2 radio-electrical questions

[Jim Andrew]

1. I am using a car radio with a 12 volt power supply in my shop. The old boom box quit, and never did work as well as my truck radio, so tried using a similar radio. Problem is, one light makes the radio buzz. The light circuit has 2- 4bulb fixtures on it, and the lights work right. T8 4 bulb fixtures. Do I need to solder the connections on this circuit, or maybe replace the switch?
2. To improve the radio performance, was considering drilling a hole in the wall and installing the antenna outside. Would making a bracket and putting the antenna outside work? Can use a piece of angle iron and install the antenna maybe 2" from the outside wall.

[Dan Hintz]

Most likely a LOT of junk on the electrical line (or in the air) from your T8 ballasts. If the radio is on the same circuit as the lights, move it to another circuit. If that doesn't help, move it farther away from the problem light.

[russell lusthaus]

. . . . . or change the ballasts, or . . . .

If wanting to listen to am radio, I use a circular looking addl antennae that uses no wires or addl power. Not sure how it works, but it does, but only for am radio. If you need more info, I can take a pic of what I have. Let me know. Russ

[Brian Henderson]

Honestly, the easiest way to do it is download an app for a smart phone and use a A2DP bluetooth headset (which most are these days). I can listen to anything I want, anywhere I want and the music goes right into my ear while not compromising any of the shop noises I still need to pay attention to. There are all kinds of free apps out there, plus if you're close enough to your home wireless, you can do it without spending a penny on data, or you can put in a wireless booster to up the range.

[Lee Schierer]

I used to have an FM radio in my shop that I listened to music when the local stations played music I liked. To enhance the reception, I attached a bare copper wire about 20 feet long to the antenna. It improved the signal. Since you have a car radio you should be able to do the same thing just run a small wire out the nearest window and attach it to the antenna. It may also help to ground your existing car antenna base as the normal radio antenna cabling for cars is shielded to keep out unwanted electrical noise and grounding it will help.

[Mike Heidrick]

How long is the ground to the car radio? Is the 12v+ close to it?

[Jim Andrew]

I do have the radio sitting near the service panel. The ground rod is just outside, if that is your question.

[Jim Andrew]

After reading Russell's post, I searched AM radio antenna, and found one from EHOW, describing making a X shaped wood frame, and driving nails near the end of the wood pieces, and wrapping 22 gauge wire around it. Sounds similar to the round antenna Russell described.

[Lee Schierer]

If you are using the AM band you may not be able to get rid of the buzzing from the lights without a power line suppressor (http://radioproshop.com/filters/filters.htm).

[Don Roberson II]

Have thought about something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-NS12-InLine-Noise-Suppressor/dp/B0007V5X4U

[Charles Lent]

If you buy that Amazon part, use it in the 12 volt DC input to the radio. Do not use it in the AC power line. It is not designed for house power and would be a safety hazard. A car antenna mounted outside of the house/shop and away from your power panel and the offending light fixtures would increase the station signal to the radio, which would increase the signal to noise ratio. Right now your radio is cranking up it's gain to try and improve the incoming signal, and it is also increasing the noise being received from the light fixtures. A stronger radio signal would make a huge difference. Ever notice the difference in reception when you drive your car through a tunnel? With lower radio signals reaching the radio antenna the car's ignition and other electric device noise gets into the radio. Drive out of the tunnel, the music comes back, and the noises go away.

Charley

[Jim Andrew]

I installed the radio on the east side of the shop, least amount of wiring, and drilled a hole through a stud to the outside, and made a shelf type support bracket, so the antenna is about 8" from the wall. When I hooked the antenna up to the radio, got quite a bit of noise on am, and decided to try running a ground from the bracket to ground, hooked it up and the background noise went away. Thanks for the help!

[Charles Lent]

I'm glad I could help. Enjoy the music.

Charley