Mobile phones affect TVs remotes?

[Graham Anstey]

A few months ago I was sat watching the TV when it suddenly switched itself off. At first I thought it was a power outage but then noticed the VCR was still on, and showing the correct time (this one doesn't maintain time without mains). I also noticed that the sun came out at the same time the TV switched off. I turned the TV back on and the same thing happened a minute or so later. I then realised that the sun was shining off the window of the house opposite, straight at the TV. Its never happened before or since.

I thought it was rather kewl at the time... :o)

G

[markzoom]

The only way a mobile phone might affect the TV controls is if the infrared control electronics inside the TV are susceptible to radio interference and not properly shielded. If the mobile phone has anything to do with it, it would almost certainly have to be transmitting. Else someone nearby is using one of those new IR gismos shown on the news that can turn off most TV sets. M.K.

[markzoom]

BTW, I had some real intermittent problems with a computer mouse until I twigged that it wouldn't work properly in direct sunlight. The plastic wasn't opaque enough to shield the internal sensors from the sunlight. M.K.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Strangely enough, I get more problems with them in terms of breakthrough onto sound gear when they're twittering to the nearest base station rather than actually being used. IIRC, they up their ERP to make a connection, then drop it down afterwards.

[Mike]

The sequence you hear is them training to find the optimal level. At the end it should be a little quieter.

Have you had one of the 3G phones break through yet ? The modulation scheme is supposed to slave more continuously to the received level but I expect in real life there will still be problems.

[Derek *]

My mother's TV had a habit of switching itself off. I swapped it and brought it away to investigate. No problems in my house.

The cause turned out to be arcing at the pins of the 13a plug, plugged into a very old and tired socket. The sound and picture weren't affected.

DG

[Doctor Evil]

So its worth replacing the plug and lead then to eliminate this part. Or this could be a TV power supply problem.

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[roger]

The message from "Doctor Evil" contains these words:

I see Drivel is still getting 0 out of 10 in the comprehension stakes.

[Nick Atty]

If I put mine on my bedside table it breaks through onto the clock radio, even when it is off (ie - it's plugged in, but not playing or programmed to play).

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If it really annoys you, borrow an Orange phone and see if this still does it. Orange doesn't give problems with my sound gear. Think they use a different frequency.

[Nick Atty]

It is Orange. And they don't.

[:::Jerry::::]

clock

Same here, my Orange phone doesn't, but what ever the next door neighbours network is does....

[The Natural Philosopher]

Being exclusively orange...

- yes, they use 1800 Mhz appx instead of 900 Mhz appx..

- no they still interfere with everything they get close to.

[The Natural Philosopher]

They do actually. Well leastways there are two mobile bands in Europe, the orginal around 900MHz, but orange came late and had to use 1800 IIRC.

Makes a standrad orange phone less useful in certain places like e.g. tha channel islands.

Most are dual band thase days tho.

Or tri band as the USA is on yet another freq.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Right. Of course much of the sound gear I use is balanced, so should be fairly immune to cable induced signals. The problem is more likely a mic I use a fair bit - it uses an RF system for the inbuilt amplifier. It will pick up the 'tweets' from a phone the actors have about their person - swearing blind it is actually switched off, and not just on silent. But Orange appear ok.