Jonathan Pryse Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 Hi I have a Spitfire 1500 built in 1980 with what I think is the original Blaupunkt Radio which seems to work but there is awful interference which sounds electrical. Any thoughts as to how I could fix this as I really want to keep the original look? Thanks Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinR Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 Rather than trying to explain it all here bit by bit, its probably easiest for you to read a properly constructed article on how to silence the noise. https://www.howacarworks.com/accessories/identifying-and-suppressing-radio-interference 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Pryse Posted June 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, KevinR said: Rather than trying to explain it all here bit by bit, its probably easiest for you to read a properly constructed article on how to silence the noise. https://www.howacarworks.com/accessories/identifying-and-suppressing-radio-interference Thanks very much. Just keen to keep the original radio etc if I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 Does anybody transmit in m/l wave? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinR Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 9 minutes ago, clive said: Does anybody transmit in m/l wave? Radio 4 still transmit on 198 Long Wave, and on various Medium Wave frequencies around the UK. (London 720; Plymouth 774; Hayle (Cornwall) 756; Newcastle 603; Carlisle 1495; Aberdeen 1449; Enniskillen 774; Derry 720; Glasgow 720) Radio 5 is on Medium Wave 909 & 693 Lots of commercial and local radio stations also broadcast on MW http://www.mediumwaveradio.com/uk.php 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 Jonathan - I don't want to be insulting, but have you checked that the aerial is plugged in at the back of the radio, that the connecting cable is not damaged and that the aerial itself has a good ground to metal on the car body. I had trouble on one of my cars years ago and found that the aerial was fixed into a fibreglass repaired area and that the cable screen (the braided outer bit) was frayed beyond repair. A new aerial fixed it and an earth plate under the fibreglass. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Pryse Posted June 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 8 minutes ago, Badwolf said: Jonathan - I don't want to be insulting, but have you checked that the aerial is plugged in at the back of the radio, that the connecting cable is not damaged and that the aerial itself has a good ground to metal on the car body. I had trouble on one of my cars years ago and found that the aerial was fixed into a fibreglass repaired area and that the cable screen (the braided outer bit) was frayed beyond repair. A new aerial fixed it and an earth plate under the fibreglass. Hi. Nothing at all could insult me as I am so very new to this! I will take your advice. I was just keen to keep the original radio rather than replacing it with a new one (and then potentially having the same problem!). The interference is constant and doesn't vary with the revs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 Sounds like little/no signal to the radio. Good luck with it. The other techies will be on as well with their words of wisdom. It will get sorted for you, I'm sure. This may sound (no pun intended) bizarre, but wet your finger and put it over the hole for the aerial plug in the radio and see if you get any sort of signal, but please, get the right hole!!! This has worked for me in the past to get to the cause of reception problems. (This suggestion may lead to some strange thread drifts) By the way, are you getting any sort of reception apart from the interference? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Pryse Posted June 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 8 minutes ago, Badwolf said: Sounds like little/no signal to the radio. Good luck with it. The other techies will be on as well with their words of wisdom. It will get sorted for you, I'm sure. This may sound (no pun intended) bizarre, but wet your finger and put it over the hole for the aerial plug in the radio and see if you get any sort of signal, but please, get the right hole!!! This has worked for me in the past to get to the cause of reception problems. (This suggestion may lead to some strange thread drifts) By the way, are you getting any sort of reception apart from the interference? I can get a few stations in the background, mainly from the previously set preset buttons, but the interference make them hard to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitFire6 Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 Hi, any difference between engine running and not? If it's noisy without the engine/loads running you need to look at increasing signal strength first. Cheers, Iain. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 You should be able to receive BBC Radio Kent on 774m from the Littlebourne transmitter. According to Kevin's link, its not a huge transmitter but you should get a decent signal but looking at the dial, the radio may not have the bands for Uk reception. Over to the experts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 Sorry, I assumed that you were trying the radio without the engine at the moment to test the signal. Iain is spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 Another thing to check Jonathan...... When you are outside the car and put your hand on the aeriel, does it go louder or make any difference at all? Tony. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave.vitesse Posted June 24, 2019 Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 A couple of extra points. Ensure the radio is earthed at the radio. The radio should be a negative earth radio for use in your 1970's Spit. Ensure the aerial is earthed at it's mounting through the mounting cup teeth. This generally means removing paint from around the area under mounting cup teeth inside the car, then applying grease to stop it rusting. Test the radio well away from the house as the interference from digital devices, switch mode PSU's and Broadband is now making it very difficult to receive any signals on SW/MW/LW. