Does any of those with electrical knowledge know why when I turn on the over head lights in the MH, or the makeup lights over bathroom mirror, that it affects the television reception?
When television is operating on antenna, I can flip on certain switches, immediately the television reception is lost, turn off, reception returns. Don’t know if this is important, but All the lamps have been replaced with LEDs, but that was over 6 months ago, and this is the first we have recognized this problem. Sure would appreciate any input to this Dilemma?
Are the LED's the G4 two pin kind that are flat and have a circuit board on the back side?
If so, it could be RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) caused by one of the LED's going bad. It may be a hassle but I'd start with turning the TV on and the lights then unplug one LED at a time to see if it goes away. If it does you found the culprit. If not, Hmmm!
Also, the lights are DC even when you are plugged into a pedestal. The RFI could be generated through the converter having a connection or component going bad or a loose wire
Just thinking out loud.
__________________
Wayne MSGT USMC (Ret) & Earlene (CinCHouse)
2015 Winnebago Tour 42QD - 2020 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve (TOAD)
(RVM-14) It is what it is, and then it is what you make of it.
I would bet on LED RFI as mentioned. The cure can be difficult as it is something that is hard to measure without some really good equipment. Are you old enough to remember the noise we used to get on AM car radio when the capacitor was going back in the ignition? Same thing.
One first stop may be to try a ring of material put around the antenna or input lead to the TV.
At other times, it may be better to add it on the wiring to the light, etc. that is producing the interference. Older style tube lights are famous for this.
We have way too many really low voltage/current items in our life!
Some info here: https://www.everythingrf.com/communi...a-ferrite-bead https://www.doeeet.com/content/eee-c...to-reduce-emi/
Usually not expensive nor hard to install but finding where it does the most good may be the trick!
__________________
Richard
Why no RV year, make and floorplan on MY signature as we suggest for others?
I currently DO NOT have one!
Are the LED's the G4 two pin kind that are flat and have a circuit board on the back side?
If so, it could be RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) caused by one of the LED's going bad. It may be a hassle but I'd start with turning the TV on and the lights then unplug one LED at a time to see if it goes away. If it does you found the culprit. If not, Hmmm!
Also, the lights are DC even when you are plugged into a pedestal. The RFI could be generated through the converter having a connection or component going bad or a loose wire
Just thinking out loud.
Yes, Wayne the overhead lights are the G4 2 pin.
The mirror make up lights are 2099 single center contact.
Both LEDs.
Another factor; Each switch (Bathroom Mirror, Ceiling, Lounge)operated independently will each one interrupt the TV reception upon turning on lights.
Seems your second idea may be most feasible. Thanks
I would bet on LED RFI as mentioned. The cure can be difficult as it is something that is hard to measure without some really good equipment. Are you old enough to remember the noise we used to get on AM car radio when the capacitor was going back in the ignition? Same thing.
One first stop may be to try a ring of material put around the antenna or input lead to the TV.
At other times, it may be better to add it on the wiring to the light, etc. that is producing the interference. Older style tube lights are famous for this.
We have way too many really low voltage/current items in our life!
Some info here: https://www.everythingrf.com/communi...a-ferrite-bead https://www.doeeet.com/content/eee-c...to-reduce-emi/
Usually not expensive nor hard to install but finding where it does the most good may be the trick!
Thanks, will keep all suggestions in mind as we try to figure it all out.
This is one of those semi-spooky things that seem to come and go and really hard to say what will work.
So that leaves me just shotgunning around on cheap stuff rather than actually getting into trying to really analyze it.
You can read until blue and find almost unlimited ideas and solutions on the net but I just go for simple on this one.
One way to try a few things that doesn't cost too much is this kit of beads for various sizes and can be had most places pretty easy.
Basic idea is that some part of some of the light is making noise that gets into some part of the TV wiring! Beyond that we can get really deep really quick, so I don't! Seems much easier to just go for looking for what fixes--even if we can't say what it was??
