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Why do I hear so much hum? |
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Electrical transmission and distribution lines are almost everywhere.
Since most of these lines carry AC power that signal tends to radiate.
If it were just the 50 or 60 Hertz power frequency that were the
problem it would be easy enough to filter out. Unfortunately,
non-linearities on the power lines like motors, bad insulators and all
the other things we connect to them tend to generate harmonics all the
way through the audible range. Of course these are fairly strong and in
the same band of frequencies as the weaker Natural Radio signals that
we want to hear. Although some filtering may help, the best solutions
is to get away from the power lines.
You should be at least a couple of miles from high-voltage
transmissions lines (These are the lines with big insulators that are
usually on metal towers, but occasionally poles. They carry electricity
from the power generating stations to the sub-stations.) You'll want to
be a half mile or more from distribution lines (These lines carry the
power from the sub-stations to homes and businesses.)
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