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted June 24, 2019 Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 I recently repaired a new car radio (blown electrolytics) and once again marvelled at how little there is in them. Circuit board at the back, circuit board at the front and a ribbon cable between them. The body of the radio is 3" deep but could be even shallower, without a CD player there's no need to keep to the traditional radio shape. It also has a remote hand set which makes me think about the possibility of taking a traditional car radio, removing everything but the facia and concealing the new radio behind it. Doug 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted June 24, 2019 Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 Doug - Was that the 'Classic' style radio you got off fleabay, I think you could change the colours of the display, or am I thinking of another post? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted June 24, 2019 Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 The numbers on the facia worried me , is this from the continent or further away??? Certainly not UK specific Which would have been in metres wavelengths are those Htz, or somethin alien Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave.vitesse Posted June 24, 2019 Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 3 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said: The numbers on the facia worried me , is this from the continent or further away??? Certainly not UK specific Which would have been in metres wavelengths are those Htz, or somethin alien Pete Pete, As it's German radio the dial is in kHz. The UK used Metres at that time, but in those days we called them a wireless. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted June 24, 2019 Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 1 hour ago, Badwolf said: Was that the 'Classic' style radio you got off fleabay No it was a cheap as chips Chinese radio, unusual because of it's shallow dimensions and it has one nob in the middle of the facia! A friend bought it for his Riley Elf, positive earth, guess what happened? 25 minutes ago, dave.vitesse said: but in those days we called them a wireless. When I was a kid I couldn't understand why they were called a wireless, my dad used to make them and I knew that they were full of wires. doug 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitFire6 Posted June 24, 2019 Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 (edited) Hi, The radio scale is x 100KHz. Bung a long (>5Meters) wire up the antenna socket of the radio. If you cannot hear a station on LW or MW; Front end duff. Cheers, Iain. There is a 4-watt transmitter on 198KHz or 1.9 2.0 on your LW scale at the Dartford tunnel according to the internet. If you cannot hear Radio 4 on this frequency at this location; your antenna or front end is kaput. Edited June 24, 2019 by Spitfire6 changed 1.9 to 2.0 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitFire6 Posted June 24, 2019 Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 15 hours ago, dave.vitesse said: ********************* Test the radio well away from the house as the interference from digital devices, switch mode PSU's and Broadband is now making it very difficult to receive any signals on SW/MW/LW. Dave Hi Dave, I thought that the LW band was more protected now due to EMC/RFI regulations than it was when a household or automotive switching devices were not required to be suitably suppressed. I have not listened to anything below 100000KHz for a very long time and LW/MW for much longer. Shame if the bands are polluted. I wonder if the pollution affects the RF clocks. Cheers, Iain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted June 25, 2019 Report Share Posted June 25, 2019 On 24/06/2019 at 09:25, dougbgt6 said: I recently repaired a new car radio (blown electrolytics) and once again marvelled at how little there is in them. Circuit board at the back, circuit board at the front and a ribbon cable between them. The body of the radio is 3" deep but could be even shallower, without a CD player there's no need to keep to the traditional radio shape. It also has a remote hand set which makes me think about the possibility of taking a traditional car radio, removing everything but the facia and concealing the new radio behind it. Doug I've become a fan of those for the Triumphs; there's absolutely nothing behind them and they don't need to be shoehorned into the dash avoiding cables or wires any more. My current favourite is only 2" deep at the widest point so plenty of room in behind for air circulation if indeed it ever heats up. £11 online; I bought two, one for the TR7 which has space issues even with a 'normal' head unit and one for the GT6 which has so much heat from the gearbox tunnel it almost melts CDs in the current unit. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave.vitesse Posted June 25, 2019 Report Share Posted June 25, 2019 Hello Ian, As far as broadband is concerned all broadcast and amateur bands should be protected but this has been ignored by the providers. Digital devices and switch mode PSU should also be subject to non interference regs, but once again this has been ignored by some manufacturers. Ofcom do not appear to be willing to enforce the regs. As you may know the RSGB has taken the matter up with Ofcom but has been unable to resolve the problem. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted June 25, 2019 Report Share Posted June 25, 2019 Colin - Have you got a picture of the fascia and/or a web-link please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted June 25, 2019 Report Share Posted June 25, 2019 Certainly! They're called a Smart Car Autoradio (3th generation!!) and easily found on certain online auction sites £11.75 including postage, I've been running one since March 2019 in my modern just to test it and I've no complaints. It will go into the GT6 once I get the dash reassembled. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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