[jnokomis]

I just moved and now my clock/radio/sound machine is acting odd. I can hear another radio station playing just below the volume of whatever I am listening to (radio or the sound machine). Also my touch lamps are acting weird. They either will not turn on, will not turn off or turn on by themselves. This is not a constant problem as the lights do work as they should on occasion. It is happening to my mother's lights and her clock/radio/sound machine as well. Our rooms are not controlled by the same breaker and things were working fine before we moved. Could it be something in the wiring or our we haunted? ;)

[Clough]

Do you live in an apartment or a single-family home?

[jnokomis]

Sorry, I live in a single-family home

[Clough]

No need to apologize. I was just trying to narrow down the possibilities for the problems. The most likely thing is that it is something in the wiring. Are there any large appliances, such as microwave oven, dishwasher, electric stove or washing machine or dryer that may be on at the same time the problems happen.

[tkrussell]

The second radio station being heard is an RF issue, there must be a two stations on the same frequency nearby.

The touch lamps can be affected by low relative humidity. Has the air been dryer, or is there now air conditioning , or did you move to someplace dryer?

Not discounting your haunted theory, as I do subscribe to that possibility in some cases:https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/electr...tml#post627553

However, I think your problems are a bit more earthly.

[jnokomis]

There are no other appliances in use when this happens. I am fairly sure that my room at least is not on a circuit with anything else, can't say for sure about Mom's (the box is very poorly labeled, still sorting out what turns off what).

About another radio station: would I still hear another station if the radio was not on but the sound portion was. For example I listen to Thunderstorm when I sleep to drown out other noise and can hear the radio faintly then. As for it being dryer here I have not noticed that it is the humidity is 43% (according to my thermostat) and it now rainy season in Washington. I have no idea what it was before but outside was dryer (not raining).

Could this be a grounding issue? I am gradually replacing all the outlets and switches(asthetic reasons only) and have not noticed any of the ground wires attached when I change out the switches (haven't gotten to the outlets as all the kitchen outlets are on a different circuit than the lights).

[tkrussell]

The radio is not on the sound portion is on? Sorry I don't understand. If there is a station close or very powerful, the signal may bleed through or get received by an electronic device.

Grounding is only a safety issue for three wire outlets. Lamps and radios are usually two wire, with no ground needed.

I was going to mention before to have the grounding system checked, but was not sure how this would matter, may as well mention it now since you bring it up.

[N0help4u]

Assuming that you have some outlets that things work properly try plugging your touch lamp in one of those outlets and something else in where the touch lamp was and see what happens. Then try a different clearer station with the radio plugged in an outlet near a window and see what happens.
If the stuff that worked in the other outlets act odd in the ones the touch lamp and radio
Were in and the touch lamp and radio have no problem in the good outlets I would say you have some bad wiring.
It could be your place is haunted but I think it would take a little more evidence to know for sure.

[jnokomis]

It is a combo unit from Brookstone (of course they don't make it any more). It has a clock and alarm as well as a radio and then I guess you would call prerecorded sounds such as ocean waves, rain, fan, white noise and my fav thunderstorm. It is both when I am listening to the radio (slightly less noticable) and when I am listening to the prerecorded sounds that I sometimes hear the other station. I do know what you mean by picking up a near by or strong radio station it's just that I also hear it with the radio off and the prerecorded sounds on that I don't get.

Re touch lights: I have noticed that my lights seem to be behaving right now and it has been raining for a few days. I never thought about humidity, but it is odd that it was not a problem when I was in Arizona 2 years ago.

[jnokomis]

Actually I did try changing outlets, no change in lamps or radio and the radio was near a window originally. Also it happening to Mom's things on other side of house. As I said in prev. post I also hear the radio in the background when listening to prerecorded sounds. Weird. Don't mind haunted thought, will take more to get me to leave than wonky lights and fantom radio stations, heck a break in the water main and various leaks haven't made me leave! :)

[tkrussell]

OK now I understand the radio. Yes I am sure the unit is picking up a strong station.

If you just relocated to Washington from Az, the lamps may be getting acclimated. These types of lamps work by capacitance of the shell , and can be affected by humidity and temperature.

Oddly enough, while refreshing my memory on touch lamps, I see that they also can be affected by radio waves:Re: How does a touch lamp work?

So the problem with both the radio and the lamps may be related.

