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Rick
 
Posts: n/a
Default Mysterious interference to satellite radio connected to Onkyo receiver

Many thanks to anyone who takes the time to read the following problem
description and offer some help.

Original problem description: I recently purchased an Audiovox
Sirius satellite radio, with car kit and home kit.

CAR INSTALLATION: I have installed the unit in the car with perfect
results. Reception is 3 (out of 3) bars and the radio works
perfectly. There is never any interference caused by any car device
(such as wipers, blinkers, etc.).

HOME INSTALLATION: Here is the problem. Most of the time the radio
works great, with either 2 or 3 bar reception. (I will mount the
antenna outdoors in a day or two and should then have 3 bars at all
times.) However, operating other electrical devices in the house
temporarily mutes the sound from the satellite radio.

Details: Turning a light on in the house (incandescent or
fluorescent) that has not been on for a while (15 seconds, say) will
cause the satellite radio to mute. The muting occurs for about 0.5 to
1.0 seconds, at the instant the light switch is thrown. If the
particular light is turned off and the experiment is immediately
repeated, then muting will not reoccur. But it will reoccur later,
after the light has been off for a while. Additionally, the radio
stays muted throughout the duration of our using the microwave oven.

We have also observed other cases of reception rapidly coming and
going, which we traced to flickering of the thermostat in our stove.
Yet to be understood mutings/interference may be traceable to
thermostats in refligerator, freezer, air conditioner, well pump,
outdoor light, water heater, etc.

We have the power supply for the home unit connected to a surge
protector going to an outlet. Also plugged into the surge protector
a VCR, TV, Stereo, PlayStation2, and stereo equalizer. No other
device (tv, am or fm radio) exhibits any interference problems;
however the lights in the house will slightly dim when the heater
comes on with the emergency heating strips. (We have also tried the
experiment after unplugging all the nonessential stuff, with the same
results.)

Finally, the satellite antenna has been placed through the back glass
door in the center of a screen porch for these preliminary
experiments. The antenna is about 8/10 feet from other electrical
wiring (ceiling fan and outlets).

Please help. Do I need some type of filter? On what? Is the
satellite receiver defective? Please give me a list of things to try
here. Thanks, in advance and please send response to the email
address given above.


On the basis of the above info, both Audiovox and Crutchfield
recommended that I return the Audiovox Base Unit, as it may be
defective. Instead, I purchased a second base unit yesterday and can
provide the following update:

1 I purchased yesterday an additional home base unit at Best Buy. (I
wanted an extra one for the bedroom anyway.) The second unit exhibits
the same behavior as the first. In this experiment, I used all the
second unit stuff (not just the base, but also the cables, power
supply and antenna).

2 The satellite radio problem exists only when I route the audio
signal into our Stereo receiver (Onkyo TX 844). Both the first and
second base unit work perfectly with the following: Bose radio, Model
88 table radio, and even a Peavey public address system. The only
problem is when the audiovox hardware is connected to the Onkyo
receiver. I guess this makes it a problem with the Onkyo receiver or
specific incompatibility between the satellite receiver and the Onkyo
receiver. BTW, the stereo works perfectly for every other component
plugged into it, exhibiting no strange behavior.

Can anyone offer any ideas on how to get the satellite radio to work
(without interference) through the Onkyo receiver?
Thanks.

Rick
  #2   Report Post  
Jerry G.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Mysterious interference to satellite radio connected to Onkyo receiver

The sat receiver is muting when it receives any small electrical
interference. The wires that you are using in combination to the device that
they are feeding are most likely acting as a sort of antenna. The data
stream being processed by the sat receiver is being seen as having some
corruption on it, therefore the D/A in the sat receiver is muted. You
mentioned that this only happens when you connect its output to your sound
system. This type of thing is not uncommon with some data receivers. Your
sat receiver is a data satellite receiver. By-the-way, the antenna for your
receiver would be best to be out doors, not in the house. Even the glass in
your window may attenuate the reception a little.

