I know nothing about RFI, so maybe it's not strange.I have my MH inside my shop building. It is plugged into a 110v outlet. Plugged into the same outlet is a boom box radio.When I turn on certain (OEM) 12v LED light fixtures in the RV, I get RFI on AM radio on the boom box out in the shop. Even with the breaker in the RV for the PD converter switched off! So, converter off, but other 110v circuits in the RV would have power available. Nothing running on them, but they have power available. Fridge is off, everything 110v is off. If I unplug the RV from the shop wall, the RFI goes away, even while leaving the LED lights on in the RV.I'm not sure if this happened with the previous converter in place, the WFCO.The PD is grounded to the chassis per instructions. Also, I just installed a Morningstar SureSine inverter. It is set to be always on when the battery switch is on. I could change the DIP switch for that and see what happens. Nothing was running off the inverter, though.I tried to test the RV radio but inside the metal shop building, unlike the boom box, it won't receive diddly squat on AM. Explain the RFI please?

I would start by verifying the connection to the rig. make sure the ground in the shore power cord is good.Make sure the receptacle is grounded properly that you are plugging into.I am guessing you are using an adapter to go from a 30 amp RV cord body to a 15/20 receptacle.

It's not the converter, it's the LED itself. A majority of 12V LED's have switching regulators in them to maintain a constant output even with a fluctuating input. Unless properly filtered on both in and outputs, those switchers can cause complete havoc from the AM band to well over 2GHz. I have seen them take out DSS but never looked at where it was happening...Anyway, there are only a few manufacturers that have paid attention to RFI filtering, Starlights being one in the past few years, but it can be a big problem in campgrounds.

Two types of RFIRadiated...transmitted thru airConducted...transmitted via hard wireEven though you have opened the CB for converter that only cuts connection on hot wire.......does nothing to common wire. Until you unplug RV power cord then all physical connection is cut and no more interference.So that LED light is inducing RFI via conducted method.Just curious...Is this LED light a fluorescent conversion?

Sometimes your house connection is not up to par. Perhaps the GROUND at the house receptacle is bad...Must have all three connections BLACK-WHITE-GREEN made betwen the trailer and the house though all of the adapters you might be using...To be absolute sure all is OK use one of these TEST adapters...Make sure the bottom three lights work as shown on the label for CORRECT...You can also use this pictorial for proper AC VOLTAGE readings using a MULTIMETER. It must read exactly as shown in the pictorial...Roy Ken

There's nothing wrong with anything. The LED lights are RFI generators. Your cord is acting as the conductor. Breakers don't disconnect all the wires, just the hot ones.

Strange radio interference situation | Good Sam Community

20 Replies

wnjj
Explorer II
Dec 07, 2014
Another way to describe it is the LED's are transmitting RF noise on the ground system of the RV, and the shop also when plugged in. The closer the transmitter "antenna" to the radio, the more likely you'll hear it there.
SCVJeff
Explorer
Dec 07, 2014
KD4UPL wrote:
There's nothing wrong with anything. The LED lights are RFI generators. Your cord is acting as the conductor. Breakers don't disconnect all the wires, just the hot ones.
it's not the conductor, it's the actual antenna.
robsouth
Explorer II
Dec 07, 2014
Lots of good stuff on AM radio today. FM..not so much.
Wayne_Dohnal
Explorer
Dec 07, 2014
Someone still listens to AM radio?
I judge what I listen to by the content of its programming, not the wavelength of its signal.
WyoTraveler
Explorer
Dec 07, 2014
We're in the 21st century. Someone still listens to AM radio?
KD4UPL
Explorer II
Dec 07, 2014
There's nothing wrong with anything. The LED lights are RFI generators. Your cord is acting as the conductor. Breakers don't disconnect all the wires, just the hot ones.
RoyB
Explorer II
Dec 06, 2014
Sometimes your house connection is not up to par. Perhaps the GROUND at the house receptacle is bad...

Must have all three connections BLACK-WHITE-GREEN made betwen the trailer and the house though all of the adapters you might be using...

To be absolute sure all is OK use one of these TEST adapters...

Make sure the bottom three lights work as shown on the label for CORRECT...

You can also use this pictorial for proper AC VOLTAGE readings using a MULTIMETER. It must read exactly as shown in the pictorial...

Roy Ken
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Dec 06, 2014
Two types of RFI
Radiated...transmitted thru air
Conducted...transmitted via hard wire

Even though you have opened the CB for converter that only cuts connection on hot wire.......does nothing to common wire. Until you unplug RV power cord then all physical connection is cut and no more interference.

So that LED light is inducing RFI via conducted method.
Just curious...
Is this LED light a fluorescent conversion?
SCVJeff
Explorer
Dec 06, 2014
It's not the converter, it's the LED itself. A majority of 12V LED's have switching regulators in them to maintain a constant output even with a fluctuating input. Unless properly filtered on both in and outputs, those switchers can cause complete havoc from the AM band to well over 2GHz. I have seen them take out DSS but never looked at where it was happening...

Anyway, there are only a few manufacturers that have paid attention to RFI filtering, Starlights being one in the past few years, but it can be a big problem in campgrounds.
enblethen
Nomad
Dec 06, 2014
I would start by verifying the connection to the rig. make sure the ground in the shore power cord is good.
Make sure the receptacle is grounded properly that you are plugging into.
I am guessing you are using an adapter to go from a 30 amp RV cord body to a 15/20 receptacle.

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Strange radio interference situation

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