# H.I.D. balasts making FM Radio static?



## matt62485 (Jun 7, 2008)

So I have some aftermarket HID bulbs in my car. When I cut them on, there is a very audible change in the station I have it on, it's not so bad in some of the clearer/closer stations but so bad on others that you can't even hear anything. What could it be? Since FM is frequency modulated, you reckon its something in the ballasts crossing with the frequency of the stations output to the antenna thats messing it up? I guess I should try it on an AM station to find out, if it were a frequency problem it would likely not affect the AM as much. Pretty wierd.


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## annoyingrob (Aug 24, 2007)

Absolutely. I've seen it before. Usually only on cheaper HID kits though. Try isolating power lines for the ballasts.


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## Spasticteapot (Mar 5, 2007)

Maybe put one or two hockey-puck inductors in series with the ground connection?


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## matt62485 (Jun 7, 2008)

annoyingrob said:


> Absolutely. I've seen it before. Usually only on cheaper HID kits though. Try isolating power lines for the ballasts.



its a very cheap/inexpensive kit honestly, funny thing is... its just as bright as has lasted way longer than the $300 kit i got a couple years ago. that kit last all of 6 months, this one has been pumping for over a year with no problems. 

ill give it a shot thanks


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## stalintc (Dec 6, 2007)

Where are the ballasts mounted? I did an install (with a very cheap HID kit) and the ballasts were under hood, but one of them was near the factory antenna in the fender. I had the same problem and moved the ballast away. It worked much better after that. It was not perfect but was better. Try that maybe?


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## matt62485 (Jun 7, 2008)

right behind the headlights on my tC, ill give it a shot. thanks.


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## stalintc (Dec 6, 2007)

Another thing to note: I have an xB with a HID kit and while I get a pop through the stereo when I turn them on, I have no other problems. The kit I have has its own relay and power wire that runs to the battery. I use the factory wires just to trigger it. I have seen kits that just plug right into the factory light harness and I imagine that could be something to look into also.


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## matt62485 (Jun 7, 2008)

^^ yea i got one of them kits, hmmm. oh well, i dont listen to the radio too much but it get annoying at times. i noticed that my radio reception is actually worse with the 9887 than the stock headunit, i dont get that.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

matt62485 said:


> When I cut them on,


Fail


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## matt62485 (Jun 7, 2008)

chad said:


> Fail



say what!? lol wth are you implying? :laugh:


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

"Cut it on" is one of my biggest pet peeves, rarely do words cause so much emotion other than "Youmuznaknowhwoi'mizz" and "where you stay at?" Lets face it, I'm no poet by any stretch of the imagination but the phrase "Cut it on" makes ABSOLUTELY NO sense at all.


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## underPSI (Dec 2, 2008)

My radio will have static when I turn the headlights on also. I have aftermarket HIDs. The static fades as the lamps warm up. It doesn't bother me since the static barely noticeable but yes it is because of the HIDs.


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## matt62485 (Jun 7, 2008)

chad said:


> "Cut it on" is one of my biggest pet peeves, rarely do words cause so much emotion other than "Youmuznaknowhwoi'mizz" and "where you stay at?" Lets face it, I'm no poet by any stretch of the imagination but the phrase "Cut it on" makes ABSOLUTELY NO sense at all.


haha *******. when i "switch" them on better? :laugh:


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## matt62485 (Jun 7, 2008)

underPSI said:


> My radio will have static when I turn the headlights on also. I have aftermarket HIDs. The static fades as the lamps warm up. It doesn't bother me since the static barely noticeable but yes it is because of the HIDs.


must be a NC thing lmao. you ever come to wilmington?

yea i notice mine fades once they stay on for a few


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## Rudeboy (Oct 16, 2005)

chad said:


> "Cut it on" is one of my biggest pet peeves, rarely do words cause so much emotion other than "Youmuznaknowhwoi'mizz" and "where you stay at?" Lets face it, I'm no poet by any stretch of the imagination but the phrase "Cut it on" makes ABSOLUTELY NO sense at all.


I also find that phrasing annoying in everyday usage, but there is an interesting history to it. I only know the telephone side of it but I suspect there are/where other applications as well.

In the old days - when every central office had a physical wire run for each phone number they serviced - upgrading to new switching equipment required that they wire a secondary circuit to the new switch for each phone line. When they were ready to go live, they'd literally "cut it on" by cutting the old cabling.

This was generally a smooth operation when it was just an upgrade to an existing Bell System CO since they were obsessive about keeping records. The results were often less predictable when it was an upgrade to a system recently acquired from a private local company. My father tells a pretty funny story about a mob gathering around the CO after all of the service was interrupted, while the technicians worked frantically inside to sort things out.

I routinely ask my GF: "Where you going at"? just to annoy her  Sorry for the diversion.


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