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SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
Hello Everyone,
I am new to SW listening. The few times I have heard SW, I assumed that the BBC was the only broadcasting station. My dad used his SONY ICF-2002, to pick up the BBC news in the mornings. (So.. I never used to trouble the controls) Much later, the AC adpter got damaged & he stopped listening to the BBC. (I believe he mentioned the SONY ate batteries) It gathered dust for a while, & then I tried using it with an adjustable, DC voltage adapter & realised there was nothing wrong with the radio itself. Since then, I learnt: 1. The BBC isn't the only broadcast station on SW. 2. Signal reception would be improved if I learnt how to build a better antenna. 3. I should really return the radio w/DC adapter to my dad so he could listen to the BBC again. So I bought a Kaito KA1102 portable radio last November 2005. Initially I was thrilled. Then after the excitement of owning my own wore off (i.e. about a month of SW listening), I suddenly noticed that whether operated on battery or Adapter: 1. A high pitched whistle on the local FM station. 2. A warbling, high pitched whistle on the SW bands. NOTE: I am resident in South America. Within my neighbourhood, two people use broadcasting radio sets to contact their inland business operations & two taxi service bases operate near my home. The whistle is sometimes so loud that it overpowers the voice tones of the announcers... which is very annoying. The manual didn't say anything about high pitched whistles, and I have tried moving to different locations at home (i.e. where I got good reception before), all to no avail. Fortunately, it doesn't happen all the time during a sitting, so I just turn the radio OFF, pause for a bit and then turn it back ON. That works.... for a short while. I would really like to understand what causes this problem in my KAITO KA1102 and what I should do to correct it. (i.e. Preferably before I return the SONY to my dad) I believe that if I can resolve this problem I will have a great portable radio. My dad's SONY ICF-2002 has been around for years, and except for the adapter issue and some whip antenna wiggle, gives no trouble today. Your suggestions on my KAITO 1102, (i.e. besides shipping it back to the Manufacturer's) would be most helpful. Kindest regards, SW Newbie, Yerodin P. |
SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
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SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
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SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
Almost sounds to me like electrical noise/interference coming from somewhere
nearby. I've had this problem as well. I tried not using the AC adapter that came with it, that helped somewhat. If I'm running appliances within 20 feet of my KA-1102 (like the dishwasher, computer, modem, etc.) I hear the buzzing you're describing. My Christmas tree's lights made for a nice rhythmic buzz over the holidays. Had to turn them off each time I wanted to listen to my radio. I would try taking the radio to an electrically-quiet area (like an empty beach, hilltop, or somewhere like that) and then see if you can hear these noises. Good luck! Jackie |
SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
Bob Miller wrote: On 9 Jan 2006 07:31:55 -0800, wrote: Hello Everyone, ........... The manual didn't say anything about high pitched whistles, and I have tried moving to different locations at home (i.e. where I got good reception before), all to no avail. Have you tried the radio several miles away from your house? If there is no whistle away from home, then at least you know it is a noise generated in your neighborhood. Fortunately, it doesn't happen all the time during a sitting, so I just turn the radio OFF, pause for a bit and then turn it back ON. That works.... for a short while. If there is no whistle when you turn the radio on, but then after a short while it comes back, it sounds like the problem may be with the radio. Also, have you tried the radio with and without batteries? That would tell you whether it is something coming over your AC power lines. Bob k5qwg Kindest regards, SW Newbie, Yerodin P. Thank you for responding Bob, Your suggestion (i.e. operating the radio with and without batteries), is well documented within the radio community. Before writing to rec.radio.shortwave, I tried it with no change in reception. Over the weekend, I will try operating the radio several miles away from my neighbourhood to rule out spurious signals specific to my area. BTW... Is trying different SW antennas using the KAITO 1102's external antenna jack capable of damaging anything? Prior to encountering my KAITO's problem, I have separately tried the following: 1. Winding the included external antenna around different forms (i.e. metal & PVC) 2. Connecting a 75 ohm coaxial cable via a plug similar to the antenna plug. 3. Using a TV signal booster + some coaxial cable connectors + 15 ft of cable in the hope that it would improve reception. (that was only mildly successful, but the radio functioned w/o issue even after that) 4. Using longer lengths of non-coaxial wire. I also tried wrapping sections of the whip antenna with aluminium foil. The hurtful thing is... the 1st month after removing my KAITO 1102 from the packaging, it intially worked without this noise. Kindest regards, SW Newbie, Yerodin P. |
SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
