Introduction
As our lives become filled with technology, the likelihood of electronic interference increases. Every lamp dimmer, garage door opener or other new technical “toy” contributes to the electrical noise around us. Many of these devices also “listen” to that growing noise and may react unpredictably to their electronic neighbors, including Amateur Radio transmitters.
Sooner or later, nearly every active Amateur Radio operator will have a problem with interference. This could involve interference to a neighbor's equipment, or, more likely, some form of intererence to Amateur Radio from the noisy devices that can sometimes even be found in our own homes. The good news is that most cases of interference can be cured! The proper use of “diplomacy” skills to communicate with a neighbor and standard technical cures will usually solve the problem.
These Web pages provide an overview and information to help find and fix RFI/EMI problems. The ARRL Lab staff recommends that hams with RFI problems purchase a copy of the ARRL RFI Book. This book, written by a number of experts, picks up where this web site leaves off, providing detailed information on the causes and cures for nearly every type of interference problem.
If you are having an interference problem, you should read the appropriate chapters of the ARRL RFI Book and the appropriate RFI pages listed on the menu to your left. Most of these pages have a brief overview of the topic,followed by links to the definitive ARRL and other articles about the type of interference you are experiencing. Most of the pages also have links to other sites with useful information about RFI. Follow all of those links and articles, then carefully follow the steps described for each type of RFI problem, follwoing the troubleshooting steps and using the types of filters described. This is important because in many cases, hams who try shortcuts, such as assuming that a ferrite bead of unknown material is the same as multiple turns of wire on a toroidal core made of the correct material, or hams who fail to turn off the main breaker in their own house to troubleshoot electrical noise may not fix a problem that could have corrected easily.
After you have read all of the applicable material and have tried the steps that look appropriate, you may contact the ARRL Lab staff for help iwth your RFI problem. The best way to do this is by email. Desctribe your problem completely, with model numbers and specific information (including approximate dates) of the steps you have tried to resolve the problem. In some cases, after you have sent the background emaill, it may be more efficient for everyone to talk directly on the phone with one of the Lab engineers. You can reach them by telephone at 860-594-0214, asking for help with an RFI problem.
It is impoirtant that you do read all of the material and followed the intiital steps described because the Lab staff will assume that you have done so, trying to pick up where they think you have left off. It's not a good use of your time for the Lab engineers to try to describe verbally in a few minutes time the important parts of the web-page and ARRL RFI Book material, because the material was written in a thorough, systematic way that is hard to duplicate on the phone of by email.
Do take heart that most RFI problems can be cured. By carefully following these steps, you can probably get your RFI problem fixed.
