen-able. I have an oscilloscope monitoring the audio and the noise
spikes are at 60 Hz and very consistent.

I think that if someone wanted to get into their radio it would be a
small matter to put a line synced blank pulse when needed.



A late thought, here....have you put a bit of capacitance across the
lamp?

I've thought of a lot of things but the capacitor needs someplace for me
to put it. I was hoping the F.C.C. would have been bright enough to
regulate a noise maximum but no, we get HDTV during a Depression.

I had a torchiere in the studio that was creating some enormous
spikes on the line, and was getting back into the audio. Eventually, I
pulled the SCR fader out.

SCR's are terrible for noise. I had one on a filament lamp for the
bedroom ceiling and as I dialed the bright up and down I could hear the
change in the radio.

But a quick short term solution was to put a
capacitor across the line. Put an orange drop in a 3 to 2 line adaptor,
and plugged it into the power strip. Quieted things right down. Even
elimated spikes that were getting into my AM receiver.

Cheap solution. Good results.



Sounds good for a few fixes but I don't want to do it for every bulb in
the house. Someone should make a noise reduction socket piece that the
CFL would plug into. I'm thinking 2 inductors and 2 capacitors.

Bill Baka

On 20 Oct, 21:44, Bill Baka wrote:
D. Peter Maus wrote:
On 10/20/09 12:35 , Bill Baka wrote:

Second, I have to mention that those el-cheapo CFL's that Wal-mart is
selling have one hell of an RFI output. I thought my radio had gone down
when I thought to turn off all the CFL's in my house and it got
listen-able. I have an oscilloscope monitoring the audio and the noise
spikes are at 60 Hz and very consistent.

I think that if someone wanted to get into their radio it would be a
small matter to put a line synced blank pulse when needed.

* A late thought, here....have you put a bit of capacitance across the
lamp?

I've thought of a lot of things but the capacitor needs someplace for me
to put it. I was hoping the F.C.C. would have been bright enough to
regulate a noise maximum but no, we get HDTV during a Depression.

I had a torchiere in the studio that was creating some enormous

spikes on the line, and was getting back into the audio. Eventually, I
pulled the SCR fader out.

SCR's are terrible for noise. I had one on a filament lamp for the
bedroom ceiling and as I dialed the bright up and down I could hear the
change in the radio.

* But a quick short term solution was to put a capacitor across the line. Put an orange drop in a 3 to 2 line adaptor,
and plugged it into the power strip. Quieted things right down. Even
elimated spikes that were getting into my AM receiver.

* Cheap solution. Good results.

Sounds good for a few fixes but I don't want to do it for every bulb in
the house. Someone should make a noise reduction socket piece that the
CFL would plug into. I'm thinking 2 inductors and 2 capacitors.

Bill Baka

Thanks for the note about this interesting moment for SW radio
reception. I will make a special note to use SW this week.
I used to listen frequently in the days before satellite but as a
radio anorak, it will be enjoyable tuning in currently.
Living outside the USA, as most of the planet does, I cannot comment
on equipment in Walmart, but I bought a neat and cheap and green small
SW set on the net last year. I use recycled batteries in it, charged
from a solar charger and it also comes with a light and more
importantly a winding crank so that you can have plenty of listening
time simply by turning the handle a few times. The brand is 'Eton' and
I guess it is made in China, but my carbon footprint in using it must
be near to zero. Radio pleasure with a care for the environment too;
can't be bad!

galaxyguy wrote:
On 20 Oct, 21:44, Bill Baka wrote:
D. Peter Maus wrote:
On 10/20/09 12:35 , Bill Baka wrote:
Second, I have to mention that those el-cheapo CFL's that Wal-mart is
selling have one hell of an RFI output. I thought my radio had gone down
when I thought to turn off all the CFL's in my house and it got
listen-able. I have an oscilloscope monitoring the audio and the noise
spikes are at 60 Hz and very consistent.
I think that if someone wanted to get into their radio it would be a
small matter to put a line synced blank pulse when needed.
A late thought, here....have you put a bit of capacitance across the
lamp?
I've thought of a lot of things but the capacitor needs someplace for me
to put it. I was hoping the F.C.C. would have been bright enough to
regulate a noise maximum but no, we get HDTV during a Depression.

I had a torchiere in the studio that was creating some enormous

spikes on the line, and was getting back into the audio. Eventually, I
pulled the SCR fader out.
SCR's are terrible for noise. I had one on a filament lamp for the
bedroom ceiling and as I dialed the bright up and down I could hear the
change in the radio.

But a quick short term solution was to put a capacitor across the line. Put an orange drop in a 3 to 2 line adaptor,
and plugged it into the power strip. Quieted things right down. Even
elimated spikes that were getting into my AM receiver.
Cheap solution. Good results.
Sounds good for a few fixes but I don't want to do it for every bulb in
the house. Someone should make a noise reduction socket piece that the
CFL would plug into. I'm thinking 2 inductors and 2 capacitors.

Bill Baka

Thanks for the note about this interesting moment for SW radio
reception. I will make a special note to use SW this week.
I used to listen frequently in the days before satellite but as a
radio anorak, it will be enjoyable tuning in currently.
Living outside the USA, as most of the planet does, I cannot comment
on equipment in Walmart,

*JUNK*

but I bought a neat and cheap and green small
SW set on the net last year. I use recycled batteries in it, charged
from a solar charger and it also comes with a light and more
importantly a winding crank so that you can have plenty of listening
time simply by turning the handle a few times. The brand is 'Eton' and
I guess it is made in China, but my carbon footprint in using it must
be near to zero. Radio pleasure with a care for the environment too;
can't be bad!

Chinese or not it sounds like a good deal. I have and old maritime RDF
radio (1974) and it will run off of a 5" diameter solar cell I have from
a solar powered sidewalk light. It puts out about 6 volts at 100 ma and
runs the radio just fine. For night time use it sucks up 4 D cells.
I just had the Hammarlund fired up and the CB crowd is alive and well.
The RME-DB20 gives me about 20 dB of gain at the CB band. It's out there
but some hunting is needed.

Bill Baka

Bill Baka wrote:

Sounds good for a few fixes but I don't want to do it for every bulb in
the house. Someone should make a noise reduction socket piece that the
CFL would plug into. I'm thinking 2 inductors and 2 capacitors.

Bill Baka

Does your house have stucco walls? Do you have an outside antenna?
Virtually nothing below 1 gHz gets through my walls. FM, HF, etc. all
barely work inside and you can hear all manner of hash and whine from
Audio through UHF. My outside antennas are stone quiet.

There is no over the air TV here. Everyone has cable and nobody
re-radiates from their rooftop. All utilities are buried.

Silence is golden.