[RFI] New HDTV Purchase - What to Avoid?

[Jon Pearl - W4ABC]

Thanks Rob and all who responded.

Yes...plasma was the blank that I was trying to fill in.  For some 
reason, I knew there was at least one troublemaker 'technology' that 
would cause problems no matter who made it and I just wasn't popping 
into my head last night.  I'm not in a rush for the large screen as the 
hamshack's being reassembled, so the SW receiver idea is a great one.  
Why pull a new HDTV out of the box, only to find that I've got to box it 
back up again and bring it back?


Thanks again,


Jon Pearl - W4ABC




On 12/8/2020 6:15 PM, Dave Cole wrote:
> Thankfully, the "Lightening in a box" TVs are no longer made...
>
> 73, and thanks,
> Dave (NK7Z)
> https://www.nk7z.net
> ARRL Volunteer Examiner
> ARRL Technical Specialist, RFI
> ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources
>
> On 12/8/20 2:55 PM, Rob Atkinson wrote:
>> I second the advice on taking a portable sw receiver to the store.
>> Around 7 years ago I took my Grundig Yachtboy receiver with me to a
>> Best Buy.  I didn't plan on making a purchase.  I wanted to try to ID
>> the source of RFI at home.  I suspected the problem was a plasma TV
>> next door but since I didn't know what one sounded like on 75 and 160
>> m. I figured I could hear one at the TV display in the store and find
>> out.
>>
>> I extended the telescoping antenna, put the receiver on AM on some
>> frequency in the 160 m. ham band and began to walk around. Much to
>> my surprise, most of the equipment powered on for display was
>> extremely quiet, at least on medium wave and 75 meters.  In fact, the
>> overhead fluorescent lamps generated most of the noise.   That changed
>> as I approached the TV area.  From about 60 feet away I heard the same
>> thing I had been hearing at home which became the unmistakable
>> signature AM sound of plasma TV RFI.  Once in the TV department the
>> plasmas really blasted, mostly from the screens where tiny gas tubes
>> with electrodes in them continually fired.  Some sets showed in-house
>> slide shows of fixed images.  These didn't make as much noise. The
>> sets when dark between images generated much less noise.  But live
>> action, such as a football game whereby pixels were constantly firing
>> by the thousands generated the mother of all RFI.   Back then, sports
>> enthusiasts were nuts for plasmas because they lacked ghosting and had
>> zero latency.  I peered behind one through the air vents and saw that
>> the entire backside was nothing but heat sinks and electrolytic caps.
>> What a nightmare.   The other sets were LCD as I recall and they were
>> okay.   I hope TV technology has improved and ATSC 3.0 marks the end
>> of plasma TVs.
>>
>> I don't know if used plasma TVs are still sold or not but yikes, don't
>> ever buy one or live next to one.
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Rob
>> K5UJ

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