Ferrite beads is the common name and they come in all kinds of kits, sizes and shapes. This is one: https://www.walmart.com/ip/drunkilk-...MaAmkVEALw_wcB
__________________
Richard
Why no RV year, make and floorplan on MY signature as we suggest for others?
I currently DO NOT have one!
This is one of those semi-spooky things that seem to come and go and really hard to say what will work.
So that leaves me just shotgunning around on cheap stuff rather than actually getting into trying to really analyze it.
You can read until blue and find almost unlimited ideas and solutions on the net but I just go for simple on this one.
One way to try a few things that doesn't cost too much is this kit of beads for various sizes and can be had most places pretty easy.
Basic idea is that some part of some of the light is making noise that gets into some part of the TV wiring! Beyond that we can get really deep really quick, so I don't! Seems much easier to just go for looking for what fixes--even if we can't say what it was??
Ferrite beads is the common name and they come in all kinds of kits, sizes and shapes. This is one: https://www.walmart.com/ip/drunkilk-...MaAmkVEALw_wcB
Richard,
Looked at recommended link. For no more than the $8.00 it’s worth trying this as a first step. I’m with you, wether it’s a fix or just a band aid, as long as it prevents reception problem i’m satisfied. Thanks, Richard
My brother had this with TV in a fifth wheel and the LED lights in the bedroom at the far end of the trailer. He never figured out why/how but there was some point where those lights and the front TV crossed but the bedroom TV was not bothered. He hit on the first try with putting a ring on the coax to that TV.
Afte me giving him the same thought that it might take forever to cure, he still thinks I was nuts but agrees with it being cured!
Hope for the same luck for you!
__________________
Richard
Why no RV year, make and floorplan on MY signature as we suggest for others?
I currently DO NOT have one!
Try putting some ferrite noise interference filters at each LED light on the 12 volt leads coming out of the bulb socket. Put both pos and neg thru the same one. They just snap around. If they don't work you are out very little dough.
It was once asked, "Where does the coax cable run through the roof?" The answer was, "It depends on what day of the week and what fine craftsman threw it over the rafters."
Trying to trace RFI is, as stated, a large problem. If electrical lines are running next to or in close proximity to the coax line it can cause RFI, even though the coax is shielded, but most are poorly shielded.
It doesn't necessarily have to be "the antenna." It could be a component in the TV that has picked up the interference.
Does it affect all the TV's or just one. Have you tightened all the coax connections on the back of the TV, and also if you can get to it, the coax connector at the antenna. The turning on of a light switch could be an adjunct to any other appliance or electrical connection. It just has to be a project of elimination.
You could also try running a temporary coax from the antenna to the BOMB (Box of Many Buttons) or as some say, the amplifier. Check all the connections on the amplifier for tightness. It is another source of something gong bad to cause RFI to get in.
I'd first check the converter/inverter and all electrical connections to fuse boxes and circuit breakers to make sure they are tight. After all, we are a rolling earthquake going down the highway.
__________________
Wayne MSGT USMC (Ret) & Earlene (CinCHouse)
2015 Winnebago Tour 42QD - 2020 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve (TOAD)
(RVM-14) It is what it is, and then it is what you make of it.
Wayne M,
You ask if it only affected one Tv. So far the answer is yes. Large TV in living area is the affected one. Bedroom doesn't seem to be. Have yet to check on outside TV. But really like your suggestions. Just got back from 5 days out. Will start process of elimination tomorrow.
I did replace the 3 LEDs over bathroom mirror with originals and that corrected that one problem. But as you said about the coax coming close, from the antenna(located just in front of bathroom wall) to outside TV would have to run close to this circuit.
Being that it’s the living area TV, I may also try what Morich’s brother tried.
I agree, just need it “cured”
On my last HM, I had a similar issue. Checked the coax from the amplifier to the TV. There were several splitters in the path. The F connectors were either loose or were not crimped properly (poor grounds). After tightening/repairing, all was good.
