TV Interference from LEDs?

[Marcsailcat]

I discovered something strange to me when I was trying to improve the TV reception on the boat. Normally I get over 50 channels with my flying saucer type TV antenna. But this time I could not receive any channel below channel 28. I recalled back in the days before digital TV, any channel above 13 was a UHF channel. Below that was VHF if I remember right.
I repeated the channel search on the TV during the day and discovered my reception returned to normal and I could get all channels including 3, 8, 10 and 13. The boat had not moved so I figured it maybe just some sort of night time interference. I was watching channel 8 and about that time I happened to turn on the salon lights. (I switched them all to LEDs quite awhile ago.) All of a sudden I loose signal on channel 8! Turn the light off and channel 8 immediately comes back on.

Must be the something in those little LED lights that are creating signal interference?

[rwidman]

It is something in those little LED lights that is creating the interference. The lights have constant current drivers that keep the average current through the LEDs constant by turning it on and off rapidly. This can create interference that can block TV signals and possibly VHF radio signals as well.

I discovered the same problem a few years ago when I installed LED lights in the V berth area.

I was able to install rudimentary filters in the light fixtures to minimize this problem. Basically, a small capacitor across the two leads leading to the socket. A more sophisticated filter with a choke and a couple of capacitors would have been better, but I got my channel 7 back and that was good enough for me.

It's a shame the manufacturers of these LEDs aren't required to eliminate this interference at the source, rather than leaving it to the end user to deal with it.

[Flatswing]

It's a shame the manufacturers of these LEDs aren't required to eliminate this interference at the source, rather than leaving it to the end user to deal with it.

Marine beam (Charleston, SC) LEDs don't cause interference. They cost a little more than the Amazon versions but worth it to me.

[Spot]

SuperbrightLED's have seemed 'quiet' on marine VHF frequencies when tested for such. We have not tested them any higher or lower. We really means the electrical engineer at work who is a radio operator and has actual Faraday cage testing experience.

@Marcsailcat, are those LED's a certain brand or something generic?