I've got a little puzzle here in the new house: intermittent (rare) radio interference coming through the power, producing faint voices from amp to speakers. It sounds like CB or ham radio, and every time a piece of signal comes through, the LED voltage meter on my Panamax MAX5100 spikes up slightly (from 110V to 120V). It is very intermittent -- we just encountered it for the first time, and it occurred probably forty times for about five seconds at a time over the course of ten minutes or so. At the moment, it's been five or ten minutes since the last time it happened. Anybody run into this before and have any thoughts?

My father-in-law ran into it once in his two-channel system before he added a power conditioner. The MAX5100 is primarily a surge protector, so one possibility is replacing it with something that does a bit more filtering / conditioning. I've been considering a Brickwall unit anyway as an eventual replacement for the Panamax, but don't know if that would offer any more help with this issue or not.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

You need a power line filter, but if there is a ham radio operator really close to you, the signal will find it's way into your gear through the air.

"I have heard of someone" who inserted a needle through the coaxial cable that went up to some obnoxious ham's antenna. The first time he keyed his transmitter, his output stage went up in smoke. Can't imagine someone would actually do such a thing......

1) How are you certain the problem is coming through the power line and only the power line?

2) Having had an FCC first class commercial radio operator's license, and having a few amateur radio operators in my extended family, I would guess that almost any amateur radio would like to operate without interference with neighbors’ electronics, and take care in the setup of their transmitting equipment.

I had a certain telephone set that was a consistently acting as a poor receiver of a local Spanish radio station during telephone conversations, until I replaced it. The station was doing nothing wrong, no other equipment of mine was affected. The problem was just within that particular phone set.

Further research into the causes and potential cure(s) may be warranted.

Haven't been able to test it much, since it hasn't recurred since it first cropped up, but the interference corresponded with spikes in voltage at my Panamax. Muting the system didn't stop it, and I don't think changing inputs did either. I'll try to experiment the next chance I get.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Geez, people these days! You can't trust anyone! LOL!!!!


[This message has been edited by BroonsBane (edited January 20, 2004).]

[This message has been edited by BroonsBane (edited January 20, 2004).]

About ten years ago I had an older receiver that was prone to picking up a (very distorted) ham radio signal. None of my other gear was susceptible - but it was still annoying. After putting up with it for far too long, I went for a walk around the neighbourhood on the theory that anything that was able to hit my receiver with enough power to do that, must have been originating pretty close by. Sure enough a block away there it was. Big tower with antennas was the dead giveaway. I knocked on the door, explained the problem to the fellow who answered, and matched up the recent problems with times when he was definitely transmitting. He apologized and said he would take steps to correct the problem very soon. He must have because the problem never cropped up again. No scorched earth measures needed.

Jeff Mackwood