__________________
Len and Linda
2019 Adventurer 35F
Retired Navy SWO and Navy Wife
Absolutely need to check all connections for tightness. Most likely it is not a short in the coax as that would be all the time, but for information purposes here is how to check a coax for short using a volt/ohm meter.
Purchase cheep roll of 14 gauge wire. Disconnect the coax and wrap/tape/clip the 14 gauge wire to the outside of the coax. Take the other end of the spool to inside the RV and connect one lead of the VOM to the wire connected to the coax. Touch one lead to the center conductor and one lead to the outer connector of the coax. In the OHM mode there should be no, absolutely no movement or indications on the VOM. If there is the coax is shorted.
That was just for anyone wonder how to check a coax for shorts.
Mark, what happens to the interference if the COAX antenna cable is removed from the TV? If it goes away then it is "up-stream" from the TV. What type of amplifier to you have on the TV. Is it a little square like a lite switch with a black button that turns on a green light when you engage it? Or is it a Box Of Many Buttons (BOMB) One of them is the amplifier for over-the-air (OTA) signals. Watching anything else other than OTA the amplifier needs to be off.
Happy trails!
__________________
Wayne MSGT USMC (Ret) & Earlene (CinCHouse)
2015 Winnebago Tour 42QD - 2020 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve (TOAD)
(RVM-14) It is what it is, and then it is what you make of it.
I have experienced the same phenomenon when I'm using UHF to my TV. This condition does not happen when I have (Spectrum) cable-TV-input to the best of my knowledge.
I also need to point out, in my case, there is only one 12V light switch in my RV that affects the RF signal to my bedroom TV only; and that switch is the one above my EMS/PMS panel in the all.
This 12V light switches the 2" spot light where I read my EMS Panel; and this condition started after I removed the hot halogen light bulb and installed a LED bulb in it's place.
Note: These LEDs are mounted on a circuit board that operates at a frequency that is interfering with your UHF signal. At least that is what I read by someone with a real understanding of this problem. So I am just giving you second hand information:
* This signal cut-out only affects my bedroom TV and not my main TV.
* And no other light switch in my RV affects my bedroom TV signal, and I found not on all stations are affected, though most are.
And to be clear, my TV signal goes away completely (goes to a blank screen) so I'm not talking about noise or snow on the TV screen.
Why?
Someone once told me the grounding between the cable switch box and your roof antenna picks up the RFI emanating out of some (not all) LED circuit boards; and this is blocking the signal to your TV.
Why this only affects my bedroom TV I cannot say. It may also be a factor of the TV brand, I cannot say. My bedroom TV is a 19" Samsung LED TV and my main cabin TV is an 39" LED-TV by Sharp.
So to diagnose this problem you first have to duplicate the failure and then when you are certain you can do this you can go about means to correct for it in one or more of these steps:
A) Remove the offending LED and put the halogen bulb back.
B) Use a different brand LED and see if that works.
C) Try using a Toroidal Choke on the cables to your cable switch box. (Unverified.)
Note: I suspect the only way you can fix this issue is to find a different brand LED that emits a different frequency. Or this condition is a grounding filter problem... so I don't know if you add a ground wire to your cable switch box that will resolve your problem. Why? The grounds in you coax are acting like like an antenna of it's own.
D) Try grounding your cable box. You will need to make your own connection by drilling into the box or you can wrap a wire about the coax connection since that is a ground point. And I would pick the coax to your antenna. (Note: I have not tried this myself. So it's just a guess, but worth a try IMO.)
The picture of a coax grounding block maybe overkill, but it does suggest there is some benefit to doing this. However, I think if you just wrap a small grounding wire around your bedroom TV coax it might help solve your RF interference problem. (Just a guess.) And I would try wrapping it at the TV end first and if that has no affect, try doing it at the switch box.
Good luck and please let us know what solution you find.
