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AM Radio Static

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by aadam101, Dec 9, 2012.

  1. aadam101

    aadam101 New Member

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    I listen to a lot of AM radio in my car. AM reception is never great but it is always tolerable. Recently, my AM radio has been getting a lot of static. After several days of this I realized that my phone charging was causing the problem. Whenever my phone is plugged into the front outlet the AM radio static increases. It's a new phone and I didn't have this problem with my old phone. Any idea how to prevent this?
     
    #1 aadam101, Dec 9, 2012
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    What kind of phone is it? Maybe try a different charger? If that doesn't solve it maybe see if it's the phone that's the problem?
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Dec 9, 2012
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I agree that the phone charger is the likely problem. If you plug the charger into the power socket while leaving the phone out of the car, you'll probably still hear the static - unless the charger is smart enough to power down if there is no load.

    The charger is basically a small DC/DC converter where the 12V from the car powers a small oscillator whose output is rectified into the lower voltage DC needed by the phone. The oscillator produces harmonics and noise which the AM radio is highly sensitive to.

    So, to prevent the noise, my idea is to charge the phone when it is at home or your office. Or, as previously suggested, try another charger which is compatible with your phone but has a different design.
     
    #3 Patrick Wong, Dec 9, 2012
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  4. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Ditto, what Patrick said. You can either find a better charger, don't charge while listening to AM, or listen to FM!
    Tough choices, but then Amplitude Modulation does have its inherent problems!
     
    #4 KK6PD, Dec 10, 2012
  5. aadam101

    aadam101 New Member

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    I have one of those USB things where I can swap out the USB cable that plugs into it. I used it with my old phone with no problems. The cable itself is different for this phone and is charging a Samsung Galaxy Note 2. I guess I will lay off the car charging. Thanks!
     
    #5 aadam101, Dec 10, 2012
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