Cellphone Interference

[Huelsy'sTrainBlog]

Just wondering if anyone has problems with their cellphone causing interference on their scanner? I have a Galaxy S5 Active and whenever I get a text, email, etc. it will always cause interference on my scanner for 160.800. I have asked a few people on Facebook and no one has had this problem. Have any of you guys had any problems like this?

[StupidFlee​t]

Just wondering if anyone has problems with their cellphone causing interference on their scanner? I have a Galaxy S5 Active and whenever I get a text, email, etc. it will always cause interference on my scanner for 160.800. I have asked a few people on Facebook and no one has had this problem. Have any of you guys had any problems like this?

Who is your provider and what does your interference sound like?

[Huelsy'sTrainBlog]

Just wondering if anyone has problems with their cellphone causing interference on their scanner? I have a Galaxy S5 Active and whenever I get a text, email, etc. it will always cause interference on my scanner for 160.800. I have asked a few people on Facebook and no one has had this problem. Have any of you guys had any problems like this?

Who is your provider and what does your interference sound like?

AT&T and sometimes it will just stop on 160.800 for a split second, other times longer, once I had my scanner playing the music to the game I was playing

[Hogger1225]

Don't know if NS is still having this problem but back when I was still working, (2009) the RailVeiw Cams that NS was putting in all of their units was on some units causing a HUGE interference on 160.800 which in my area was Road Channel #1. We found this out by getting permission to temporarily pull the power on the cams to see if the interference stopped, which it usually did. It caused a constant rushing noise, as if the squelch was turned all of the way off.

[hoborich]

About once an hour or so, my phone causes a brief buzzing in the scanner, and also when the phone rings. If the phone is not near the scanner, is doesn't happen.

[Saturnalia]

My car causes AAR 09 to go nuts constantly. I always lock it out...it never happens in Dad's car or when I get away from mine...really just when it is inside.

[CAT345C]

I've seen company provided cell phones too close to a handset cause the radio to make white noise

[J T]

Just wondering if anyone has problems with their cellphone causing interference on their scanner? I have a Galaxy S5 Active and whenever I get a text, email, etc. it will always cause interference on my scanner for 160.800. I have asked a few people on Facebook and no one has had this problem. Have any of you guys had any problems like this?

Occasionally if I set the scanner on the car seat too close to my cell phone, there will be a strange static sound even though it's not locked into a channel and still scanning. Also, if I have my scanner too close to my camera when I'm review my pics ("chimping") there is a particular CSX channel that my camera interferes with. This only happens when reviewing images on the rear screen of the camera.

[J T]

My car causes AAR 09 to go nuts constantly. I always lock it out...it never happens in Dad's car...

Your dad isn't my dad.

[EWRice]

I haven't noticed anything with my radio, but I noticed that my S4 active will stall my snowblower when i get a call. The first two times I thought it was a coincidence, but when it kept hapening, I started to freak out a bit. I guess we are all going to end up with brain cancer.

[cbehr91]

Cars are a hotbed of electronic interference that cause radio scanners to go nuts. That's why it's best to get an antenna that's mounted on the outside of the vehicle. I can't stress that enough.

[Huelsy'sTrainBlog]

Cars are a hotbed of electronic interference that cause radio scanners to go nuts. That's why it's best to get an antenna that's mounted on the outside of the vehicle. I can't stress that enough.

Any particular model work good?

[cbehr91]

Cars are a hotbed of electronic interference that cause radio scanners to go nuts. That's why it's best to get an antenna that's mounted on the outside of the vehicle. I can't stress that enough.

Any particular model work good?

Any name brand quarter wave VHF antenna would do. Laird, Comtelco, Maxrad, Larsen, A/S, Motorola, E.F. Johnson, Antenex, they're fairly prevalent online and offer great value. Unless you exclusively railfan in flat nothingness those popular "Railgan" antennas won't really perform any better. They're more obtrusive and costly, IMO. I threw a Maxrad quarter wave on a magnet mount on the roof of my Focus and have never taken it down.

Also keeping your phone away from your scanner would probably help. I doubt most scanners have good enough electronics to shield themselves from some of the interference phones create.

[PowellWye]

As Cory said, cars are a hot bed of interference, but also be mindful of phone and GPS chargers. Tune in a fringe NWS station and plug and unplug the chargers to note any difference. If you aren't afraid to open the chargers up you can solder a capacitor across the leads that will cut out all or at least some of the interference.