Computer Speakers Picking Up Radio Station Interference

I recently bought new Dell 5.1 Surround Sound speakers and I notice that I
am picking up a local radion station whenever I turn the speakers on even
when the computer is off.

What shall be done?

 

Wrap your hands and feet in cooking foil and remove it 30
minutes before you go in as the main course..

Alternatively, you could try to work out whether the signal
is being picked up via the power lead to the speakers or via
the audio lead. Like this:

Short out the connections on the stereo plug. If the radio
signal disappears or is attenuated, then get a ferrite ring
or block and thread the audio cable through the hole. Push
the ring up the wire to the speakers. That should fix it.
You obviously need a ferrite ring with a centre hole big
enough to get the stereo plug through. The block may be
easier as it comes in two halves.

If shorting out the stereo plug connector doesn't change
things then the signal is probably being picked up by the
power lead. Use the ferrite ring on that cable instead,
again getting it as close to the speaker as you can.

If that doesn't do it then, either you really do need the
cooking foil or the speakers are faulty. I hope it is the
latter - rf internal burns are nasty.

Note:

Ferrite blocks/rings can be obtained from Maplins in the UK
or RadioShack in the US. Or any computer scrap place - if
you don't mind taking one off an existing cable. They do
come in different specifications and one should really be
chosen based on the radio frequency you are trying to
attenuate but, life is short and coercivity equations are
long, and just about any ferrite ring should do it.

 

You might have the speakers plugged into the wrong jack. Try all the jacks,
you can't hurt anything that way.

 

What a ridiculous response.

 

my stereo sometimes picks up police frequencys for no apparant reason lol
it does my head in one day ill hear them saying there on there way to my
house to arrest me for all my pirating so i can use it to make my escape
hehe

 

Our speakers in the office used to pick up the local police radio calls
on occasion.

 

ps. Ever notice the AM antenna that used to come with old clock radios
and stereo? It was simply a long wire that you were told in the docs to
extend out in a straight line.
Now of course they use a coil but anyway, the length of the wire was not
random, it was a specific length. Chances are that your speaker wire is
of a similiar length ie the length needed for am radio. If you put your
speakers closer together it should fix the niggle.

pps. remember the radio pens that were sold in the back of Boys Life
magazine? It was only a short wire connected to a small flat paper
speaker with a little resister in it as I recall. You dont need much to
get AM.

 

"boywonder" <tommyATlee9_2000(removethis)ATyahooATcom> spilled my beer when
they jumped on the table and proclaimed in

That's not gonna make any difference. Google "RFI" or "Radio Frequency
Interference" if you're curious why...

NOI

 

Doug spilled my beer when they jumped on the table and proclaimed in

Judging by your headers, you're in the US. You could call the radio station
and complain, to see if they have any suggestions about what to do. Also,
you could look thru the fcc.gov website to see if they have any suggestions
also.

Or, you could also ask this question in sci.electronics.repair, too. Sam
G.'s quite sharp on this subject...

NOI

 

Output from pc sound card should be low impedance. If its high for some
reason, like being plugged into the wrong jack, that opens the door for
rfi. When the pc is off, that would make the impedance high. That opens the
door for rfi as I said. Also, if you open the complete set of volume
controls, you can find that some of the inputs may act as sources for noise
and rfi. Try muting all but the one you are using at the time. Isolate the
problem in this fashion.