# Can anyone explain this mystery ??



## KingsX (May 28, 2018)

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Can anyone explain this ?

For years, sometimes when I have the radio on in my car,  it goes all static as soon as I drive into my garage.  On the days when this happens, I've tested it by repeatedly driving in and out of my garage.  It's fine outside by all static inside.  But that only happens sometimes, not every day.  My garage is attached to my house and this never happens to the radios in my house.

A couple of months ago, I left my charged up cell phone in the car overnight the garage.  I remembered it late that night but thought since the temperature outside was cool, the phone would be okay.  The next day the battery was totally drained... that has never happened ever, even when the phone is left in the car parked outside for many hours in extreme cold or heat.  It has only happened once,  the one time I left it overnight in the garage.

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## Camper6 (May 28, 2018)

The same thing happens many times with radios. If the signal is blocked there is no sound.

When you are going into your garage your remote is sending a signal to keep the door open.

Then when you drive in and shut the door the remote is no longer sending a wireless signal and it keeps the light on and sometimes the bulb can be faulty and create static.

It happens in my car at certain traffic lights. There are sensors in the road ending wireless signals to the lights.

Try driving in then stay in the car with the door shut down. The radio should still play depending on the strength of the radio station. But wait till the light shuts off if you have one of those that keep the light on.

Older style light bulbs have a way of arcing and creating static when they get old and are ready to die.

Re cell phone. Unless it is shut off it is still active receiving signals and will discharge the battery overnight .

It is even upgrading apps you might have and that takes a lot of time.


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## C'est Moi (May 28, 2018)

Simple; there is a degraded radio signal when you drive into the garage, and perhaps some kind of "interference" from other electronics.   That is the cause of the static.


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## KingsX (May 28, 2018)

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Thanks for the info  

The radio mystery only happens sometimes in my garage.

My cell phone is always turned off when I am not using it. 

 But the only time my battery totally drained overnight [while turned off] was that one night in the car in the garage.

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## Marie5656 (May 28, 2018)

*We get that often with our Sirrius radio.  Always in the same areas.  I asked my husband about that.  He said with Sat. radio it is like Sat TV. If the signal is blocked sometime or weather rainy, it could mess with the signal.  Not sure why it would happen on FM radio, but remember the old days, when there was just AM radio and signals got lost when we went under bridges?

 Either that or your garage is haunted*


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## Camper6 (May 28, 2018)

Yes I remember AM radio.  There are still some AM radio stations around because the signal reaches farther at night.

FM radio has a shorter reach as does Television.  But it has the ability to broadcast in stereo.


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## Traveler (May 29, 2018)

I agree with Camper. You can do a simple test to check. The next time you drive into the garage, and your car radio acts up, go to the main breaker box. Locate the largest breaker and shut it off. This will turn off all of the electric going into your house. If the static stops, you will then know for certain that some electronic device is the cause.

Side note: I am almost completely deaf and I must wear hearing aides. When I pass close to any large electo-magnetic source, like a bank of electric meters, my hearing aides will pick up a heavy static. In other words I can "hear" the electricity flowing. The same thing happens when I use my microwave. Heavy static.


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## Camper6 (May 29, 2018)

I'm also wondering if it's an AM station or an FM station.

AM stations are more subject to static from outside sources.

We don't have an AM stations now where I live.

Only FM.

Did you know that the FM band is right between channel 6 and 7 on the television set?


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## KingsX (May 29, 2018)

Traveler said:


> I agree with Camper. You can do a simple test to check. The next time you drive into the garage, and your car radio acts up, go to the main breaker box. Locate the largest breaker and shut it off. This will turn off all of the electric going into your house. If the static stops, you will then know for certain that some electronic device is the cause.
> 
> Side note: I am almost completely deaf and I must wear hearing aides. When I pass close to any large electo-magnetic source, like a bank of electric meters, my hearing aides will pick up a heavy static. In other words I can "hear" the electricity flowing. The same thing happens when I use my microwave. Heavy static.





I haven't messed with the breaker box.   I was just curious what might be causing it, especially
since the recent incident with my cell phone.

