I have several employees who wear soundproof earmuffs with a built in AM/FM radio. They work inside of a slump block/steel building. These radios were able to get great reception until maintenance installed a different type of light bulbs in the work area. Now they only get a Spanish channel. Maybe there was some sort of antennae that was coincidentally removed at the same time. Is there an easy way to boost the FM reception inside the room that will allow them to listen to whatever station each individual prefers? As none of them are Hispanic, they are not happy campers right now.
Easiest way
Install a car antenna on the outside of the building and another on the inside...hook them together using 50 ohm (or 75 ohm) coax that is multiples of 2 meters (about 79") long. The shorter the better actually.
Old standard Ford antennae will work. These are 1/4 wavelength at 100MHz.
A good cheap source is auto wrecking yard...Sorry, auto recycling establishment.
The next step up is to install an FM amplifier in the coax line, but you have to make sure the input (outside) antenna is away from the output (inside) antenna.
Post the results.
Install a car antenna on the outside of the building and another on the inside...hook them together using 50 ohm (or 75 ohm) coax that is multiples of 2 meters (about 79") long. The shorter the better actually.
Old standard Ford antennae will work. These are 1/4 wavelength at 100MHz.
A good cheap source is auto wrecking yard...Sorry, auto recycling establishment.
The next step up is to install an FM amplifier in the coax line, but you have to make sure the input (outside) antenna is away from the output (inside) antenna.
Post the results.
Cool idea. I never thought of a passive system with two antenna. I think it would work quite well if it was the building being a shield.Easiest way
Install a car antenna on the outside of the building and another on the inside...hook them together using 50 ohm (or 75 ohm) coax that is multiples of 2 meters (about 79") long. The shorter the better actually.
Old standard Ford antennae will work. These are 1/4 wavelength at 100MHz.
A good cheap source is auto wrecking yard...Sorry, auto recycling establishment.
The next step up is to install an FM amplifier in the coax line, but you have to make sure the input (outside) antenna is away from the output (inside) antenna.
Post the results.
This is a better idea. Treat the cause and not the symptom. Probably not the easiest to implement though.
Or get one of those car units that converts audio to FM for use with older car radios. Then set up an antenna outside the room with the tuner audio output connected to this device. But some of the new lamps are very good a generating interference.
Or get one of these:
FM10C - FM Stereo Transmitter Kit - Ramsey Electronics
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/hk/default.asp?page=amfm
Or get one of these:
FM10C - FM Stereo Transmitter Kit - Ramsey Electronics
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/hk/default.asp?page=amfm
Thanks to all who have responded. The company that I work for, will not be paying for any type of fix for the problem so I will be doing it all myself. I will probably try the 2 antennae/amplifier idea once we get back to work. If that doesn't work, I will have to try and submit a PO for more expensive light bulbs and a lot of them. That idea will most likely get rejected so I hope the first idea works.
I fear that some of these new high efficiency lights are also high efficiency RFI noise makers. I got some 4 foot fluorescent shop lights for my garage, they made a lot of noise on my Sony FDR-X1 HD tuner and my old Nakamichi clock radio. Took them back and got a cheaper brand of shop lights that I know were quite.
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