getting radio station on my Canon ZR60

[Steve Stepoway]

I think this is a weird one. I've been using my Canon ZR60 as a digitizer to transfer VHS tapes into my video editing computer via firewire. For months all has worked perfectly. Now, suddenly, I'm getting noise from a radio station in the Canon's speaker when I hook everything together (i.e. VHS->Canon->firewire->computer). Today it was talk radio. The original VHS tape is fine -- no noise in it. The captured AVI has good video, but gspot thinks it has 12 bit/32000bps audio (I've checked and rechecked, the camcorder is set to 16 bit audio), and in fact nothing can play any audio from the file (well vdub can't). If I disconnect the firewire cable from the Canon & record on tape, all is well, except that I am getting unidentifiable audio noise (perhaps video noise as well, but it's hard to tell if that's on the VHS tape) in the AVI when it is finally transfered to the computer. I've replaced the firewire cable (wish I was selling those), and things were OK at first, but now back to the same old problem.

I do live about 2 to 3 miles from a major radio station's transmitter, and have in the past had trouble with the radio on the telephones, but never this. I recently replaced the video card, and an old CRT monitor with an LCD panel, but can't see how either of those could cause this.

Apparently the firewire cable is acting as an antenna somehow. Anybody got any suggestions as to how to track this down & fix it?? Preferably without spending a lot.

Thanks.

[Epicurus8a]

In the past I have ocassionally experienced similar kinds of problems, usually with microphones. That problem is generally caused by a loose ground wire on the cable. But it could also be caused by a bad connector. So, try swapping out cables (one at a time) until you find the weak link in the chain. If that doesn't work, check the connectors. You might have to re-solder a bad/cold solder joint. If you don't do soldering, you probably know someone who does. GOOD LUCK!

[Epicurus8a]

You could also try spraying POW-R-WASH )or some other solvent cleaner for electronic componets) into the connections. This should remove any oxidation that has built up. Some people even use pencil erasers to "erase" the oxidation. But you don't want to leave any eraser "bits"."

[lordsmurf]

Can you change the station? A little music while you work.

[Kurupter00]

I had a similar situation, but I had a Halk Stack for my guitar and if i turned it up loud and turned the volume down on my guitar i would get a german radio station, at least it sounded german.

[Steve Stepoway]

An update: I've found that disconnecting the left audio channel at the VCR (the cable going from the VCR to the camcorder) cures the noisy radio problem. What's more, it doesn't matter if I swap L & R channels at the VCR (i.e. red cable to white VCR, white cable to red VCR), it's still the cable plugged into the left audio channel that the noise is coming in on. This seems to be a ground problem in the VCR (thankfully NOT in the camcorder). Too bad it's not just a bad cable. I can also reduce the noise (but not eliminate it) by pressing a little on the top of the VCR case. I'll have to investigate the VCR further.

Thanks Epicurus8a for your reply -- you seem to have hit the problem.

[hech54]

I had the same problem with a HAM Radio operator who lived two houses down from me. My mom heard him in her sewing machine........no shit.

[Steve Stepoway]

I had the same problem with a HAM Radio operator who lived two houses down from me. My mom heard him in her sewing machine........no shit.

I completely believe it. I used to go to a church that was next to a radio station transmitter, and sometimes during the service the station would come through the electronic organ.

[NightWing]

Did you clam on the ferrit bead. That open cam shell?

[choirislife923]

thats just scary radio interference....

[Boffo]

I hold an extra class Amateur Radio license (W3LQ), and I have been fooling with radio equipment for about 40 years. I currently live in North Carolina, but when I lived in Florida, I had some monster antennas and was running full legal limit (1500 watts).

I have heard of cases where radio signals were heard: coming out of plumbing, in peoples heads, coming out of microwaves, and all sorts of other places. Here is usually what is happening: the receiving device is acting like a radio detector and being amplified. In the case of the pipes, the solder joint on the pipe ws acting as a detcecor, in the case of people hearing voices, the usual culprit is a filling in their teeth which is acting as a detector.

I have found that VCRs are really subject to RF interference. It seems the recording heads in VCRs pick up RF like a sponge, and then the received signal manages to get back into the equipment and get amplified. The usual remedy for this is to solder a very small capacitor across the electrical connections to the heads. This by passes the rf energy around the heads so that they don't act as a detector.

If you don't feel comfortable doing this, find a friend who is handy with a soldering pencil.


This should kill the RF energe in your VCR.

[Epicurus8a]

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[Bucky_Katt]

Grounding problem, if the problem isn't the cables - check your outlets. Get a circuit tester the test if you have proper grounding on the outlet your using or try a different outlet and see if the problem goes away.