static on my radio

[Jim Andrew]

I get static on my radio, it is a Sony boombox type, and FM is the problem. It is fine until I turn on the lights. The lights are all LED in the drop in type fluorescent fixtures, when they were fluorescent, they caused static, and I removed all the ballasts and wired the tombstones up for the LED bulbs, which are great, but static is bad. Sometimes the radio is ok, depending on where it is plugged in, but last night I tried it all over the shop and could not get rid of the static. Looked for static suppressors, RFI filters, found some that look like they just go over your power cords. Anyone have overcome this problem?

[Darrell Bade]

I overcame by streaming music from the net to the boombox after getting tired of hearing the same cd over and over and over and over.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I have not overcome it but have the same problem. I wonder lately if the interference is coming through the cord or through the air. The static changes as I move around the garage and is less when I am in between the receiver and the nearest light. It is diminished even more when I am touching the receiver. It is less and consistently clearer when the lights are off.

[Jim Becker]

I've handled that the same as Darrell...switched to streaming WXPN.org rather than doing the old-radio-thing with it anymore. I use an inexpensive Echo device plugged into the AUX port of the shelf system (a "deluxe boom box, if you will) and use my voice to control it. The sound is superior to a non-HD FM signal, too.

[Lee Schierer]

Ferrite cores over the power cables for the lights and possibly the radio cable
seem to help.

[Jim Andrew]

Thanks, guess I will try what Lee suggests.

[Jim Andrew]

Decided to measure the radio cord, has a flat cord 4x7 mm. Will a 7 mm ferrite ring work?

[Michael Schuch]

I use EMI/RFI filters simular to these between my VFD's and the wall:
https://www.amazon.com/Suppressor-Si...s%2C188&sr=8-4

High end VFD's have good EMI/RFI filtering built in. Cheap Chinese VFD's, not so much.

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Does the radio have static on it if you run it on batteries instead of plugging it into the wall? If there is still static while running on batteries I don't think a EMI/RFI filter will help. Turn your radio on to your favorite station while on battery power then walk out side the shop then around the inside of the shop. This might help locate the RFI interference. If all the lights seem to be putting out RFI instead of the static getting worse when near a particular light then you are kind of out of luck.

[John K Jordan]

oops, wrote this hours ago and forgot to send :

Some LEDs lights are horribly noisy. I had one by the lathe that caused a digital caliper to go wonky when within 3’. Swapped it out for another bulb.
You might try disconnecting the lights one at a time to see if one is noisy.

If the FM radio has two antenna connectors you might use a double wire antenna arranged in a “T” shape and position it for best signal. In my shop, I run a single wire FM antenna from a “boom box” radio, wrapped around the antenna and up the wall, positioned for the least interference. At worse case, you might run a cable with a grounded shield to outside the shop.

Could also try a differernt radio to see if the first one has developed a problem.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I think I have connections for 300 and 75 ohm antennas, I will try running coax further from the lights. I have ballast bypass LEDs in 3 of 6 T8 fixtures. The LEDs are indeed noisy. I do like the radio and feel like I know some of the hosts. Our Sons Lady friend has a radio show out of Hillsboro NC which we stream. I think it is more fun when the stream is live. It is also great to be able to go back if I miss a show.

[Wes Grass]

Seems to me the only lights that run directly off AC are incandescent's. Everything else involves a power supply of some sort. And my guess would be the worst of them are the ones built into the bulbs. And the easiest to swap out if there's a problem, of course.

Another decision to make whenever I get going on my shop build ...

[Carl Beckett]

I have always had an old radio of one type or another in the shop, and do experience static at times. It can even change from day to day, and also where I stand. Sometimes it gets better if I am touching the antenna.

Generally adding a long wire (6-8 ft) to the antenna, tacked across a wall has improved the signal strength and eliminated the static. (or a loop of wire). Although it could make it worse if you are picking up noise from the lights, it might be worth a try to see if signal strength is improved and background noise drops out.

[Derek Meyer]

When I built my house, I anticpated using my garage as a workshop, so I ran coax and network to a few locations. When I hook up an FM tuner I connect it to the coax lines, which lets me use my cable TV provider's equipment for the antenna. The signal is clear and strong that way, and there's no need to hang a separate antenna.

[mark mcfarlane]

Jim, if you have wireless Internet access in your shop, streaming music is probably the cheapest and easiest solution to your problem of listening to the radio in the shop.

The TuneIn skill offers over 100,000 radio stations on Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices. There is a free version with the 100,000 stations and a $10/month version that includes more sports and other features.

If your Sony boom box has an audio input cable feature then you could pick up a used Echo Dot on eBay for about $13 and plug the output into your boom box. Or wait until Black Friday and get the latest Echo Dot for around $29.

Listening to radio over the internet eliminates several problems such as environmental noise (your problem) and atmospheric interference on cloudy days. Crystal clear radio. Every day, all the time.

[Jeff Roltgen]

Regarding noisy electronics/light fixtures:
I don't have static from radio, as I now stream music as well. However, I use bluetooth earbuds most of the time, and find that LED corncob bulbs are noisy enough to interfere with the bluetooth signal, causing dropouts. Noticed my CNC spindle can do the same thing to the signal.
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