Buzzygirl wrote: Almost sounds to me like electrical noise/interference coming from somewhere nearby. I've had this problem as well. I tried not using the AC adapter that came with it, that helped somewhat. If I'm running appliances within 20 feet of my KA-1102 (like the dishwasher, computer, modem, etc.) I hear the buzzing you're describing. My Christmas tree's lights made for a nice rhythmic buzz over the holidays. Had to turn them off each time I wanted to listen to my radio. I would try taking the radio to an electrically-quiet area (like an empty beach, hilltop, or somewhere like that) and then see if you can hear these noises. Good luck! Jackie Hello Jackie, Your post is very comforting (i.e. Suggesting that there is nothing wrong with my radio), and it also gave me an idea. I will try another AC-DC Adapter, and I'll also try turning off the building's MAIN electrical switch. (i.e. That'll make for an electrically-quiet area) I also hope for both our sakes, a knowledgeable SW radio group member can suggest a workaround that doesn't require us to go to such drastic extremes. Thanks for responding. Kindest regards, SW Newbie, Yerodin P. |
SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
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SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
Hello Yerodin, Did you check the same frenquencies with the Sony radio ? (the previous posts do not mentioned such try). If you have the whistle on the Sony too, the problem is not in the radio. About the antenna, you can give a try to a very simple antenna : - coax feed line maid out from a piece of TV coax - two thin wires, one connected to the center line of the coax, the other connected to the shield. You extend the two wires in opposite directions and it makes a portable random dipole. Mine is about 5m fully extended, just because I had this length of wire. No computation or studies to match specific frequency or having right impedance. In buildings made of iron structure, I put it on a window with adhesive tape, or let it hanging outside, trying to keep the two wires apparts. This greatly improved my reception on all bands. I must say I tried mainly in the lower bands in frequency (F = 15000 kHz) since I'm mostly listening at night. MUCH BETTER than the piece of random wire. I'm interested in your experience since I'm planning to buy this Kaito 1102 some day as a smaller travelling radio than my current Sangean 909. Charly |
SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
Charly wrote: Hello Yerodin, Did you check the same frenquencies with the Sony radio ? (the previous posts do not mentioned such try). If you have the whistle on the Sony too, the problem is not in the radio. About the antenna, you can give a try to a very simple antenna : - coax feed line maid out from a piece of TV coax - two thin wires, one connected to the center line of the coax, the other connected to the shield. You extend the two wires in opposite directions and it makes a portable random dipole. Mine is about 5m fully extended, just because I had this length of wire. No computation or studies to match specific frequency or having right impedance. In buildings made of iron structure, I put it on a window with adhesive tape, or let it hanging outside, trying to keep the two wires apparts. This greatly improved my reception on all bands. I must say I tried mainly in the lower bands in frequency (F = 15000 kHz) since I'm mostly listening at night. MUCH BETTER than the piece of random wire. I'm interested in your experience since I'm planning to buy this Kaito 1102 some day as a smaller travelling radio than my current Sangean 909. Charly Thanks for responding Charly, I did simultaneously check the same frenquencies with the Sony radio... and there was no whistle (i.e. mosquito buzzing) noticeable from the Sony. I do greatly appreciate the instructions on building the "portable random dipole", & will save what you said and try it later. FYI, I have been researching what some radio websites call a "broomstick antenna". It basically consists of a length on non-conductive form (e.g. broomstick or PVC conduit), around which a number of turns of wire are wound. Technical information (i.e. that made sense to me) was initially scarce until I found this gem: " Wound on a 3 foot length of PVC pipe, the long loopstick antenna was an experiment to try to improve AM radio reception without using a long wire or ground. It works fairly well and greatly improved reception of a weak station 130 miles away. A longer rod antenna will probably work better if space allows. The number of turns of wire needed for the loopstick can be worked out from the single layer, air core inductance formula: Inductance = (radius^2 * turns^2) / ((9*radius)+(10*length)) where dimensions are in inches and inductance is in microhenrys. The inductance should be about 230 microhenrys to operate with a standard AM radio tuning capacitor (33-330 pF). The 3 foot PVC pipe is wound with approximately 500 evenly spaced turns of #24 copper wire which forms an inductor of about 170 microhenrys, but I (i.e. the author) ended up with a little more (213uH) because the winding spacing wasn't exactly even. A secondary coil of about 50 turns is wound along the length of the pipe on top of the primary and then connected to 4 turns of wire wound directly around the radio. The windings around the radio are orientated so that the radio's internal antenna rod passes through the external windings. A better method of coupling would be to wind a few turns directly around the internal rod antenna inside the radio itself, but you would have to open the radio to do that. In operation, the antenna should be horizontal to the ground and at right angles to the direction of the radio station of interest. Tune the radio to a weak station so you can hear a definite amount of noise, and then tune the antenna capacitor and rotate the antenna for the best response." Quoted from Mr. Bill Bowden's web site, on which there is also a pictu http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...wden/page2.htm Although I didn't see any reference to using the radio's external antenna jack, I was grateful for: 1. The entire explanation. 2. The explanation that an antenna tuner, is a a standard AM radio tuning capacitor. (he included values) 3. The diagram. 4. The formula. For my dad's radio, I plan on combining this information with data from these two websites: http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx...al/broom3.html http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx.../bromstik.html I will build one for myself, whenever I figure out what's the fix for my KAITO 1102. Kindest regards, SW Newbie Yerodin P. |
SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
wrote: wrote: Noise on FM is kind of strange due to the capture ratio of the radio, i.e. it should be reject noise. I'd expect the noise source to be very close. FM radios aren't hard to find. Try a second radio in the same location and see if you get the same noise. wrote: Hello Everyone, I am new to SW listening. The few times I have heard SW, I assumed that the BBC was the only broadcasting station. My dad used his SONY ICF-2002, to pick up the BBC news in the mornings. (So.. I never used to trouble the controls) Much later, the AC adpter got damaged & he stopped listening to the BBC. (I believe he mentioned the SONY ate batteries) It gathered dust for a while, & then I tried using it with an adjustable, DC voltage adapter & realised there was nothing wrong with the radio itself. Since then, I learnt: 1. The BBC isn't the only broadcast station on SW. 2. Signal reception would be improved if I learnt how to build a better antenna. 3. I should really return the radio w/DC adapter to my dad so he could listen to the BBC again. So I bought a Kaito KA1102 portable radio last November 2005. Initially I was thrilled. Then after the excitement of owning my own wore off (i.e. about a month of SW listening), I suddenly noticed that whether operated on battery or Adapter: 1. A high pitched whistle on the local FM station. 2. A warbling, high pitched whistle on the SW bands. NOTE: I am resident in South America. Within my neighbourhood, two people use broadcasting radio sets to contact their inland business operations & two taxi service bases operate near my home. The whistle is sometimes so loud that it overpowers the voice tones of the announcers... which is very annoying. The manual didn't say anything about high pitched whistles, and I have tried moving to different locations at home (i.e. where I got good reception before), all to no avail. Fortunately, it doesn't happen all the time during a sitting, so I just turn the radio OFF, pause for a bit and then turn it back ON. That works.... for a short while. I would really like to understand what causes this problem in my KAITO KA1102 and what I should do to correct it. (i.e. Preferably before I return the SONY to my dad) I believe that if I can resolve this problem I will have a great portable radio. My dad's SONY ICF-2002 has been around for years, and except for the adapter issue and some whip antenna wiggle, gives no trouble today. Your suggestions on my KAITO 1102, (i.e. besides shipping it back to the Manufacturer's) would be most helpful. Kindest regards, SW Newbie, Yerodin P. Hello , Thanks for writing in. I am unsure of what more competent SW radio fans call "noise". A "whistle, that sounds like a mosquito buzzing in my ear" is something I can relate to. What does noise sound like? Kindest regards, SW Newbie Yerodin P. "NOBODY" can be this stupid.................... can you spell TROLL? |
SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
|
SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
wrote: wrote: wrote: Noise on FM is kind of strange due to the capture ratio of the radio, i.e. it should be reject noise. I'd expect the noise source to be very close. FM radios aren't hard to find. Try a second radio in the same location and see if you get the same noise. wrote: Hello Everyone, I am new to SW listening. The few times I have heard SW, I assumed that the BBC was the only broadcasting station. My dad used his SONY ICF-2002, to pick up the BBC news in the mornings. (So.. I never used to trouble the controls) Much later, the AC adpter got damaged & he stopped listening to the BBC. (I believe he mentioned the SONY ate batteries) It gathered dust for a while, & then I tried using it with an adjustable, DC voltage adapter & realised there was nothing wrong with the radio itself. Since then, I learnt: 1. The BBC isn't the only broadcast station on SW. 2. Signal reception would be improved if I learnt how to build a better antenna. 3. I should really return the radio w/DC adapter to my dad so he could listen to the BBC again. So I bought a Kaito KA1102 portable radio last November 2005. Initially I was thrilled. Then after the excitement of owning my own wore off (i.e. about a month of SW listening), I suddenly noticed that whether operated on battery or Adapter: 1. A high pitched whistle on the local FM station. 