I have walked the 15 feet from my car in the garage to my kitchen radio to turn on the same station...
but there was no static.  It's only happens in the garage.

Your hearing aide static reminded me of the movie, Knowing.

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## HipGnosis (May 31, 2018)

Moisture in the air and clouds between the radio transmitting antenna and you can weaken radio signals by absorbing some of the energy and scattering some of it.  Even more so when the moisture turns to ice crystals in clouds.
Electrostatic charges in clouds (which turn into lightning when they get strong enough) also affects radio signals.
Both of these vary.
Car antennas aren't very sensitive / strong because cars are designed to be used outdoors.


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## HipGnosis (May 31, 2018)

Cell phones have multiple levels of 'off'.   There is sleep, standby, off, and powered down.
If the phone isn't powered down, it is occasionally communicating with the cellular network, to tell the network where it is.  When you get a call (or text), the network only sends it / them to the cell towers near your phone.  If the phone can't communicate on it's primary network, it goes into roaming mode which uses other frequencies.   These extra frequencies take extra power - which drains the battery faster than normal.


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## KingsX (May 31, 2018)

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I have had my cell phone for over a year. I power down every time I use it.  But I hardly ever use it. 
It sits for days at a time powered-down in the house and the battery is fine the next time I use it.
 I take it with me while in the car in case of an emergency. But I have never had to use it in my car. 
That ONE time when I left it overnight in the car in my garage I had not used it that day.  It was still
powered down and had a full battery charge. But the battery was totally drained the next morning.  
When I turned it on there was a message I had never seen before that alerted me about the battery. 
Somehow even totally powered down, the battery was totally drained overnight in my garage. The
battery charged up fine after that and has been working fine since.

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## JFBev (May 31, 2018)

Do you have a remote-controlled electric garage door opener?


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## CindyLouWho (May 31, 2018)

That is a mystery, KingsX, I don't know?
Mine is a mystery too, except my  AM car radio never comes in clear no matter where I drive, but my FM is clear. 
I like to listen to talk radio too, but can't figure out what is causing it.


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## KingsX (Jun 1, 2018)

JFBev said:


> Do you have a remote-controlled electric garage door opener?




Yes.   But if that somehow turned on my cell phone,
it would happen every time I put it in the car and 
open and close the garage door several times a week.

Every time I come home,  I put my cell phone in the house
and leave it for hours, sometimes days,  and the battery
is fine the next time I use it.  But that one night I left it
in the car in the garage the battery was totally drained.

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## Camper6 (Jun 1, 2018)

CindyLouWho said:


> That is a mystery, KingsX, I don't know?
> Mine is a mystery too, except my  AM car radio never comes in clear no matter where I drive, but my FM is clear.
> I like to listen to talk radio too, but can't figure out what is causing it.



That's why FM radio was invented.  To eliminate static.  AM radio is subject to atmospheric conditions.  It's clearer at night.  But FM is limited to local stations.  If you want outside stations you have to tune in at night.  The waves at night bounce off the atmosphere and are reflected back.


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## CindyLouWho (Jun 1, 2018)

Camper6 said:


> That's why FM radio was invented.  To eliminate static.  AM radio is subject to atmospheric conditions.  It's clearer at night.  But FM is limited to local stations.  If you want outside stations you have to tune in at night.  The waves at night bounce off the atmosphere and are reflected back.



I guess I should have added that I've never had this AM bad reception problem in any other car I've owned and not until about 2 years ago with my current vehicle I've owned for several years.

I understand that AM reception is not on par with FM, but this is unusually bad reception being caused by something other than just that it's AM vs FM.


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## Camper6 (Jun 1, 2018)

CindyLouWho said:


> I guess I should have added that I've never had this AM bad reception problem in any other car I've owned and not until about 2 years ago with my current vehicle I've owned for several years.
> 
> I understand that AM reception is not on par with FM, but this is unusually bad reception being caused by something other than just that it's AM vs FM.



Oh yes the electronics in a car can affect the radio.

I remember the good old days and there was special spark plugs so they wouldn't interfere with the radio.


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