The basic idea is not all that difficult as it is just part of the electronic stew we live in all the time but usually don't see or notice.
Any wire that carries a current is prone to having an area round it having a magnetic field.
The higher the current the larger the field but if that field has a second wire passing through the field of the first, a current can be "induced" on the second wire, even if not having any power of it's own. It can be a real problem for folks who work around power lines and especially during storm restoration where the normal safety process gets disrupted.
One of the reasons it is not smart to go out and move a wire after a storm, even if it is not connected on either end! A bare wire, running some distance under hot wires may have an induced voltage that is enough to kill you! Under normal situation, that bare wire may be grounded to bleed off that inducted voltage but during a storm, you can't depend on that ground being there, so it's smart to just avoid the wire.
But when we get into our RV or house, the induced voltage doesn't doesn't have to be very high to interfere with the really small signal going to the TV. It can be as simple as the power wire and the coax going through a hole in the wall where they are pressed together or as hard to find as a circuit of some sort, maybe LED, making random "spikes" of voltage and interrupting the tiny signals for TV.
Way back when mobile phones were screwed down to the floor of vehicles, I fought a case where the phone was fine but dropped calls when the guy opened his truck door! He finally cut out the door switch to his dome light!
Weird, spooky, irritating, are just a few of the ways to describe it!
__________________
Richard
Why no RV year, make and floorplan on MY signature as we suggest for others?
I currently DO NOT have one!
Location: on a constant, around the country, trip!
Posts: 404
Yep, similar problem with us. If using the over-the-air antenna, watching the living room tv, if we flip the ceiling bathroom lights on, the reception on the TV gets real bad. Only seems to happen when we are in a fringe area for signals. If we have great antenna reception, it doesn't seem to occur.
I just figured the 12v antenna amplifier was somehow affected by the 12v power going to the bathroom lights. Once we figured it out, no problem, we just use the vanity lights instead of the overhead LED lights.
__________________ 2010 Journey 39n - 2017 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk - this our 13th year living aboard, travelling and visiting the Pacific NW, summer 2023
Does any of those with electrical knowledge know why when I turn on the over head lights in the MH, or the makeup lights over bathroom mirror, that it affects the television reception?
When television is operating on antenna, I can flip on certain switches, immediately the television reception is lost, turn off, reception returns. Don’t know if this is important, but All the lamps have been replaced with LEDs, but that was over 6 months ago, and this is the first we have recognized this problem. Sure would appreciate any input to this Dilemma?
Yes this is a know issue with certain LED bulbs and fixtures especially those that were not really designed to meet FCC Regulations in the US. The US Coast Guard published an advisory cautioning boaters about this about a year or so ago since these non-compliant LED lights can prevent emergency transmissions from being sent or received.
Bargain LED's purchased off Amazon or Ebay that were not to FCC Specifications were found to be the source of the problem since they were being drop shipped directly to the consumers in the mail and not going through normal supply channels.
Yes this is a know issue with certain LED bulbs and fixtures especially those that were not really designed to meet FCC Regulations in the US. The US Coast Guard published an advisory cautioning boaters about this about a year or so ago since these non-compliant LED lights can prevent emergency transmissions from being sent or received.
Bargain LED's purchased off Amazon or Ebay that were not to FCC Specifications were found to be the source of the problem since they were being drop shipped directly to the consumers in the mail and not going through normal supply channels.
NeilV.
You are correct, I priced out Leds at Batteries Plus and found them very expensive. I did purchase all of the bulbs from Amazon. Not sure of direct shipment. Have found that the large single contact bulbs over medicine cabinet cause more interference than 2pin bulbs in overhead lamps. l have ordered some of the ferrite clip ones as some have suggested. Only wish I had seen this info. previously.
After I installed outdoor LED lights at my house I found that when the lights were on the remote garage door opener would fail to work. It was RF interference from the lines going out of the transformer to the LED lights. I added ferrite beads to each of the wires and the problem was solved.
NeilV. 
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