Conference napalm::guitar

    My distrotion pick up all time if you used your amp high volum.
    used your amp to listen to the news.....sometime.
    
    
    
    
    
                                             

    When you get the gain up high enough (either with the amp's own preamp
    or through a fuzz box, etc.) and if you're not shielded well enough,
    you are picking up AM radio transmissions which need only to be
    rectified to be audible.  As you move around the room, adjust your
    volume and tone knobs, etc. you effectively retune the frequency of the
    antenna. It's pretty darn common.
    
    							Brian

    re:.0
    
    Yeah, It can certainly add a lot to a solo! 8^)
    
    My band rehearses in a 25' by 20' room and this happens all the time
    (to our guitarists).  It can cause trouble when you are recording if
    you are mic-ing the amps.
    (Plus it's pretty weird hearing it thru the headphones when you don't
    expect it!)
    
    chUck
    

    
    Yup, pretty darn common.  I get less antennuation(?) since I 
    shielded the strat cavity though.  Another weird noise I pick up 
    is when I am standing near my cd player.  When I hit close/play, 
    I pick up alien transmissions before the song begins.

    
    
    Yeah, this unwanted receptions are common in all kinds of audio gear.
    
    Another source of noise (as suggested by mention of the cd player) is
    any TV, VCR, or digital gear.  I had to move my MT32 away from my
    Quattro 'cause the preamp was picking up the noise radiating from the
    MT32's digital circuitry.  Before I replaced the cheap pickups in my
    Squire II bass, I could pick up the flashing clock display on my VCR. 
    And then you have to watch out for the noise caused by light dimmers...
    

    I think this is RFI getting into your low level signal path and
    subsequently being decoded by a circuit acting as a simplt diode
    detector, the most rudimentary form of a radio receiver. I've been using
    a strat with no extra shielding and no metal plate under the PG fo
    twenty years and I don't think I've have ever experienced this without
    some effect box between the guitar and the amp's input.

    Of course, I don't live on top of a 50KW radio transmitter, either. But
    check out your cabling and connectors. Connectors with metal covers are
    superior to those with plastic for this reason.

    My Kustom used to pick up radio stations all the time.  A flick of the
    ground switch would usually take care of it.
    
    The scanner I used to have would pick up Russia's TASS news service,
    rebroadcast out of New York.
    
    Chris D.

    Well waddya know, my amp isn't possessed after all.  It was pretty 
    freaky the first time I heard it, like Jimi Hendrix or Brian Jones
    were trying to make contact.
    
    It's only happens when I use my CryBaby and heavy distortion.  I think
    I'll look over the innards of my Kramer tonight and check for broken
    shields or shakey grounds.
    
    Thanks for satisfying my curiousity,
    Alan

    Hey, for all I know Jimi Hendrix or Brian Jones could be trying to make
    contact. :|

    But now that you mention it, it seems that my old VOX wah-wah was
    usually involved in the signal chain.

    

    
    	In the words on Dennis Miller (SNL) - 
    
    
    	"If Brian Jones were alive today..."
    
    
    
    
    
    	"we'd all be a little surprised."
    
    	8^)

    Yup.  .6 showed the direction.  This is quite often caused by a poor
    connection, which can look electrically like a network which contains a
    diode.  Look for bad connections.
    

    I used to pick up police radio signals when I had my rack rig.  Kind of
    disconcerting at first, but we always knew when they were coming to
    shut down our practices, as it only seemed to happen when there was a
    police car nearby or an officer with a hand held radio.
    
    Greg

    My amp picks up the signal from passing taxis and my amp previous to
    that picked up some foreign radio station.

    
	I've seen this happen many times over the years. It's not
    only limited to AM radio either. I used to play in a guys cellar, 
    and a couple of neighborhood kids used to spend the evening talking
    into a CB radio they had under the dash in their car. We used to 
    pick up the CB signals they were sending plain as day. 

	The lead player in my current band plays through a Vox AC30
    and he picks up radio transmissions all the time. This amp also
    picks up noise from various lights in the house (some are simple
    incondescient lights). We have reason to believe this amp is 
    picking up short wave, as many of the signals we pick up seem to
    come from Europe (what the heck, it's a British amp, isn't it?).

	At any rate, everything you plug into your amp is essentially
    an antenna. The longer your' cord, the greater antenna gain you will
    have. Humbuckers are not a big problem since the two coils tend to
    cancel out RFI (radio frequency interference). Having a stomp box
    between the guitar and amp that provides gain effectively acts like 
    an active antenna, and will boost weak radio signals to a high
    enough level that your amp will amplify them.

	
    Mark

One day many years ago here in Yorkshire I was playing my guitar
using unscreened leads and I picked up Vatican Radio loud & clear.
*DC

    re: .-1
    
    It was a message from God...  ;^)
    
    re: .-2 
    
    A Vox AC30 huh?  That's interesting, I played an AC30 in a store
    several years back that also picked up radio signals.  Do they all do
    this?
    
    Greg

    
       Aaah...Good ol' Spinal Tap revisited....
    
    
       I think in some cases you can install ferrite beads in certain place(s)
    in your amps that can help. I am not shure where though. RF can come in
    anywhere that's insufficiently shielded(as mentioned before).
       I think I recall somewhere in a notes file something on this.
    Probably in the Electro_hobbyist notes file.
    
    

    Ground loops can cause all sorts of problems.  Maybe the AC30 has a
    ground loop in its design. Or maybe VOX had a poor way of making ground
    connections inside the chassis. Resistance in a ground connection is...