When you have something that is cycling on and off, or even switching a
light on or off, the switch contacts make small arc. This is normal. An arc
which is a spark of electricity, contains all the harmonics in the frequency
spectrum. This is why a spark can make a sound on any type of receiving
device. This is especially true if the spark is high enough in amplitude in
relation to the signal coming in to the receiver.

Since your receivers and devices are connected to the AC mains in some form,
and so is the device that is causing the interference to occur, the AC mains
is also coupling the devices, sort of like a closed circuit antenna.

Isolating these from RF interference can be sort of complex, and will be
mostly experimental. Some of this interference is going through the air in
the close proximity of your home, and some is going through the AC mains.
Even an isolation transformer may still conduct much of the interference.
AC line filters may pass it as well. You would have to understand the
principles behind this in dept to understand why this can occur. More than
likely your computer, or monitor, or any device near by with a heavy
switching supply can cause your sat receiver to also have problems.

What you can try, is to use a different power source for your sound system
and sat receiver to start with. Take a long extension cord, and get the
power for it from another part of your home. The try the same for the sat
receiver. Do both the sat receiver and sound system at the same time. If
you do them one at a time, you may introduce a ground loop. You can try
them one at a time if you still have the problem. Make sure that the new
power source is from the opposite side of your power buss in the breaker
box. You have two different buss bars in the breaker panel. Most of the
time, each end of the home is on opposite sides. You can tell this because
the breakers go down the left and right sides. You want to have the power
source from a breaker on the opposite side that you are on now. This may or
may not work, but it is a start.

I have several cell phones that when in the PCS mode, they will not work if
I go to within about 3 feet to the microwave oven. I also found that when
using my cell phones in the car the GPS goes nuts. The other day, it told
me that I was driving in a near by lake at 215 mph! As soon as I ended the
call, the GPS went back to normal again.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================


"Rick" wrote in message
m...
Many thanks to anyone who takes the time to read the following problem
description and offer some help.

Original problem description: I recently purchased an Audiovox
Sirius satellite radio, with car kit and home kit.

CAR INSTALLATION: I have installed the unit in the car with perfect
results. Reception is 3 (out of 3) bars and the radio works
perfectly. There is never any interference caused by any car device
(such as wipers, blinkers, etc.).

HOME INSTALLATION: Here is the problem. Most of the time the radio
works great, with either 2 or 3 bar reception. (I will mount the
antenna outdoors in a day or two and should then have 3 bars at all
times.) However, operating other electrical devices in the house
temporarily mutes the sound from the satellite radio.

Details: Turning a light on in the house (incandescent or
fluorescent) that has not been on for a while (15 seconds, say) will
cause the satellite radio to mute. The muting occurs for about 0.5 to
1.0 seconds, at the instant the light switch is thrown. If the
particular light is turned off and the experiment is immediately
repeated, then muting will not reoccur. But it will reoccur later,
after the light has been off for a while. Additionally, the radio
stays muted throughout the duration of our using the microwave oven.

We have also observed other cases of reception rapidly coming and
going, which we traced to flickering of the thermostat in our stove.
Yet to be understood mutings/interference may be traceable to
thermostats in refligerator, freezer, air conditioner, well pump,
outdoor light, water heater, etc.

We have the power supply for the home unit connected to a surge
protector going to an outlet. Also plugged into the surge protector
a VCR, TV, Stereo, PlayStation2, and stereo equalizer. No other
device (tv, am or fm radio) exhibits any interference problems;
however the lights in the house will slightly dim when the heater
comes on with the emergency heating strips. (We have also tried the
experiment after unplugging all the nonessential stuff, with the same
results.)

Finally, the satellite antenna has been placed through the back glass
door in the center of a screen porch for these preliminary
experiments. The antenna is about 8/10 feet from other electrical
wiring (ceiling fan and outlets).

Please help. Do I need some type of filter? On what? Is the
satellite receiver defective? Please give me a list of things to try
here. Thanks, in advance and please send response to the email
address given above.


On the basis of the above info, both Audiovox and Crutchfield
recommended that I return the Audiovox Base Unit, as it may be
defective. Instead, I purchased a second base unit yesterday and can
provide the following update:

1 I purchased yesterday an additional home base unit at Best Buy. (I
wanted an extra one for the bedroom anyway.) The second unit exhibits
the same behavior as the first. In this experiment, I used all the
second unit stuff (not just the base, but also the cables, power
supply and antenna).

