Any car audio people here? I have a question

[quakerboy]

Ok.. As I drive down the road listening to the radio, I end up with a lot of static. But its conditional, and I cannot make sense of it.

There are 8 cars I drive on a regular basis, for my company.

Of the 8, only 2 have this issue. It also happened in one car that I no longer have access to.

In these two, it only happens when the car is turned on. When the engine is off, no static.
In these two, it only happens on one station. Which happens to be our local progressive station, 620 am. Higher number stations do not have this issue.

And it only happens when I am near power lines. On streets with multiple lanes, if I move to the center lanes, the static lowers, or even vanishes.


I don't get it. I cant see how it can be both my own engine and the power lines. and only on one station, and only in certain cars. Any help understanding this, please?

[MicaelS]

1. AM radio is extremely susceptible to EMI ....

Electromagnetic Interference, it's that simple. The radio is picking up EMI from ignition system when the motor is running. Engine off, no EMI. Plenty of EMI given off from power lines given the high voltages run through them. Apparently your station is just close to a "sweet spot" of EMI in your area.

Since it's not your personal car, you really can't do anything about it.