                           T  R  O  U  B  L  E

    --ron

I was in a band that used to practice in the bassists basement.  The guy had 
money, and had some nice things - one of which was a wireless phone.  The other 
guitarist has just purchased a new wireless unit and we were practicing our
collective butts off one night.  Between songs you could hear a voice thru
the guitarists rigs.  We thought it was pretty funny until the bassist sez
"Hey, thats my wifes voice !"  We turned up the amp a bit and sure enough,
it was the bassists wife...

...Talking dirty to her lover.  Needless to say, practice was over.  She was
out on her butt by the next day.  :)  Poor guy.  You should've seen the look 
on his face, and some of the expletives he used scared me (US Navy vet...) !!

jc 

    I've got a good one here and was wondering if someone can give me a
    hint (or just tell me that I'm nuts).  Last night, since I had the
    house to myself, I decided to bring my small practice amp and guitar
    upstairs to practice in the living room, rather than staying down in 
    the cold, damp basement.  After warming up, I began hearing voices, 
    and they were coming from my amp (which is solid state, if that helps).  
    At some points I could actually make out what was being said, and it 
    appeared to be a radio broadcast from some place with very pronounced 
    southern accents.  But the signal kept going in and out, so I could 
    never get any call letters or other identifier (there was also a lot of
    interference as well).
    
    So, has anyone else ever experienced this?  Was it in fact a radio
    transmission, or are aliens from a distant world trying to tell me to
    knock off the pitiful guitar playing?  And, the big question, does
    anyone know how to stop these unwanted backup singers?
    
    Thanks,               
    Al
    
      
    

Your not alone,

Happens to me too. 

I've not a clue how to avoid it,,  nothing I've ever done has
stopped the 'voices' once they start.....

    
    Several years ago, at a job, no less, a beautiful music station
    cut in through the bass player's rig.  And, believe me, it didn't
    fade in and out, it came in a full strength!
    
    He had a three hundred watt plus set up with two 15" spkrs. in one
    cabinet, and another 15 in huge folded horn enclosure.
    
    It was so loud and pronounced, we actually had to stop in the middle
    of a song.  Nothing we tried would get rid of it.  Eventually, the
    bass player wound up playing through the keyboard player's amp,
    essentially crippling our overall sound.
    
    The audience thought it was hilarious!  In retropsect, it reminds me
    of the line from Spinal Tap about it "not being very fun to be
    part of the comedy."
    
    Brian
    

    
    
       Gee - you guys must be using the non-FCC compliant amps. B-}.
    
       With all the wiring I've got in my rigs it's amazing that I don't
    pick up stray radio frequency. I have seen it happen to others though
    and it's usually not a desirable station that they are picking up!
    
    							-B()()M-

    My father is a ham radio operator. Back when I lived with my parents 
    it wasn't unusual to hear him coming out over the bass amp or PA,
    sometimes with amusing results...
    
       "...'scuse me, while I kiss the sky!"
                    ("ah, 10-4, over and out....")
    
    Edd

    This happened to me just a couple of days ago!  I switched to a shorter
    guitar cord and the problem went away.  The first cord I was using was
    an 18 footer and I switched to an 8 foot one and no more radio.   Later
    that night I started using another amp and used the 18 foot cord again
    without any problems.  FWIW the amps in question were a Marshall JCM800
    (which got the radio noise with the long cord) and a JCM900 (which was
    quiet with either cord).
    
    Used to happen to me a lot when I had my rack rig.  Seemed to only get
    the police band though, so we always knew when the cops were coming to
    shut us down, because I didn't get it until they were right outside...
    
    I loved that scene in Spinal Tap where Nigel gets the radio signals
    through his amp while they're playing at the Air Force Officers Ball...
    ;^)
    
    Greg

    
    Jimi Hendrix got radio signals on his amp at the Isle of Wight concert.
    It's on the album even : comes through loud and clear on the quiet
    sections of the music. Imagine what it sounded like at the concert...
    

    Sooooooo,
    
    now you guys are hearing voices.....hmmmmm, tell me, do these voices
    tell you to do terrible things?  I strongly suggest a reduction in the
    intake of recreatinal substances, or a little psycho-analysis/therapy
    before there is yet another string of serial killings!!
    
    8^)
    
    Steve (who agrees with "the longer the cord, the better the reception
    of yer fav radio station" theory)

    What you are seeing (and hearing) is a phenomenon called "audio
    rectification" which means that an RF signal, usually AM, can be 
    detected and amplified by an audio amplifier. Usually happens with
    local AM broadcast or nearby CB'ers, but it can also occur with 
    cordless phones, police and ham radios, and even shortwave broadcasts.
    I remember hearing a story about a guy in a band who was practicing in
    the garage or cellar, and heard a voice over his amp during the quiet
    breaks. Turned out it was his SO talking with her affair-mate.
    
    I had an unusual incident when using my phaser/flanger when it was
    receiving Radio Moscow very clearly. Turned out to be a slightly
    corroded input jack. Cleaned it and the cord plug and the Russians 
    went away. 

    Thanks for all of the comments, war stories, and hints, I'll look up 
    note 2235.  At least now I know I'm not crazy (well, I wouldn't go that 
    far).  By the way, the voices said "buy DEC stock".
    
    Thanks,
    Al

    re: -1 
    
    Al,
  >>  By the way, the voices said "buy DEC stock".
    
     oh no!  I just sold!
    
    |)
    
    Steve