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General: Radio interference

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthorRex
    • CommentTimeOct 23rd 2022
     
    What ho one and all,

    In the kitchen, we have a number of 2 gang 13a sockets set into the wall. Currently, there is a kettle, radio (AM and FM) and a dimmable led light plugged in.

    The kitchen has eight, LED downlights.

    If listening to AM and the downlights are on, there is unacceptable interference on the radio; but FM is fine. If the plug-in led on the same circuit is on, neither AM or FM is listenable.

    It is obviously something to do with the LED lights

    Is there anything I can do? Fit some kind of suppressor into the socket?

    Thanks and toodle pip

    Rex
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeOct 24th 2022
     
    Posted By: RexIf listening to AM and the downlights are on, there is unacceptable interference on the radio; but FM is fine. If the plug-in led on the same circuit is on, neither AM or FM is listenable.

    It is obviously something to do with the LED lights
    I agree, but your LED lights shouldn't be interfering with your radio. There is either something wrong with the lamps themselves, or with your house wiring. Are the lamps branded and from a well-known brand? Do you have their original packaging and are they marked UKCA and/or CE? If not, I'd suggest removing all the lamps and replacing at least one with a good quality lamp as described and see if that makes any difference. If they are good then I would check the wiring, looking for any loops or unearthed parts that should have earths.

    Is the radio mains-powered, or battery? If you have a choice, do the same symptoms appear with a battery-powered radio as with a mains-powered one? Try to use one of each to see whether the interference is mains-borne or airborne.
    • CommentAuthorRex
    • CommentTimeOct 24th 2022 edited
     
    Thanks for your reply. Radio is mains but can be used with batteries. Will give it a try. Will take the radio to the dinning room where we also have LED downlights.

    The LED are not the most expensive but having had too many Chinese cheapies that give up the ghost, these are certainly working well.

    As for checking wiring loops, since the wiring is in the ceiling, don't think that is possible.

    In the days before LED lights, my parent's old fridge caused radio static. Seem to recall fitting a suppressor in the socket (or something like that) and it was cured. Is this still possible or not?

    I should add that the original lights where halogen (less expensive than LED when we built) and some time ago, replaced with LED bulbs. There are not LED drivers, etc in the wiring, just exchange bulbs. Don't know if that makes a difference.
  4.  
    LED-specific drivers will be more energy efficient and less likely to give off radio interference.

    The drivers connect and disconnect the power very quickly to convert it to DC*, as did the brushes in the fridge motor and the power supply circuitry in the mains radio. The on-off switching produces a lot of harmonics at audio and even radio frequencies, you can thank Monsieur Fourier for that. There are regulations about how products should suppress them, but difficult for you to claim any comeback if they don't comply. As DJH suggested, the interference could be transferred through the mains wiring or radiated through the air, would be good to find out which, obvs a mains choke would only work for one of those.

    As a work-around, you could get a little Echo or Nest style speaker for £20? They play pretty much any radio station in the world without interference and you can skip back to the start of a programme if you switched on halfway through. Don't think we still have any AM receivers in the house, maybe still got one in the car.

    *Edit - I don't have any low voltage halogen drivers but it looks like the original drivers produced 12V AC, when connected to a highish-current halogen. Might not be as happy with a lower-current LED?
    • CommentAuthorRobL
    • CommentTimeOct 24th 2022
     
    EMC compliance is mandatory in the Uk. Cheap stuff may not have been tested though, I’m not sure if anyone has been successfully prosecuted for failure to comply, so there’s not a lot of incentive.
    I remember years ago, pre emc rules, not being able to listen to an FM radio while using a bbc b computer. Radios work fine now with PC’s and laptops, but cheap light fittings might have difficulty.
    • CommentAuthorRex
    • CommentTimeOct 25th 2022
     
    "Don't think we still have any AM receivers in the house, maybe still got one in the car."

    We listen quite a lot to 5 Live unless they are broadcasting football!
  7.  
    So do we! But we listen on the internet, not on AM. If you want, you can skip the football and replay the talk bit you missed earlier in the day.

    Try it here:
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_five_live

    If you get one of those little Echo speakers, you just tell it to "play radio 5 live", and it plays over the internet without any AM reception needed.

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