2 The satellite radio problem exists only when I route the audio
signal into our Stereo receiver (Onkyo TX 844). Both the first and
second base unit work perfectly with the following: Bose radio, Model
88 table radio, and even a Peavey public address system. The only
problem is when the audiovox hardware is connected to the Onkyo
receiver. I guess this makes it a problem with the Onkyo receiver or
specific incompatibility between the satellite receiver and the Onkyo
receiver. BTW, the stereo works perfectly for every other component
plugged into it, exhibiting no strange behavior.

Can anyone offer any ideas on how to get the satellite radio to work
(without interference) through the Onkyo receiver?
Thanks.

Rick


  #3   Report Post  
Jerry G.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Mysterious interference to satellite radio connected to Onkyo receiver

The sat receiver is muting when it receives any small electrical
interference. The wires that you are using in combination to the device that
they are feeding are most likely acting as a sort of antenna. The data
stream being processed by the sat receiver is being seen as having some
corruption on it, therefore the D/A in the sat receiver is muted. You
mentioned that this only happens when you connect its output to your sound
system. This type of thing is not uncommon with some data receivers. Your
sat receiver is a data satellite receiver. By-the-way, the antenna for your
receiver would be best to be out doors, not in the house. Even the glass in
your window may attenuate the reception a little.

When you have something that is cycling on and off, or even switching a
light on or off, the switch contacts make small arc. This is normal. An arc
which is a spark of electricity, contains all the harmonics in the frequency
spectrum. This is why a spark can make a sound on any type of receiving
device. This is especially true if the spark is high enough in amplitude in
relation to the signal coming in to the receiver.

Since your receivers and devices are connected to the AC mains in some form,
and so is the device that is causing the interference to occur, the AC mains
is also coupling the devices, sort of like a closed circuit antenna.

Isolating these from RF interference can be sort of complex, and will be
mostly experimental. Some of this interference is going through the air in
the close proximity of your home, and some is going through the AC mains.
Even an isolation transformer may still conduct much of the interference.
AC line filters may pass it as well. You would have to understand the
principles behind this in dept to understand why this can occur. More than
likely your computer, or monitor, or any device near by with a heavy
switching supply can cause your sat receiver to also have problems.

What you can try, is to use a different power source for your sound system
and sat receiver to start with. Take a long extension cord, and get the
power for it from another part of your home. The try the same for the sat
receiver. Do both the sat receiver and sound system at the same time. If
you do them one at a time, you may introduce a ground loop. You can try
them one at a time if you still have the problem. Make sure that the new
power source is from the opposite side of your power buss in the breaker
box. You have two different buss bars in the breaker panel. Most of the
time, each end of the home is on opposite sides. You can tell this because
the breakers go down the left and right sides. You want to have the power
source from a breaker on the opposite side that you are on now. This may or
may not work, but it is a start.

I have several cell phones that when in the PCS mode, they will not work if
I go to within about 3 feet to the microwave oven. I also found that when
using my cell phones in the car the GPS goes nuts. The other day, it told
me that I was driving in a near by lake at 215 mph! As soon as I ended the
call, the GPS went back to normal again.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================


"Rick" wrote in message
m...
Many thanks to anyone who takes the time to read the following problem
description and offer some help.

Original problem description: I recently purchased an Audiovox
Sirius satellite radio, with car kit and home kit.

CAR INSTALLATION: I have installed the unit in the car with perfect
results. Reception is 3 (out of 3) bars and the radio works
perfectly. There is never any interference caused by any car device
(such as wipers, blinkers, etc.).

HOME INSTALLATION: Here is the problem. Most of the time the radio
works great, with either 2 or 3 bar reception. (I will mount the
antenna outdoors in a day or two and should then have 3 bars at all
times.) However, operating other electrical devices in the house
temporarily mutes the sound from the satellite radio.

