Electromagnetic interference, or radio-frequency disruption if you prefer, is due to nearby sources. These may be a welder, a large electric motor, or any device using electromagnetic induction or electrostatic coupling. We experience the phenomenon as buzzing, random noises, and plain old static. In this post, we examine whether there is such a thing as battery interference.
Battery Interference Does Not Exist but Batteries Contribute
This may sound strange but batteries are not actually electric devices. They are really electrochemical processes creating energy. However, if the batteries in our hand-held transmitters are weak, these can transmit harmful interference.
This applies to transmitters for unlocking cars, turning alarms on and off, and changing channels on televisions, etc.
How Battery Chargers Cause Radio Frequency Interference
We may hear what we think is battery interference when we charge a battery near a radio. This may continue until the battery holds full charge and the charger has backed off.
Battery chargers switch power supply from 110 Volts AC to the right DC voltage per the battery’s requirements. The effect is more marked on AM, as opposed to FM channels.
Superior grade battery chargers use filters to suppress the phenomenon. There are other things we can do to manage the situation. For example, we could:
- Increase the distance between radio and charger to reduce the problem
- Plug the charger and the radio into outlets on different circuit breakers
‘Battery interference’, unquote can be a real pain. This is especially true when we have portable power tools to charge while we listen to our favorite program. Never leave a battery charger completely unattended. The best workaround we can think of is listening to music on a smartphone, using either headphones or external speakers.
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Preview Image: Economy Model
