2. analog
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Please Help My TT is acting like a tuner

I have a Rega p9 turntable, Shelter 501 cart, Bat pk5 phono stage, Viva 300b amplifier and Galante Symphony loudspeakers. I never had any problems with my system until I moved.

Ever since I moved into my new home, I have been picking up radio stations through my TT. The oldies station comes through loud and clear every time I try to play a record!! I have tried everything: powerwraps, ferrite clamps, grounding, lifting the ground, aluminum foil, etc. The oldies station does not stop playing!!!

I am pretty sure it is the TT because the station does not play when the TT is not connected but the BAT phono is loud by itself and is making a crackling whurring sound.

Anyway I am beyond frustrated and am ready to sell my analog gear and just use digital. I have moved my system into every room in my house to no avail, I still hear the oldies station

Please help if you know what I can do. The Rega tonearm cable is hardwired. Is this my problem? Should I get a TT that has the ability to change out cables so that I can use a really powerfully shielded cable? Do the tubes need replaced in the BAT? Or will nothing work and should I either deal with the oldies station or focus on digital?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

rich62
aceto
273 posts
 
I had a similar problem. Turned out to be my plumbing. It was acting like a tuner fixed on one a.m. frequency and it induced an audible signal with my turntable. I had to change its orientation and the induction stopped. BTW, my cd player pushes its output through the power cord and into my house wiring. It plays on my car radio in the garage, my portable radio in the next room and makes lines on my TV two floors up.
mpoulos
12 posts
 
Have you seen the clamp on magnets that they use on computer cables? I had the same issue with my ET2 until I clamped one on the tonearm wire. Works perfectly.
Good luck
rich62 OP
30 posts
 
I have used clamp on magnets, ferrite clamps and powerwraps. Unfortunately power wraps were the only ones that made a significant difference. However, the station can still be heard. I think it is just as annoying if it is faint in the background then in your face. Magnet clamps work very well if the interference is not that bad. I just live in a house that is one big radio antenna.
rich62 OP
30 posts
 
Update from Victor at BAT: I was told that if I attach a ceramic capacitor with a value of .01 to the grounds of the Phono Stage's RCA inputs to the grounding lug on the base of the Phono Stage, the radio will not play through the unit. Hopefully this will work
sean
6,231 posts
 
Rich62: The .01 cap acts as an RF bypass. It is also one of the values mentioned for use in the "DIY" parallel cap filtration system for one's AC system in another thread for this very reason. Given the very high gain of a phono section and the RF susceptability of most tube circuits, one would think that this would have been built in from the factory. Hopefully, this will cure your problem and you'll be able to enjoy your "black circles" once again : ) Sean
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