Details: Turning a light on in the house (incandescent or
fluorescent) that has not been on for a while (15 seconds, say) will
cause the satellite radio to mute. The muting occurs for about 0.5 to
1.0 seconds, at the instant the light switch is thrown. If the
particular light is turned off and the experiment is immediately
repeated, then muting will not reoccur. But it will reoccur later,
after the light has been off for a while. Additionally, the radio
stays muted throughout the duration of our using the microwave oven.

We have also observed other cases of reception rapidly coming and
going, which we traced to flickering of the thermostat in our stove.
Yet to be understood mutings/interference may be traceable to
thermostats in refligerator, freezer, air conditioner, well pump,
outdoor light, water heater, etc.

We have the power supply for the home unit connected to a surge
protector going to an outlet. Also plugged into the surge protector
a VCR, TV, Stereo, PlayStation2, and stereo equalizer. No other
device (tv, am or fm radio) exhibits any interference problems;
however the lights in the house will slightly dim when the heater
comes on with the emergency heating strips. (We have also tried the
experiment after unplugging all the nonessential stuff, with the same
results.)

Finally, the satellite antenna has been placed through the back glass
door in the center of a screen porch for these preliminary
experiments. The antenna is about 8/10 feet from other electrical
wiring (ceiling fan and outlets).

Please help. Do I need some type of filter? On what? Is the
satellite receiver defective? Please give me a list of things to try
here. Thanks, in advance and please send response to the email
address given above.


On the basis of the above info, both Audiovox and Crutchfield
recommended that I return the Audiovox Base Unit, as it may be
defective. Instead, I purchased a second base unit yesterday and can
provide the following update:

1 I purchased yesterday an additional home base unit at Best Buy. (I
wanted an extra one for the bedroom anyway.) The second unit exhibits
the same behavior as the first. In this experiment, I used all the
second unit stuff (not just the base, but also the cables, power
supply and antenna).

2 The satellite radio problem exists only when I route the audio
signal into our Stereo receiver (Onkyo TX 844). Both the first and
second base unit work perfectly with the following: Bose radio, Model
88 table radio, and even a Peavey public address system. The only
problem is when the audiovox hardware is connected to the Onkyo
receiver. I guess this makes it a problem with the Onkyo receiver or
specific incompatibility between the satellite receiver and the Onkyo
receiver. BTW, the stereo works perfectly for every other component
plugged into it, exhibiting no strange behavior.

Can anyone offer any ideas on how to get the satellite radio to work
(without interference) through the Onkyo receiver?
Thanks.

Rick


  #4   Report Post  
Jerry G.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Mysterious interference to satellite radio connected to Onkyo receiver

The sat receiver is muting when it receives any small electrical
interference. The wires that you are using in combination to the device that
they are feeding are most likely acting as a sort of antenna. The data
stream being processed by the sat receiver is being seen as having some
corruption on it, therefore the D/A in the sat receiver is muted. You
mentioned that this only happens when you connect its output to your sound
system. This type of thing is not uncommon with some data receivers. Your
sat receiver is a data satellite receiver. By-the-way, the antenna for your
receiver would be best to be out doors, not in the house. Even the glass in
your window may attenuate the reception a little.

When you have something that is cycling on and off, or even switching a
light on or off, the switch contacts make small arc. This is normal. An arc
which is a spark of electricity, contains all the harmonics in the frequency
spectrum. This is why a spark can make a sound on any type of receiving
device. This is especially true if the spark is high enough in amplitude in
relation to the signal coming in to the receiver.

Since your receivers and devices are connected to the AC mains in some form,
and so is the device that is causing the interference to occur, the AC mains
is also coupling the devices, sort of like a closed circuit antenna.

Isolating these from RF interference can be sort of complex, and will be
mostly experimental. Some of this interference is going through the air in
the close proximity of your home, and some is going through the AC mains.
Even an isolation transformer may still conduct much of the interference.
AC line filters may pass it as well. You would have to understand the
principles behind this in dept to understand why this can occur. More than
likely your computer, or monitor, or any device near by with a heavy
switching supply can cause your sat receiver to also have problems.

