LEDs and VHF Radio.

[idlerboat 116]

A new problem just occured tonight that I thought important to share.

I have an LED light at my nav station. This has been on the boat since I first launched it.

It has always killed the TV reception, but never the vhf radio.

I have recently installed a battery monitor system and needed to hook up all the earths on one side of the shunt.

Previously the earths ran to differant negatives along the battery bank (where it was easiest to connect too)

I am assuming that the LED earth and VHF radio earth where on differant batteries and as such the battery acted as a kind of filter.

The 'interesting thing is my transmission was fine, but the LED noise was killing in coming transmissions.

I have been well known for a very high level of tx and rx ...beyond a lot of other friends vessels here.

To suddenly have them all say that they could here quite clearly (the transmitting boat was 1.5 nm away) and I couldnt was a shock.

So be warned !!!!

Your LEDs could be killing your reception. If in doubt turn them off.......and get a re transmission.

 

phew just got in before the edit time out.....

 

as an extra, I have just done a full radio check with my other leds that is ALL my nav lights an a few more........they are not effecting the signal

[Island Time 1,239]

Yep, Cheap crap LED's have poor circuitry for voltage correction, and are prone to causing RFI. Its well documented on many sites if you want to do a google search. What brand was the LED concerned?

[ab1974 1]

Seem to remember KM talking about a similar issue a few months (maybe year?) back

[Guest]

Knot so much talking as posting an alert issued by MNZ about LED lights pissing with radios. They discovered it after a accident I think.

 

Well well, the Crew search worked a treat suss this - http://crew.org.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=14356

 

Twas July 2010 ab1974, 3 years ago. Holy crap does time fly.