Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2010/08/12/plasma_tv_interference/

Are plasma TVs killing radio?

Radio Society appeals for evidence

By Bill Ray

Posted in Personal Tech, 12th August 2010 11:36 GMT

The Radio Society of Great Britain is asking anyone with a plasma TV to let it know if they‘ve had trouble getting Radio 4 lately.

The Radio Society of Great Britain represents the radio ham community, though it sees itself as having a wider remit. When not organising competitions to see who has the biggest beard can transmit a 10MHz signal furthest, the RSGB tries to protect the interests of radio users of all kinds by tracking possible causes of interference, which prompts its latest appeal.

Recently the interference effort has been focused on mains networking kit - people running Ethernet signals over in-home electrical wires - but the Society reckons that plasma TVs are another source of interference worthy of greater attention.

Anecdotal stories abound of plasmas putting out interference below 30MHz, and even extending into the higher frequencies where commercial radio can be found, but the Society is trying to cast a wider net to see if it's a genuine problem.

The plan is to make a presentation to CISPR (the International Special Committee on Radio Interference) in the next few weeks if enough complaints can be accumulated - so if you‘ve got a plasma and you think it's plotting against your radio, drop the RSGB a line at plasma.tv@rsgb.org.uk. ®