What you can try, is to use a different power source for your sound system
and sat receiver to start with. Take a long extension cord, and get the
power for it from another part of your home. The try the same for the sat
receiver. Do both the sat receiver and sound system at the same time. If
you do them one at a time, you may introduce a ground loop. You can try
them one at a time if you still have the problem. Make sure that the new
power source is from the opposite side of your power buss in the breaker
box. You have two different buss bars in the breaker panel. Most of the
time, each end of the home is on opposite sides. You can tell this because
the breakers go down the left and right sides. You want to have the power
source from a breaker on the opposite side that you are on now. This may or
may not work, but it is a start.

I have several cell phones that when in the PCS mode, they will not work if
I go to within about 3 feet to the microwave oven. I also found that when
using my cell phones in the car the GPS goes nuts. The other day, it told
me that I was driving in a near by lake at 215 mph! As soon as I ended the
call, the GPS went back to normal again.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================


"Rick" wrote in message
m...
Many thanks to anyone who takes the time to read the following problem
description and offer some help.

Original problem description: I recently purchased an Audiovox
Sirius satellite radio, with car kit and home kit.

CAR INSTALLATION: I have installed the unit in the car with perfect
results. Reception is 3 (out of 3) bars and the radio works
perfectly. There is never any interference caused by any car device
(such as wipers, blinkers, etc.).

HOME INSTALLATION: Here is the problem. Most of the time the radio
works great, with either 2 or 3 bar reception. (I will mount the
antenna outdoors in a day or two and should then have 3 bars at all
times.) However, operating other electrical devices in the house
temporarily mutes the sound from the satellite radio.

Details: Turning a light on in the house (incandescent or
fluorescent) that has not been on for a while (15 seconds, say) will
cause the satellite radio to mute. The muting occurs for about 0.5 to
1.0 seconds, at the instant the light switch is thrown. If the
particular light is turned off and the experiment is immediately
repeated, then muting will not reoccur. But it will reoccur later,
after the light has been off for a while. Additionally, the radio
stays muted throughout the duration of our using the microwave oven.

We have also observed other cases of reception rapidly coming and
going, which we traced to flickering of the thermostat in our stove.
Yet to be understood mutings/interference may be traceable to
thermostats in refligerator, freezer, air conditioner, well pump,
outdoor light, water heater, etc.

We have the power supply for the home unit connected to a surge
protector going to an outlet. Also plugged into the surge protector
a VCR, TV, Stereo, PlayStation2, and stereo equalizer. No other
device (tv, am or fm radio) exhibits any interference problems;
however the lights in the house will slightly dim when the heater
comes on with the emergency heating strips. (We have also tried the
experiment after unplugging all the nonessential stuff, with the same
results.)

Finally, the satellite antenna has been placed through the back glass
door in the center of a screen porch for these preliminary
experiments. The antenna is about 8/10 feet from other electrical
wiring (ceiling fan and outlets).

Please help. Do I need some type of filter? On what? Is the
satellite receiver defective? Please give me a list of things to try
here. Thanks, in advance and please send response to the email
address given above.


On the basis of the above info, both Audiovox and Crutchfield
recommended that I return the Audiovox Base Unit, as it may be
defective. Instead, I purchased a second base unit yesterday and can
provide the following update:

1 I purchased yesterday an additional home base unit at Best Buy. (I
wanted an extra one for the bedroom anyway.) The second unit exhibits
the same behavior as the first. In this experiment, I used all the
second unit stuff (not just the base, but also the cables, power
supply and antenna).

2 The satellite radio problem exists only when I route the audio
signal into our Stereo receiver (Onkyo TX 844). Both the first and
second base unit work perfectly with the following: Bose radio, Model
88 table radio, and even a Peavey public address system. The only
problem is when the audiovox hardware is connected to the Onkyo
receiver. I guess this makes it a problem with the Onkyo receiver or
specific incompatibility between the satellite receiver and the Onkyo
receiver. BTW, the stereo works perfectly for every other component
plugged into it, exhibiting no strange behavior.

Can anyone offer any ideas on how to get the satellite radio to work
(without interference) through the Onkyo receiver?
Thanks.

Rick


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