Guitars and Amps Transmitting Radio, Two-Way and Cell Phone Signal Information Database:

Inspector #20

Inspector #20

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This is an interesting topic which I have encountered numerous times in various geographical locations, but most predominant here in So-Cal.

This thread is designed to provide a searchable database of experiences which I will classify in two catergories:

1. Guitar EMI/RFI Reception:

This is when the transmission of audible and intelligible AM or FM radio broadcasts, two-way private radio transmissions and/cell phone conversations are noted when a given guitar is plugged into an amplifier and the condition stops when a different guitar is plugged in or when the initially offending guitar is unplugged.

2. Amplifier EMI/RFI Reception:

When the aforementioned signals are transmitted audibly and intelligibly by an amplifier without a cable or guitar being plugged into it.

I have experienced 'condition1' described above with 5 brand new Gibson's. The first purchased in 2003 (Gibson SG) and the remaining (4) purchased new between September 2016 and April 2018.

All received radio signals when connected to different amplifiers and at different geographic locations in California, including Fresno. Visalia, Porterville, Hollywood, Burbank, Rancho Cucamonga and Lake Arrowhead.

Two of the new Gibson's were kept and modified with copper shielding, which stopped the condition in my 2016 Gibson Les Paul 50's Tribute. The removal and discard of the Gibson pickups in a 2016 Gibson SG was required when that guitar would still transmit nearby cell phone conversations, even after shielding. A steady buzz/hum was traced to the Gibson 490 pickups and the cell phone transmission stopped when the Gibson pickups were replaced.

Gibson eventually replaced the pair of 490's after examining them.

The other 3 new Gibson's were returned for issues not related to these electrical conditions, such as loose frets, need for neck reset, fretboard humps.

So, I discovered the EFI/RFI conditions are more common than I initially imagined. A common thread in these posts is a widespread disbelief that this is a real phenomenon.

Below is a 6 page forum debate on the condition:

Does your amp pick up RADIO SIGNALS?

Story... Bought a 4K amp. It came in the mail. Plugged it in. Heard AM radio stations coming through the speakers. Called the maker. He all but said I was crazy, that he'd never heard of his amps doing that. Tried to resolve problem. Ultimately got a refund. Have gone into 2 shops since then...
www.thegearpage.net

I would encourage experiences be posted as well as any written or video documentation that you might stumble upon in your Web travels.

Thanks...
 
I believe I've never had the exact type of interference that is described in this thread's topic. I don't remember coming across this type of interference when I still lived in the Los Angeles area up until 1986. And definitely not, since I moved to an area which has a population density just a miniscule fraction of Southern California.

Sp8ctre said:
In all seriousness, do you think some people are conductors themselves?
Click to expand...
Not in all seriousness... Maybe Robert is so tall, that his body acts like a big antenna or lightning rod... :alien:
 
I had an old console television years ago that would pick up CB radio conversations at night, past around 10:00 pm.

The atmospheric conditions affect that.

Did you know some radio frequencies travel and skip off the earth and atmosphere better at certain times of the day or night?
 
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smitty_p said:
I had an old console television years ago that would pick up CB radio conversations at night, past around 10:00.

The atmospheric conditions affect that.

Dis you know some radio frequencies travel and skip off the earth and atmosphere better at certain times of the day or night?
Click to expand...

Being in the radio business all my life I was aware of this. Also the lower the frequencies the further they can travel. That is
why the HF band is used for HAM Radio. There are even LF waves that can travel through the ground...
 
Roughly half of the shielding jobs that I receive are for general hum or buzz. The other half are for radio frequency transmission.

Interesting fact:

Both my new Marshall DSL40C's would transmit "KFROG" and Cal-state University two way radio traffic when plugged into the Fuhrman power strip or the wall, without a guitar or cable plugged in.

Adding a loop to each AC cable, with a large ferrite clamp, stopped it completely...
 
Yes I had my TC Harmony G vocal possessor pick up a radio station we played close to it.
Also Smart Meters when transmitting 3 watts I ran 8awg to the ground rods and power panel.
Robert if your amps are picking up RF it's a internal ground issue in the amp all the ferrite coil is doing it giving the power cord a new antenna.

http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/stargnd/stargnd.htm

I had a hiss issue with my Trainwreck amps I used 16AWG pure silver wire for grounds no hiss high current amp.
on my other builds I use pure silver coax I was lucky to score a 1000' roll $250.00 that coax if you can find it now is $100.00 per foot.
Next your Furman is just a power strip zero noise filtration.
 
In the thread that Robert linked to in post #1:

Does your amp pick up RADIO SIGNALS?

Story... Bought a 4K amp. It came in the mail. Plugged it in. Heard AM radio stations coming through the speakers. Called the maker. He all but said I was crazy, that he'd never heard of his amps doing that. Tried to resolve problem. Ultimately got a refund. Have gone into 2 shops since then...
www.thegearpage.net

Posts #6, 30, and 40, all have the usual suspects covered. I honestly didn’t read much further than that.
I have had 1 amp ever that picked up radio chatter at all. It was fixed by re-flowing a cold solder joint on the input jack(negative/ground terminal).
 
67plexi said:
Yes I had my TC Harmony G vocal possessor pick up a radio station we played close to it.
Also Smart Meters when transmitting 3 watts I ran 8awg to the ground rods and power panel.
Robert if your amps are picking up RF it's a internal ground issue in the amp all the ferrite coil is doing it giving the power cord a new antenna.

http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/stargnd/stargnd.htm

I had a hiss issue with my Trainwreck amps I used 16AWG pure silver wire for grounds no hiss high current amp.
on my other builds I use pure silver coax I was lucky to score a 1000' roll $250.00 that coax if you can find it now is $100.00 per foot.
Next your Furman is just a power strip zero noise filtration.
Click to expand...

All the amps at our local Guitar Sinner play KFROG too....so, I cannot see every, single amp in the store having the same issue...

Other people's amps exhibit the same anomaly here too.
 
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67plexi said:
Yes I had my TC Harmony G vocal possessor pick up a radio station we played close to it.
Also Smart Meters when transmitting 3 watts I ran 8awg to the ground rods and power panel.
Robert if your amps are picking up RF it's a internal ground issue in the amp all the ferrite coil is doing it giving the power cord a new antenna.

http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/stargnd/stargnd.htm

I had a hiss issue with my Trainwreck amps I used 16AWG pure silver wire for grounds no hiss high current amp.
on my other builds I use pure silver coax I was lucky to score a 1000' roll $250.00 that coax if you can find it now is $100.00 per foot.
Next your Furman is just a power strip zero noise filtration.
Click to expand...

Fuhrman claimed EFI/RFI protection capabilities in this advertisement:


But I have higher levels of RFI here....
 
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