2. A warbling, high pitched whistle on the SW bands. NOTE: I am resident in South America. Within my neighbourhood, two people use broadcasting radio sets to contact their inland business operations & two taxi service bases operate near my home. The whistle is sometimes so loud that it overpowers the voice tones of the announcers... which is very annoying. The manual didn't say anything about high pitched whistles, and I have tried moving to different locations at home (i.e. where I got good reception before), all to no avail. Fortunately, it doesn't happen all the time during a sitting, so I just turn the radio OFF, pause for a bit and then turn it back ON. That works.... for a short while. I would really like to understand what causes this problem in my KAITO KA1102 and what I should do to correct it. (i.e. Preferably before I return the SONY to my dad) I believe that if I can resolve this problem I will have a great portable radio. My dad's SONY ICF-2002 has been around for years, and except for the adapter issue and some whip antenna wiggle, gives no trouble today. Your suggestions on my KAITO 1102, (i.e. besides shipping it back to the Manufacturer's) would be most helpful. Kindest regards, SW Newbie, Yerodin P. Hello , Thanks for writing in. I am unsure of what more competent SW radio fans call "noise". A "whistle, that sounds like a mosquito buzzing in my ear" is something I can relate to. What does noise sound like? Kindest regards, SW Newbie Yerodin P. "NOBODY" can be this stupid.................... can you spell TROLL? Hello , When asking for assistance (i.e. in an area in which I know I am ignorant), I generally try not to assume I know what folks more knowledgeable than myself mean when they use technical terms. I could guess that , meant the hissing sound that accompanies poor signal reception....... however, that would mean that he didn't understand my original post . It is unlikely that a hiss and a high-pitched whistle (i.e. mosquito buzzing), sound the same. In my experience, humility & openness is more likely to get rendered assistance than other behaviours. Kindest regards, SW Newbie Yerodin P. |
SW and FM bands have high-pitched whistle..... please explain
My comment was for the FM noise. I guess I should have explained
"capture ratio." With FM, the radio can reject an interfering signal as long as the desired signal is sufficiently stronger. So for you to get noise on FM, the noise source has to be very close, or the desired signal is very weak. I say this only because you have eliminated power line (mains) noise by going to battery operation. It would make sense to try the radio that you suspect has a problem in another location to see if the noise goes away. Noise on shortwave is another story. There is no ability to reject noise with an AM radio. Rather, on AM, the noise gets demodulated with the desired signal. There isn't much you can do other than to locate the noise source and eliminate it. There are some solutions, such as going to a loop antenna, which tends to not pick up some types of noise, or use a noise canceller like the ANC-4. But there is nothing like finding the noise source and eliminating it. I have no idea what it is like where you live. In urban areas, noise is everywhere. My house has it's share of devices that make noise on shortwave and even AM BCB. I have a laser printer that pumps out 847kHz. Battery chargers with switching supplies are another noise source. Computer monitors, especially CRT types make noise. Dirty insulators on power lines. The list is endless. wrote: wrote: Noise on FM is kind of strange due to the capture ratio of the radio, i.e. it should be reject noise. I'd expect the noise source to be very close. FM radios aren't hard to find. Try a second radio in the same location and see if you get the same noise. wrote: Hello Everyone, I am new to SW listening. The few times I have heard SW, I assumed that the BBC was the only broadcasting station. My dad used his SONY ICF-2002, to pick up the BBC news in the mornings. (So.. I never used to trouble the controls) Much later, the AC adpter got damaged & he stopped listening to the BBC. (I believe he mentioned the SONY ate batteries) It gathered dust for a while, & then I tried using it with an adjustable, DC voltage adapter & realised there was nothing wrong with the radio itself. Since then, I learnt: 1. The BBC isn't the only broadcast station on SW. 2. Signal reception would be improved if I learnt how to build a better antenna. 3. I should really return the radio w/DC adapter to my dad so he could listen to the BBC again. So I bought a Kaito KA1102 portable radio last November 2005. Initially I was thrilled. Then after the excitement of owning my own wore off (i.e. about a month of SW listening), I suddenly noticed that whether operated on battery or Adapter: 1. A high pitched whistle on the local FM station. 2. A warbling, high pitched whistle on the SW bands. NOTE: I am resident in South America. Within my neighbourhood, two people use broadcasting radio sets to contact their inland business operations & two taxi service bases operate near my home. The whistle is sometimes so loud that it overpowers the voice tones of the announcers... which is very annoying. The manual didn't say anything about high pitched whistles, and I have tried moving to different locations at home (i.e. where I got good reception before), all to no avail. Fortunately, it doesn't happen all the time during a sitting, so I just turn the radio OFF, pause for a bit and then turn it back ON. That works.... for a short while. I would really like to understand what causes this problem in my KAITO KA1102 and what I should do to correct it. (i.e. Preferably before I return the SONY to my dad) I believe that if I can resolve this problem I will have a great portable radio. My dad's SONY ICF-2002 has been around for years, and except for the adapter issue and some whip antenna wiggle, gives no trouble today. Your suggestions on my KAITO 1102, (i.e. besides shipping it back to the Manufacturer's) would be most helpful. Kindest regards, SW Newbie, Yerodin P. Hello , Thanks for writing in. I am unsure of what more competent SW radio fans call "noise". A "whistle, that sounds like a mosquito buzzing in my ear" is something I can relate to. What does noise sound like? Kindest regards, SW Newbie Yerodin P. |
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