Smart Meters(?) & RF Interference

[#1]

Anyone know anything about this topic?

Over the last few days I have experienced short episodes (originally around sunset) of serious interference on the VHF FM Band - decreasing from about 102MHz and upwards. This evening it became seemingly continuous. Also found a continues high pitched tone right across the entire AM MW Band (anyone remember that?).

Using the FM radio on my mobile phone I appear(?) to have traced a possible source to the wall mounted electricity meter cabinet of a neighbour's property. The only thing I can think of is a smart meter SMPS.

Anyone any experience?

TIA

[#2]

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@pvmb wrote:

Also found a continues high pitched tone right across the entire AM MW Band (anyone remember that?).

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Hah! I have at least just managed to trace the source of that continuous whine on my radio tuner on AM MW. It was coming from a cheapo (and nasty?) CD player just above the tuner and powered via a two pin European mains outlets on the power amplifier. Funnily enough it stopped if the CD player was turned on! Only present when it was off via its 'Power' button.

Withdrawing the CD mains lead from the back of the power amplifier while the CD player was 'Off', the whine continued on MW, slowly rising in pitch until it eventually stopped after some time. Looks like the CD player's unloaded SMPS was the source here. The front panel electronic 'Power' button not actually disconnecting the mains, as is common these days.

One down, one to go!

[#3]

Smart Meters function 24/7 so evening + night interference is not their operation pattern.

Perhaps SMPS noise from a LED or CFL light bulb, these would be turned on at / after sunset & remain on for hours.

Does the interference occurs on all AM & FM radios including say a car radio ?  

[Edit] Well done for spotting it !

[#4]

...As above, the source of interference on AM has now been found.

I would indeed have expected a smart meter to operate continuously - however I can only report what I found. Previously the interference occurred on two days over about 15 minutes around sunset. Next day (a Monday) no such interference. last night starting at 7.59pm (so well past sunset)  persisting for a considerable time (unknown) but gone by 10pm.

Using mobile phone FM radio I found strong signal from a neighbours external meter box. Did not detect anything around nearest LED street lights (which I had originally suspected). I turned off all SMPS (that I knew of) in my home, to no effect. Didn't know of issue with CD player, but that was continuous and on AM. Will take it out of use and see if VHF FM interference occurs again. But why would it be so intermittent on FM?

[#5]

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@pvmb wrote:

Anyone know anything about this topic?

Over the last few days I have experienced short episodes (originally around sunset) of serious interference on the VHF FM Band - decreasing from about 102MHz and upwards. This evening it became seemingly continuous.

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This reminds me of a similar problem I had a few years back.

Sometimes it was steady, other times it would vary. Wanderesd up and down the road and it seemed to be strongest outside a house two doors down.

Fortunately the guy was very cooperative, and switched off the circuit breakers in his consumer unit until the interference stopped.

It turned out to be an oscillating TV antenna amplifier.

[#6]

We used to have a similar issue at our previous address where I concluded that it was coming from a house of multiple occupancy probably using something that wasn't shielding itself against EM interference.

On that note, we have a Hornby steam engine - Duchess of Sutherland I think.. it has no cap inside it and thus when turned up, emits EM interference too. 

[#7]

@7up 

I doubt my neighbour is into train sets! But you never can tell... I do have another(?) neighbour with a noisy coffee grinder, that is also not properly suppressed and causes electrical as well as acoustic interference when in use.

The original interference has repeated a couple more times - usually starting some time before 6pm and lasting for half an hour to several hours. It's very unpredictable, apart from the starting time. Which means it's going to be difficult to deal with.