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Radio Frequencies

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(@verminisjk)
Active Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 6
Topic starter  

Hello

I'm receiving AM radio frequencies on my amp. Even with the guitar unplugged, just the amp plugged in the wall, I'm clearly hearing radio (quite a strong sound). Of course I can raise the volume of my guitar to stop hearing it, but It's still annoying.
I've read about people getting AM frequencies, but when the guitar (or bass) was plugged and their problems was mostly bad cables. But what if my amp does it on its own?

Verminisjk
Thanks


   
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(@ricochet)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

Have you tried plugging it into a different outlet?

If you're very close to a transmitter, the signal may ride in on the power cord and be difficult to keep out.

Try this, just for fun: Take a common steel nail. Wrap the power cord around it several times and hold it in place with some tape. See if that eliminates or reduces the interference. The inductance of the cord wrapped around the nail acts as a "choke coil" to block the RF from coming through. You can buy ferrite beads and various commercially made choke coil filters, but I've had the nail wrapping thing work satisfactorily. I left the cord to an answering machine wrapped around a nail for years, because I couldn't hear the messages for the radio coming in if I left it out.

There are various ways of bypassing RF internally with capacitors, if it comes down to it.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@gnease)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

Solid state amp? Your amp may need bypassing on its power stage output circuit to keep RF out of the junctions. That's definitely an "inside job"

-=tension & release=-


   
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