Radio stations coming thru my amp?

**sleevey55** · #1 02-03-2013, 12:02 AM

Why in the heck am I hearing the local radio stations through my setup? Its very faint but I can hear one of our local FM stations when I turn my amp on and plug my bass in. I know the mushrooms on my pizza tonite were ok sooooo???

Lonesomedave · #2 02-03-2013, 12:16 AM

i don't know, but i have experienced the same thing.

when my son plays either his THD or his acoustic B450 at home, no problem.

but when he goes to practice with his band, and we use the THD for a pre-amp, the radio station comes thru big time. when he just plays through the acoustic, again, no problem.

i am not sure why this happens, but i bet if you played at a different location, it would not happen...there just seems to be a radio tower close by the house where he practices and something in the THD's circuitry allows this.

wcriley · #3 02-03-2013, 04:06 AM

Combination of inadequate shielding somewhere in the signal chain and being too close to a transmitter.

WingKL · #4 02-03-2013, 04:12 AM

Try using a short patch cable, a different instrument cable or even your wireless to see if that helps. If it does, it means your cable is not well shielded.

loopee · #5 02-03-2013, 04:30 AM

ping.....lightbulb moment
OK, I've had that happen to me a few times...I was using my Markbass combo and it was placed just a foot or so away from the wall where the plug in for internet and TV was.....when I moved the amp to the other side of the room....no more radio station coming through.....but I never really thought about it until the word "cable" on the last entry......"ping"

synaesthesia · #6 02-03-2013, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wcriley

Combination of inadequate shielding somewhere in the signal chain and being too close to a transmitter.

+1. When I was a teenager in the 70's we rehearsed in a studio with a Roland Studio bass amp that had a multi-band EQ, and you could 'tune' to different stations by changing the EQ settings.

aasti3000 · #7 02-03-2013, 04:45 AM

I'm also a DJ and my DJ set up at home does sometimes pick up a local station thru my amp. It's been like that since I started 20 years ago. Never could explain it. Had like a cb radio sound. haven't had that issue with my bass amp yet.

thedudebrah · #8 02-03-2013, 05:07 AM

It just happened to my guitar player last Wednesday. He picked up my roommates Pandora feed through his triple rec. We just shrugged it off.

**bassboysam** · #9 02-03-2013, 05:31 AM

Do you hear the radio when the bass is not plugged in? if not, then its not the amp but poor shielding in your bass and/or cable. if you are close to a transmitter there is not much you can do.

dincz · #10 02-03-2013, 05:43 AM

Corroded contacts can cause this. The corroded contact point acts like the detector diode in a crystal receiver.

I remember a trainee in a TV studio who was given the job of cleaning the contacts on some plug-in audio line amps. He used sandpaper on the gold-plated contacts and some months down the track we were getting the local AM station leaking into the audio.

dbase · #11 02-03-2013, 06:12 AM

I usually wait for a familiar song to come along and play along with it.

chadds · #12 02-03-2013, 07:34 AM

If its better than you or your band, why complain?

fdeck · #13 02-03-2013, 07:37 AM

Typical causes are a loose ground connection in your input signal path, possibly including dodgy solder joints at the input jack to the amp.

BAce · #14 02-03-2013, 08:33 AM

If you are using a tube pre or an all tube amp, the lack of a grid resistor on the first stage can cause this too. Well not so much cause this but allow this. 68k resistor between the tip of the input jack and the grid of the first triode and yer done.

**Astreaux** · #15 02-03-2013, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wcriley

Combination of inadequate shielding somewhere in the signal chain and being too close to a transmitter.

+1

**sleevey55** · #16 02-03-2013, 09:29 AM

I'll try a few of your suggestions and see what happens. Will let ya know!! Thanks!!

Bassmike62 · #17 02-03-2013, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astreaux

+1

Same here. Caught the hockey game through my rig a couple of nights ago. Habs won.

DiabolusInMusic · #18 02-03-2013, 09:49 AM

It is a capicitor used in major manufacturing. If they manufacture them so they don't get the frequency in your area it will in someone else's area.

I had a guitar player that used to get radio through his amp, reading on Dunlop's website about their wah's they mentioned how in certain areas they pick up radio due to this reason. I imagine it is the same in your case.

**sleevey55** · #19 02-03-2013, 09:29 PM

It was my instrument cable!!!! Changed it and nothing...........put the old one back on and I heard the radio again. Thanks all!!!!

MysticMichael · #20 02-03-2013, 09:35 PM

I once had an amp that was "haunted" by The Rush Limbaugh Show. Naturally I had no choice but to burn that amp.

MM