hids and a cb. too much static

tmoore78 · #1 11-03-2011, 08:32 PM

I have hids and a cb radio. it's not the best radio but it does the job..... till my headlights are on. then the static devil shows up and ruins the party.
with the lights on, I have to turn the squelch to about 3/4 to get the static tuned out. in the past, I have added capacitors to speakers to eliminate some frequencies that are unwanted. what I'm curious about is if this concept could be used here to eliminate static. I don't know much about a cb, so I am asking you all if you have any pointers on eliminating some of this static?!

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tmoore78 · #2 11-04-2011, 07:29 PM

anyone got any ideas?

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FireRanger · #3 11-04-2011, 07:52 PM

Unlikely you will be able to do anything about it. The noise is coming from either the ballast or the bulbs. If its the ballast, you could try cocooning them in aluminum foil and grounding the foil (looks stupid but has been known to work). If it's the bulbs, you're SOL. Mine do the same things. But it didn't change when I switched to new bulbs in projectors so I suspect it is the ballast which I re-used.

These problems weren't nearly as severe or non-existent when the hood was made of steel.

tmoore78 · #4 11-04-2011, 08:26 PM

well looks like I'll have to attempt the foil this weekend if I remember. thank you

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bytor · #5 11-04-2011, 08:48 PM

how is the power hooked to the cb? i run my cb's straight to the batt. that way you get no noise from anything else. you just have to remember to turn it off.also what are you swr's? grounding the radio is everything also proper antenna placement. use a quality coax. there is a lot to hooking up a cb correctly.

FireRanger · #6 11-04-2011, 09:36 PM

You can install a fusion reactor. It won't make a difference. The noise is being radiated by the ballast or bulb and being picked up by the antenna. Power has nothing to do with it.

traacer · #7 11-05-2011, 08:25 AM

Maybe try and relocate the antenna to the back of the bed. It may move it far enough away to cut down on the static. I know someone here sells mounting brackets that attach to the inside of the tailgate latch.

tmoore78 · #8 11-05-2011, 09:15 AM

that's exactly where I have it

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bytor · #9 11-05-2011, 09:09 PM

sounds like you have a lot of RF coming from those lights. That RF interference will travel throughout your electrical system. Thats why i suggest to go straight to the batt.

I don't think one simple solution will take care of your problem but rather a combination of things.
I would also recommend a good coax like times micro 240 or i use lmr 400. and like i said grounding is everything.

I had similar problems and got some great advise from a message board that is all about CB radios. There solutions fixed my problem. Trust me there is no magic bullet that cures this situation but i would start with a clean install with the basics first. Just my 2 cents. Good luck

FireRanger · #10 11-05-2011, 09:14 PM

You can wire the whole thing in pure gold and weld the grounds to the battery. It won't stop radiated RF noise. Shielding the source of the noise is the only way, and more often than not, that is not practical or possible.

DrIftKi7Vg · #11 11-06-2011, 12:39 AM

Hey Matt (sorry to jack your thread Tom) but you said you fixed your static problem with the projectors? I too have the projectors and TRS's ballast and yet I can never get any signal on my radio. What's this wrapping it up in foil talk?

FireRanger · #12 11-06-2011, 07:15 AM

I haven't fixed it. It isn't severe enough on mine to worry about.

01B3000 · #13 11-06-2011, 09:36 AM

I dont have any static running my CB and hids at the same time, or I dont know if ive tried yet actually....

bytor · #14 11-06-2011, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireRanger

You can wire the whole thing in pure gold and weld the grounds to the battery. It won't stop radiated RF noise. Shielding the source of the noise is the only way, and more often than not, that is not practical or possible.

well i fixed my rf problem. followed some good advice from guys on a cb fourm that have competition rigs. There advice absolutely worked for me.

FireRanger · #15 11-06-2011, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bytor

well i fixed my rf problem. followed some good advice from guys on a cb fourm that have competition rigs. There advice absolutely worked for me.

Care share what you did??

Also, I'm not saying proper running of power feeds won't fix some noise that is being picked up through the power wires. I completely agree that proper wiring is critical. However the OP's issues is not that.