Where's the interference coming from?

Polly

I've bought an ipod charger/speaker combined with a clock radio for beside the bed and I'm very pleased with it. However, it seems to be picking up interference from other items and 'crackles' on and off through the night (probably in daytime as well but I don't hear it). I've moved the phone and all other possible sources of interference away from it but to no avail. Any ideas what else I could try? Don't want to get rid of it as its so useful otherwise

fwor

I experienced something similar - with an amplifier, not a clock - and the source in that case turned out to be my fridge.

I found that a contact suppressor (such as Maplin Product Code RG22Y) wired across the thermostat made it quieter, but I only got rid of it completely by getting a new fridge!

In your case it's likely to be something that takes relatively high current and switches on and off periodically, so things like immersion heaters, fridges & freezers and electrical heaters would be the ones to check first.

john_s_2

I've lived in my flat for 17 years. In that time we've had intermittent interference on our radio. It seems to come in waves - Autumn and Spring I think. There's two different sorts. Either short bursts (a few seconds) that make it completely inaudible, or long (minutes) where it's in the background but you can just about hear the radio underneath.

I tried switching off everything else in the flat years ago but to no avail (including the fridge). I rang (the BBC I think) who suggested it might be a neighbour's thermostat, and that it would probably breakdown soon. Well, 17 years on and that thermostat is still going.

One of these days I'll get to the bottom of it. But it doesn't seem to interfere with my computers' wireless network.

I also overlook an overground section of a London Underground line but the (whoever it was I rang) didn't think that was the source as the interference I was describing sounded like AC, while the tube uses DC.

Polly

In other words, I'll never get to the bottom of it! There are just so many things it could be and I have removed all those I can bear to do without. Thank you both for taking the trouble to reply