[jnokomis]

Fasinating! I read the link, makes sense when I touch my metal table fan and my light with the same hand (accidently the first time) my light works fine. I think I remember hearing that radio stations cut the power some at night, probably explains why the lights work just fine at night not so well (or at all) during the day. I assume there is nothing I can do about this as I still want to receive my radio station. Bummer but as long as I understand it I can deal. I'm just really happy that you didn't say that I had a serious wiring issue and had to change it all out!

[tkrussell]

OK, just one more story came to mind.

Doing an insurance inspection of a fairly new and large day care. Only couple of years old, wood frame. Sprawling like a small school, with large windows all around.

I was questioning the minimal amount emergency lighting in a large day room with all the kiddy tables etc.. The small amount worked fine for daytime hours, due to the windows, but wanted to know the buildings population during dark.

While asking the director about how many people occupied the space at night, she stated that the building closed at 6 PM, all children were gone by then and the building was empty for the most part, most of the time.

?? She was subtle about it, trying to discount what she said. Of course I heard her fine and wanted to know what she was referring to. If there are any people, esp children gathering here at night, I need to know, and will be requiring more emergency light units. Sorry but for safety sake I can be a prick.

She finally decided to explain that a couple of nights,herself, and others, that stayed late to clean up or catch up on paperwork, or get ready for insurance inspections,have seen a 12-14 year old girl in old frilly 1800's dress walking through the facility, stopping to look at the books, toys, and bulletin board projects, and then continuing on up the logging path into the woods.

And when she said through, she meant through, walls at both ends and all those in between. Seems the logging path went to a former farm out in the meadow beyond the woods, and the school was built in a clearing directly in the former path of the logging road.

According to the director, the visitor sometimes comes through the day, children see her also. While the visitor looks at the stuff in the building, she never acknowledges adults, but watches the kids for a while.

That large room was the last I was inspecting, and assured the director that no more emergency lighting was needed, as the visitor certainly did not need any. Exiting for her was easy.

[KISS]

You can try a surge suprsssor which has RFI filters in them such as these: Tripp Lite Isobar Surge Suppressors

I suppose that your radio doesn't have detachable speakers?

Is it possible that some of the randomness is due to the blower in your air conditoner?

Here is a link to some other filters:

Knights Electrocom

Pay particular attention to the ferrite beads and the clamp on variety. You really want to get the filter just before the point of entry.

So, if you filter with an ISOBAR, the interference will be removed if it's in the power to the ISOBAR, but it could get introduced in the short power cord to the radiclamp-on ferrite bead just before the radio will work.

Ferrite beads are also effective on wall-warts and speaker leads

EIT: Fixed link

[jnokomis]

Thanks KeepitSimple but I think the link may be a little off, it takes me to a pdf about aluminum tape. It has been quite cool here for the past few weeks, 50's and 60's so I have not used my AC just the furnace.

Neat story tkrussell. How about this... I originally lived in Michigan and worked in a hospital there on the a VERY small pediatric unit.

The unit was closed one night but we always had to have one nurse on in case a child came in to ER. I was that nurse that night. The other nurse

(we only had a staff of 2 per shift) was working on the same floor but on a different unit. It was fairly late and I as I walked down the hall to the staff bathroom I began to feel threatened, there was no body on the unit but me. As I passed the last room the feeling peaked and I looked in the room to see the silhouette of a man standing at the window. From the shape you could not tell if he was looking in or looking out. I got such a sense of rage and I knew in my heart that there was no living person there. He had not moved on my return trip. I know that it was not a trick of the light from outside as the silhouette was too perfectly human.

A short time later the other peds nurse came up to me while I was in the nurses station and said she had been down there and that she also saw what I did. She stayed in the hall and did not take her eyes off the room, she was so freaked. We went down together and while we did not see him in the window the feeling persisted and we could hear someone moving in the room. When we went in and turned on the light no one was there and the noises stopped. We both know what we saw and after that tried not to put kids in the room.

[KISS]

I fixed the link.

[jnokomis]

Saw that thanks. Wow those are some supressors. Do you think it would help with the radio interference?

[jnokomis]

I am checking on the ferrite beads, do you recommend any or a site? So far what I have found refers to computers (always wondered what that thing on the cord was).

[KISS]

I found some cheap ferrite filters here:
Catalog Page Number 1511


Here is the detailed spec sheet.

http://www.alliedelec.com/Images/Pro...es_5890045.pdf


Fair-Rite - 0443167251 - Allied Electronics

Note you have to size them for the cord for two reasons. Coupling and so it doesn't slide.

[KISS]

Note that the Isobars have a connected equipment warranty.

As I said, they might work. If you use them, you still have the power cord from the unit is a potential source. You may have to use both.