Does the reception problem mean you have missed talk radio's ongoing analysis of the Duggar family?

If so, count yourself very fortunate

Radio stations used to send out engineers to solve radio reception problems but I doubt they have any or enough to do that anymore nor do they probably care.
Has the electric company been doing any work in your area lately?
Possibly a hydro transformer is failing.
Electrical interference has been slowly killing AM reception for decades and it comes from many sources, more it seems every day.
In downtown Vancouver, where we have trolley buses and lots of tall concrete and steel buildings, the major 50 thousand watt stations are virtually unlistenable in many areas. 
In Toronto, you have streetcars, lots of concrete and steel buildings and an aging electrical grid. 
Something obviously has changed in your area.
Call your favourite AM station and ask to speak to an (the) engineer and see if he/she can offer any suggestions.

I'm interested in the answer to this, if there ever is one also.  I'm about 99.9% AM listener, and always have one in the bathroom, usually connected to the light .  I've also noticed that for ages, I get a perfect, no buzz signal, then for a few weeks, it's rotten reception and then it just goes away.  Nothing on my end has changed that I know of.  Could it just be something in the lines, injected from elsewhere in the neighbourhood?  I've thought of getting a filter, but never been bothered enough to do it.    When cable-FM went away, I had a digital box on a Crane FM transmitter that I'd use around the house, but when I moved I forgot to set it up again.  Probably should .

 

Glen Warren wrote:

RadioActive:  just wondering if this problem has recently presented itself with AM reception, or if you have experienced it for some time...
A couple of thoughts...  can you try using a battery powered AM radio? if so, is the interference still present?
And have you signed up with your electrical utility for the "Peak Saver" program where they remotely shut down your Air Conditioning unit at peak load times?  Similar to when the electrical utility used to push a 30 Hz pulse on the local electrical grid to turn off/on electric water heaters... 
I'm also wondering if it might be related to the Smart Electrical meters... 

just wondering....
 

1) Most of my radios are battery powered, but it doesn't make any difference even on those that do have AC. It doesn't go away when you unplug a unit from the wall. The noise is still there but wasn't on those units until about six months ago. 

2) I would never let the power company near my thermostat, so no, I'm not on PeakSaver! So that can't be it.

3) My Smart Meter was installed several years ago and, as noted, the problem is about six months old. So I don't think it could be tied to that or it would have happened long before now. (So far, the meter hasn't exploded, as happened to one poor woman recently on the side of her house, so that's one good thing!)

The problem affects both local and distant stations across the dial, which means it's mildly annoying on say, AM640, but almost obliterates CKTB or WABC. It's worse at night, but that's likely because of atmospherics, pattern changes and signal protection reductions. 

A few months shy of a year ago, I put up this thread about a mysterious buzzing that was plaguing every AM radio in my house and spread over the properties of the two homes on either side of me. I'm almost afraid of posting this at the risk of jinxing something, but a few days ago, the noise simply stopped. 

I have no idea what changed, what happened or if it will ever come back. I'd love to find out what it was, but I'm guessing I'll never find out. Maybe someone replaced whatever it was with a more shielded source or got rid of whatever was generating the noise.  And yes, I could have listened online, but that's a pain and I'd rather hear it unadulterated off air. Anyway, a number of posters were nice enough to contact me via the SOWNY inbox about this and I thought I'd at least let them know. 

So for now, at least, the RF on AM that's been driving me nuts since early 2015 (or earlier) is gone. Welcome back WABC. Nice to hear you again WBZ. Where you been WGN? What's news WCBS? Great to have you back WLS, WJR, WTAM and KMOX. (Now if only most of them actually had something worth listening to! But that's for another thread for another day...)

Last edited by RadioActive (April 14, 2016 11:46 am)

Glad to hear that your problem appears solved R A...

That would be sooooo annoying...I feel your pain....

FWIW I entered the following into Google...constant buzz on the am dial....

There's a whack of articles there dealing with the problem...you may want to take a look....

One suggestion was the possibility of a nearby  electric fence (used to ensure pets remain in a yard).

Plus many more suggestions....

And I can tell DT that I was front and center on the Larry Glick show circa 1972....

Loyal listener and loved the guy...

Still listen most nights to WBZ late night...all these many  years later...

Cheers all.....



















 

Last edited by unclefester (April 14, 2016 6:51 pm)