AM radio interference from neighbouring boat in marina

[Mark Cusack]

G’day all,
The boat housed next to me in the marina has recently had installed, a new battery charger, and I have since endured intermittent static on my am radio frequency as it cycles on. I can get around this by switching power off to that boat while I listen to am programmes, but this is inconvenient for both of us, even though he is rarely there
My neighbour is aware of this and probably happy to pursue a plausible solution.
Can anyone advise a simple course of action to remedy this as I research inline suppressors, faraday cage option etc?

[CSY Man]

Originally Posted by Mark Cusack

G’day all,
The boat housed next to me in the marina has recently had installed, a new battery charger, and I have since endured intermittent static on my am radio frequency as it cycles on. I can get around this by switching power off to that boat while I listen to am programmes, but this is inconvenient for both of us, even though he is rarely there
My neighbour is aware of this and probably happy to pursue a plausible solution.
Can anyone advise a simple course of action to remedy this as I research inline suppressors, faraday cage option etc?

Did he instal a proper marine battery charger, or a non-shielded Pep-Boys $49 special?

[Mark Cusack]

He tells me it was a cheap option purchased online to run batteries and fridge. I do not have any further details on it.

[smac999]

what happens if you unplug your boat? I wonder if it's backfeeding noise to your boat via the grid. or actually putting stuff into the air.

[Mark Cusack]

Originally Posted by smac999

what happens if you unplug your boat? I wonder if it's backfeeding noise to your boat via the grid. or actually putting stuff into the air.

I still get the interference when unplugged, and am not the only boat nearby experiencing this.

[GordMay]

Radio Frequency Interference is common with battery chargers that utilize switching power supplies.
Sorry, but I know no easy fixes, or after market AC line filters, that can eliminate the battery charger Radio Frequency Interference.
However, one way to reduce the RFI, is to increase the distance between radio & charger (one of the boats moves).
Conducted interference is eliminated by connecting the radio & charger to different circuits.

[Mark Cusack]

Thanks Gord,
I had a feeling in my urine this could be a negotiated outcome, and have a spare fridge transformer on offer to bypass batteries and use shore power while in marina.
Fingers crossed.
Cheers

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by Mark Cusack

Thanks Gord,
I had a feeling in my urine this could be a negotiated outcome, and have a spare fridge transformer on offer to bypass batteries and use shore power while in marina.
Fingers crossed.
Cheers

Never provide a solution like that to a neighboring boat. If anything goes wrong with the neighbors refrigeration he will blame you. Instead insist that he install a good quality marine battery charger. Sell him on the fact that he is probably ruining his batteries with a cheap charger.

[Brewgyver]

Some marinas care about boats using improper equipment... Increased risk of fire, etc.

[jmschmidt]

I have the same problem with the battery storage and backup photo-voltaic system I had installed on my house. The AM radio interference is from the Outback inverter installed by the contractor. Turn the inverter off and the AM is clear as a bell. It affects my car radio on AM but if I drive fifty or so feet down the driveway it clears up.

I did some research and learned that the FCC granted an exemption to installers of home PV systems. In commercial buildings FCC regulations prohibit any kind of RFI from such systems. This is all driven by the politically and environmentally correct crowd (believers in the religion of man-made-global warming) to facilitate more residential use of solar power.

My system does not interfere with FM, only AM. I don't have an HF radio but I suspect that it might interfere with that as well. You might check into the FCC/USCG regs to see if these RFI spewing inverters are prohibited on vessels as well as shore-side commercial applications.

[facciatosta]

I assume that all wiring on neighbour's boat is clean and neat as usually done on all boats I ever been on.
Option 1( easy):Try to separate 2 charging wires between the charger and the battery from the rest of the wires and twist them - the more turns the better but 5"-6" should do - depends on the length of the wires. In addition you can wrap them in aluminum cooking foil. One end( one only) of aluminum foil you can either connect to through hull( if it is made from metal) or battery negative. If it works then you can try to reattached these twisted wires to the rest of wires. If there are separate sensing wires between charger and the battery then they may need to be twisted as well. But usually there is very little current through them.
Option 2) Connect choke/inductance in series with one of the charging wire. For the testing purposes you can make it yourself. Take the wire of same gauge or bigger as a charging wire and make a coil with several turns. More turns and bigger diameter - the better but not to the point that charging wire significantly increases in length. If you find ferritic metal ( iron, not SS or copper) - then it is even better. See if it works
Option 3) Installing ferritic chokes on your AC cord to the radio ( if it is powered from AC) though I doubt they work.

[BugzyCan]

You could try wrapping his charger in tinfoil, or putting it inside an ammo can.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Mark Cusack

He tells me it was a cheap option purchased online to run batteries and fridge. I do not have any further details on it.

This is trouble...for him.

An automotive battery charger....aka "cheap"...presents a load when not powered on. This will actually drain his batteries if still in the charge circuit, which it likely is, when away from the dock.

Also, automotive chargers are not spark protected, and can possibly ignite the hydrogen gas emitted from FLA batteries while charging.

I bought a Paceship 29 for cheap, because the previous owner had continual trouble starting the engine. No mechanic could find anything wrong, so he sold the boat. I had the same trouble on my delivery home, but resolved it by disconnecting everything from the batteries except the engine. The charger, of course, was in a hidden spot, not easily accessible. Long story short, I learned a lot about chargers and batteries. I kept the charger disconnected, bought new batteries, and had no further trouble. Moral of the story....use a MARINE charger.

[Randall M]

Try ferrites on the wires

[Benz]

Is there anything worth listening to on AM radio?