[CQ-Contest] Samsung TV RFI Warning...

[Mike&Shelley Ritz]

Thought this might be something for the QRO contest guys...... 

I bought my wife a brand new Samsung "top of the line" 55 inch LED 240 Hz 3D HDTV recently, and was informed by her that every time I transmitted with the amp on 40M it changed the TVs input settings, which of course made the screen go black. If it was on Input 1 it switched to Input 2, etc. You had to use the remote to manually switch it back. I tried wrapping cords and cables around Type 77 ferrite torroids to no avail.... By the way, the "shack" is in a different building, and the 40M antenna is at least 50 feet away from the house! 

Of course, a call to the factory netted me nothing, and my wife was not happy with my "solution" that she could watch the small TV in the spare room during contest weekends..... 

Finally, a Samsung technician came out and discovered that the problem was RF being picked up by the television's front panel touch sensor buttons. Yes, the same technology that drove my neighbor nuts in the middle of contest nights with his three way touch sensor lamps blinking on and off and keeping him awake is being used on new Samsung televisions. 

The technician disconnected the touch sensor board and "fixed" the problem. Of course, now I have to use the remote to change channels, etc, but that is a small price to pay to keep the XYL happy! 

Just keep this in mind when you buy that new HDTV.... 

Gee, I love new technology..... 

73' 

Mike, W7VO