France - Interference on radio when FreeSat TV on

[flattop]

Hi I have just wired up my house in france and it has been inspected and certified but when the TV is on I get interference on the radio, especially on MW. Can anyone tell me what the problem is? No big Techy words please!

 

[Golden_Boy]

A radio transmitter is basically an oscillator running at a certain frequency, HOWEVER in a lot of cases there is also ouputs on ODD HARMONICS of the basic frequecy. So when your tv is on there are several oscillators running inside the equipment. As a result there will be outputs all over the MW/Shortwave bands. This is a problem that can not be solved easily. An external aeial as far away from the TV as possible MAY improve natters. If not then turn the TV off.

 

[BertUK]

another possibilty is the radio plugged into the same circuit as the tv

 

[Golden_Boy]

another possibilty is the radio plugged into the same circuit as the tv

It makes little or no diffrence as the cables are all connected in the CU. As far as interference goes it makes NO diffrence at all where on the installation each is plugged in. If indeed the OP is useing a mains powered radio ???

 

[BertUK]

It makes little or no diffrence as the cables are all connected in the CU. As far as interference goes it makes NO diffrence at all where on the installation each is plugged in. If indeed the OP is useing a mains powered radio ???

In an electrical system, a ground loop usually refers to a current, generally unwanted, in a conductor connecting two points that are supposed to be at the same potential, often ground, but are actually at different potentials. Ground loops created by improperly designed or improperly installed equipment are a major cause of noise and interference in audio and video systems. They can also create an electric shock hazard, since ostensibly "grounded" parts of the equipment, which are often accessible to users, are not at ground potential.

Ground loop issues with television coaxial cable can also affect any connected audio devices such as a receiver. Even if all of the audio and video equipment in, for example, a home theater system is plugged into the same power outlet, and thus all share the same ground, the coaxial cable entering the TV is sometimes grounded to a different point than that of the house's electrical ground by the cable company. The potential of this ground is likely to differ slightly from the potential of the house's ground, so a ground loop occurs, causing undesirable mains hum in the system's speakers

 

[Golden_Boy]

Earth loops cause HUM .. NOT interference

 

[BertUK]

Earth loops cause HUM .. NOT interference

In an electrical system, a ground loop usually refers to a current, generally unwanted, in a conductor connecting two points that are supposed to be at the same potential, often ground, but are actually at different potentials. Ground loops created by improperly designed or improperly installed equipment are a major cause of noise and interference in audio and video systems. They can also create an electric shock hazard, since ostensibly "grounded" parts of the equipment, which are often accessible to users, are not at ground potential.

 

[Golden_Boy]

lets find out if the OP has his radio connected to the mains before we go any further.

Where are you getting this information you are quoting?

I was in the TV trade for 35 years .. what is your background?

 

[BertUK]

the information im quoting is good,my background is not of concern,im not getting into a dispute over it but the information is from a very reliable source and im just trying to relay it to the OP as a route to look down if all else fails.

 

[flattop]

Wow, guys, thanks for all the info and effort you have put into this question. To confirm, the radios are mains powered and the earth for the communications and the mains power are to the same point. the interference is mainly on MW. I am not sure quite what was meant by 'incorrectly designed or installed equipement'. Does this mean the TV/radio or the circuits in the house? The house is wired to current french norms including the communications.
Will have a go with an external arial and yes we could turn the telly off but its one of those man-woman things! Man listens to music and woman watches soaps! Cheers

 

[Golden_Boy]

Interference from modern mains powered equipment can ( and indeed is ) carried from one peice of kit to another via the mains wiring wether it be in france the UK australia or outer mongolia, It makes no difference. Most of the "hash" that blocks out AM broadcasts is, as I said before, generated by the internal ocsillators in connected equipment. One of the prime culprits being the Switch Mode power supplies that are now part of ( almost ) ALL electronic equiment that plugs into the mains. Even though there are "filters" that are supposed to prevent too much interference getting back through the mains it is whofuuly inadequet ( my opinion) in most cases. One thing that may help is a direct connection from your radio to an earth rod ( not the house earth, a seperate earth ) as recomended for transmitting stations.