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radio noise

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:47 am
by british thunder
I started to get allot of static through the com and the radio.
so I bought a new com and now Icom A6.
the static is still there ( BAD )
If I touch the rubber antenna it lets up a lot, If I have it on the external antenna it is unbearable. and the com is almost unusable, too much static and noise when you talk.
It wasn't this bad last year only when the battery was really low.
On top of all this I cannot transmit only receive.
I talked to ICOM they said it was noise from the mags or the alt. and I have to buy there ptt switch to be able to transmit.
Any ideas or solutions??
Has anyone delta with this??
Thanks
Cec
014R




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Radio noise

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 11:16 am
by Mike Kimball
This is for you guys using automotive engine conversions. I've got a fair
amount of radio noise that increases in pitch as engine RPM is increased.
This generally means the source is somewhere in the ignition system. I have
shielded the distributer pickup wires and the wires to the coils. I also
shielded the wires from the alternator to the main bus. All shielding is
grounded at one end. All headset jacks have isolators. I have spiral wrap
spark plug wires that are supposed to be good for RF suppression but they
are not shielded. For some reason the radio noise is much worse on the nav
side. My transmissions are loud and clear. Do any of you automotive
conversion folks have radio noise problems? What have you done to reduce
radio noise.

Mike
044SR




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Radio noise

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 12:12 pm
by Mike Kimball
I've got radio noise. Changes in pitch with RPM. Much worse on the NAV
side than the COMM side. My transmissions are loud and clear. Not the
alternator. I took the belt off the alternator and it's still there. Not
speaker jack wiring. I eliminated that. It's radiated noise coming in
through the antenna, not line noise. Gotta be something to do with my Chevy
installation with MSD ignition. Anyone with an automotive engine
installation and similar ignition have noise and a solution? Anyone have
contact info for other auto installations that I can talk to?

Mike




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Radio Noise

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 3:56 pm
by Mike Kimball
I've finally gotten to the point where I can fly my plane regularly now. I
have an issue with the oil system for my gearbox. I made the mistake of
supplying oil to the gearbox from a pressurized source from the engine. At
60-70 psi I am giving the gearbox too much volume, even through a 1/16
restriction. I lose a quart of oil in 30 minutes in flight out the gearbox
vent. I temporarily rigged a catch can for this so I could keep flying. I
should have taken oil from an unpressurized source (i.e., the oil pan). I
am going to switch to a dry sump for the gearbox this winter.

Despite that, my biggest problem continues to be radio noise. Can I enlist
the help of you other auto conversion folks? Can you tell me about your
ignition and radio setup? What kind of spark plug wires are used? Are they
shielded? I assume your ignition is electronic HEI of some sort. Mine has
an electronic ignition module that sends a low voltage pulse to a standard
automotive coil which then sends the high voltage pulse through the
distributor to the spark plug. (Stock MSD stuff.) My radio is grounded at
a grounding block that is attached to the firewall and the engine via a
large diameter grounding cable. My alternator is not the problem. I have
run the engine with the alternator belts detached and still have the radio
noise. I have filters on the radio power cables and the ignition module
power. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Mike





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Radio noise

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 4:10 pm
by Ken
Mike
Here's a couple more ideas from aeroelectric if you are not on that list:
Ken

Has it always been there or did it come about after a few hours running?
Sometimes I get ignition noise...Then I change out the auto plugs and it
goes away.
If you have auto plugs on your EI it might be worth a try for a $1.20 a
piece...then turn off your mag in flight.
frank

Have you considered the alternator regulator starting to regulate at 2000 rpm upwards, and the more pronounced effect this could be having with an older battery, letting transient noise into the DC bus?
Ralph


I had an exactly identical problem with a KX155. There was a thread on it several months ago
Eventually found it was the intercom picking up ignition noise. To diagnose it i had to remove the intercom pin from the back of the radio. Most, but not all, of the noise disappeared. Just working on one headset without removing the intercom pin-out still gave the problem. Solved it by installing an external intercom.
- Frank



Mike Kimball wrote:
I haven't finished trying all the suggestions that came from the list on my
radio noise. The answer might be there! If it isn't I'll just keep bugging
the list until it is! Thanks list!

Mike
044SR




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Radio noise

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 8:55 pm
by Curt Langholz
Did the person with the radio noise find the cause of the noise?
If you fixed it, great. If not, I may have some simple troubleshooting tests you could do to.


Curtis
175R



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