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74vette's avatar
74vette
Explorer
Dec 19, 2013

Radio interference

I recently installed an auto CD player and new speakers in my 5th wheel. For power I ran a dedicated fused 12 volt line from the bus bars in the battery compartment. Everything works great until I start the furnace and get a lot of interference through the stereo. Any ideas on what will cause this?

Thanks in advance
  • The noise is generated by the commutator in the blower motor in the furnace.

    Ferrite beads around the wires and by-pass capacitors installed directly at the motor might cure it.
  • I've had good luck in the past with a filter on the power line. A couple of examples are here http://www.crutchfield.com/shopsearch/noise_filter.html . The one I have looks like the S-25A but mine is so old that I don't know if it's the same one or not. This works if the noise is coming in via the power line. If it's RFI the filter won't do a thing. You might also see an improvement moving the ground wire to a better location and/or making sure the power and ground wires to the CD player don't run next to other power wires, especially the furnace. The closer to the battery you can pick off the power, the better, and the closer to the battery or frame for the ground, the better.

    edit: Here are some that cost less http://www.parts-express.com/cat/noise-filters/429. Ignore the ground loop isolators, that's not what you're after.

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