Question for the radio/audio gurus on static interference

[A34]

When I turn on my overhead shop lights, I get a lot of static on my FM radio. Doesn't matter if it's in a car or a stand alone radio, it has a lot of static on it. When the lights are off, the radios are clear sounding. Is there some sort of filter I get put on the shop radio for better reception?

Here are some details on what I have:

1)The bulbs are Linear Fluorescent, T5HO, 54W, 48" long, 4 per housing, 22 housings.
2)FM receiver is a KLH audio systems R3100 am/rm receiver
3)Cathode Resistance Ratio Rh/Rc (MIN)4.0
4)Cathode Resistance Ratio Rh/Rc (MAX) 5.0
5)Current Crest Factor (MAX)1.7
6)The lights are only a few years old and the problem has existed since day one.

Is the ballast in the light's the problem? Since they are only a few years old, what can I do without replacing all the ballast's?

Thanks for any ideas!!

 

[Bert_]

Pretty typical with high frequency electronic ballasts. You may be able to filter it at the lights to some extent, someone else will have to chime in on that. Simplest thing to start with is get the radio antenna outside the building.

 

[kd3pc]

replace ballasts

or contact the manufacturer and explain you have tried to live with it and want clean, residential ballasts.

YOu may be able to run some coax to an outside antenna for the desk top radios, but ...even that is no guarantee.

 

[cybrdyke]

Pretty typical with high frequency electronic ballasts. You may be able to filter it at the lights to some extent, someone else will have to chime in on that. Simplest thing to start with is get the radio antenna outside the building.

Yep.

replace ballasts

or contact the manufacturer and explain you have tried to live with it and want clean, residential ballasts.

YOu may be able to run some coax to an outside antenna for the desk top radios, but ...even that is no guarantee.

These are T5HO ballasts. There aren't any residential versions that I know of.

It's the ballasts causing the interference. It can be either Radio Frequency inteference or ElectroMagnetic interference, or a combination of both. There's a few things that you can try, but the effectiveness is only minimal.
There are RF Filters that you can buy. Philips makes one, #RF-1. They dont work very well.
You can check to see if the lighting circuit shares a neutral wire with the receptacle circuit that you have your receiver plugged into. If it does, change it so that it doesn't.
If you are using an external antenna, make sure that antenna wires are as far away from the lighting fixtures as possible.
If your antenna wire is coax cable, get the quad-sheild 90% coverage expensive stuff instead of the cheap stuff. Keep it far away from the fixtures.
Dump the receiver and use smart phone/bluetooth/wifi components.
Try a new LED fixture, but there's not guarantee that you wont have the exact same issue with this solution.
Things that wont likely work:
Changing the lamps to LED...they still have drivers in them and although they are smaller and less powerful, they still run on approximately the same frequency.
Changing ballasts...nearly all T5HO ballasts are the same, internally.

Good luck,
CD

 

[A34]

Thanks Guys!!

 

[rmanrman]

I have the same problem but it started when I replaced my T8 4ft fixtures with led self contained tubes from hyperkon. I bought the ones that require to remove the ballasts. I thought the static would be less but it became intolerable. I bought a FM outside antenna that I installed in my garage attic it helped a lot. I am far away from nyc stations. I will replace the rg59 cable with rg6QS and see if it helps. Then I may install the antenna outside but the wife may veto that idea.

 

[rick carpenter]

For maybe a cheap solution, can you stream internet radio in over bluetooth or powered speakers? I get all the channels I want over Pandora or last.fm (an OK website, not as easy as Pandora) on the pc, and all the stations I want over NextRadio for my iPhone.

 

[A34]

Thanks for the info guys, I really hate to get ride of my '80's stereo gear. It's part of the nostalgia of working on these old cars.

I will install an outside antenna and if it doesn't help, may just switch over to streaming music.

 

[walta]

My not work but worth a try adding a filter to one fixture and see if it still generates interference.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Filter-RFI...:EO8AAMXQWlFRwyFZ:sc:USPSPriority!31302!US!-1

Walta

 

[Ruffnit]

CD had it right, those are putting a large harmonic frequency on the neutral. Isolate the circuit your stereo is on and make sure the ground is connected to your stereo. You can also make sure all your lights are on the same phase A for example in your panel and place the stereo on the phase B. If your shop is a sub panel from your main panel, be sure and separate the neutrals and grounds in the sub panel, they are not to be bonded together in a sub panel, only at the main panel. This might not apply to your setup exactly but just things I have seen in the past that have helped.
Good luck.
RB