tomperkins Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Hi there,I have a 1.8 DVA tuned k-series car running an emerald ECU. I have mid range Binatone radios.When on blats with friends we try to use radios and headsets to communicate. For some reason my car seems to be causing interference with the radio.Went on a trip last year with a Duratec R300 and a k-series superlight. They could both communicate clealy with each other (they were using Kenwood radios) but their transmissions to me were very distorted and hard to hear.I then went on another trip with just the R300D recently using a different set of Binatone radios and we could hear each other fine when stationery but as soon as we started moving the transmissions were broken and again hard to hear.Has anyone had a similar experience?Any ideas on a solution?Thanks in advance,Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Is it a distance thing ..... the cheap radios may not have such a good range. Are you all on the same channel and sub channel setting ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomperkins Posted March 20, 2016 Author Share Posted March 20, 2016 We've ruled that one out sadly, happens even if we're right behind each other.Also using identical channel and sub-channels.Puzzling hey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Are you saying interference from engine running ? Noise varies with engine revs ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted March 20, 2016 Member Share Posted March 20, 2016 What Ian asks.+ Are you running them off the car's electrics as the power source?Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Deslandes Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Is it just you in your car that is getting interference when receiving a signal from another car or are they also getting interference when you transmit?If it's the former, as I suspect, and it's a buzz or crackle then it could be ignition and you could start by checking your HT leads. Try walking away from the car when receiving a signal and see if it slowly improves. You could try waving the radio around the car close to anything electrical or electronic, e.g. ECU, fuel pump, HT leads etc, to try and isolate the source. If it happens when the two radios are very close together it must be a very strong interfering signal as these radios are FM and reject noise that's reasonably below the received signal strength.If the other car is getting interference when you transmit, this would suggest that you're powering your radio off the car and wiring borne noise, possibly alternator whine, is being conducted into your radio. This can be a problem with some intercoms, most notably the Terratrip which needs a mod to the pc board to cure it.Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raw Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Do you have a filter on the power supply connections to the intercom and/or radio? You may also need isolated leads between radio and intercom? Its a case of trying things one at a time and seeing if the problem disappears (or gets worse).You don't say which intercom system but Starcom sell both.I have a Starcom based system, with an Intaride radio, both of which are powered from the car. The satnav definately needs an isolated lead for the sound, the power supply to the intercom has a filter, everything else is ok. All leads for music, headsets should be screened. Vast majoirty of noise has gone, no alternator whine either. Interestingly, last year we plugged a usb power lead into the IPod to charge whilst also playing music and this transmitted noise into the system. Unplugging the charging lead solved, obviously the Apple lead is not screened! CheersAndrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brookside2004 Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Takes me back to my teenage years fitting car hifi in mates cars ! L and C anyone ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjmmarsh Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 You can also get a feedback loop which increases the noise if both the headphones and the radio run off the battery. Try running just one connected to the car battery (if you can). Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Riches Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Inductors and capacitors, solve most of the problems, but first you need to identify the source. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomperkins Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Interference seems to be worse with speed. Radios work fine when stationery with engine running Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomperkins Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Just battery powered radios Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted March 24, 2016 Member Share Posted March 24, 2016 I'd try to localise the source as in Paul's suggestion.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverSedlacek Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I'd check the spark plugs and HT leads. One or other needs to be resistive to suppress radio frequency emissions from the actual spark. If you've got NGK plugs you can tell by the part number, BP plugs don't have resistors, BPR plugs do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomperkins Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 In the more recent experience there was just me and a friend with identical battery powered radios. It's very difficult to track down as it doesn't happen when stationery, only when moving and seems to get worse with speed. In that situation there was interference at both ends (i.e. When transmitting and receiving). Hope that helps to clarify things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted March 25, 2016 Member Share Posted March 25, 2016 Hmmm... only when moving and worse with speed... 1-(vv/cc) isn't affected much, even in a 7 What sort of speedometer do you have ... and have you tested when stationary at high engine speed?Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Deslandes Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Interference at both ends?? There must be some serious source of RF interference for it to get into the transmitter circuits. Daft question but it isn't just wind noise in both tx and rx modes is it? Presumably you don't get the problem in a different car, and it stays with the same car if you swap over the radios.Get a battery powered MW AM radio and wave it around the engine bay and cockpit when revving the engine and then when driving at the sort of speeds you're getting the problem. The AM radio will give you a much better idea of the character of the noise, e.g. whine, buz, crackle etc.and help to pinpoint it.One other thought, are you using a plug-in headset with the radio? If so, the cable could be acting as an antenna and picking up the interfering signal more effectively. If you are, try unplugging it and see what happens.Confused I am.Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian B Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Cheap (consumer/domestic) PMR radios don't work well at speed compared to the commercial/professional ones. No idea why but several people have tried the cheapo "family" radios and found they are a false economy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Deslandes Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Noise cancelling microphones? Or, rather, lack of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomperkins Posted March 29, 2016 Author Share Posted March 29, 2016 Thanks for everyone's thoughts on this. Sorry I can't be more definite on answers but figuring this one out as we go.We do indeed use plug in headsets (3M Peltor ear defenders modified to make a headset). The microphones do have a foam cover but I guess wind noise is a possibility as we all run aeroscreens.I guess the cheap radios is also a possibility. In the first trip I mentioned the guys using more expensive Kenwood radios didn't have issues (with aeroscreens and the headsets I mentioned above) but I did have issues using my Binatone (£40) radios. The more recent experience was also using a different set of similar £40 Binatone radios.Guess we need to start doing some scientific tests to try to narrow down the possible causes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverSedlacek Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 I'd still look at plugs and leads. If there's no suppression then they will be interfering with radios over a range of over 100m, which ties in with your observation that both ends hear the noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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