Does anyone have a CB Radio in their truck and if so, do you deal with a lot of background noise due to your fuel pump? What did you do to correct this? Ive heard of putting a small "magnetic clamp" around your power wires leading to your fuel pump but am looking for other options. Thanks...

 

Didnt know fuel pump could do that, I've got cb, the only interference I've had is with the a/c when its cranked up all the way...dont ask me why.

 

Fordman311, Yah, when my truck is off...my CB if much clearer...when on, I have alot more background noise. Do you have your truck bed, cab etc, grounded too your frame really well with other wires etc???

 

Its not that big of a prob for me, only when I use the 4' thats mounted on my toolbox. The 102" is on the bumper and no real probs with that one. I only use 102 when im goin on trips and stuff.

 

yep, the fuel pumps on the fords are very noisey. I have a Ham HF motorized antenna mounted on my rear bumper of my 03 F150. I made the mistake of running the coax and control wires down the same side as the fuel pump is on. I ended up with a S9 noise level from 3.5 Mhz to 30 Mhz. I moved the coax and control wires over to the other side of the frame and this cut most of the noise. I tried coils and caps on the fuel pump wires as close as I could get to the pump and this didn't help. Ford has a RFI kit that is supposed to be mounted in the fuel tank at the pump. But they wouldn't guarranty that this will help. There is a TSB about noise from the fuel pump that is covered under warranty. But it only covers the factory radio. And they will not fix the noise problem, they will replace the radio if there is a problem.
Try this, remove the antenna from your rig. if the noise goes away it is getting into the through the antenna. If the noise is still there it is getting in through the power leads to the radio. make sure the ground to your antenna is good and as short as possible. Try ferrite beads on the power leads to the radio. Ground the fuel pump as close as you can get to it. Don't attempt this unless you know which lead is the ground!


Good Luck

 

JustDave...appreciate it. I removed my whip style antenna from the bed of my truck and went to a magnetic style ontop of cab..(K-30) I believe. I was given some sort of a magnetic clamp that if I could wrap the fuel pump wires around this magnet a couple times...it is suppost to help with the noise prob. I have not attempted this because I assumed I would have to drop the fuel tank. Have you ever heard of this what Im talking about??? Also, I have heard of ferrite beads as you mention but do not know much about them, what are they? I supply power to my radio through the power outlet, I am not running it straight to the battery...does this make a difference? Thanks...

 

The magnet looking thing is probably some type of ferrite bead.
The reason your fuel pump is causing noise on your CB is because the motor that runs the pump is making RFI (Radio Frequency Interference). This RFI is using the DC wiring that runs the pump as a antenna. If you wrap the DC wires around the ferrite bead 2 or 3 times it can help to reduce the RFI, the beads absorb the RFI and won't allow it to continue along the wires. It is best to get the ferrite bead as close to the pump as possible. You will have to disconnect the wires at some point in order to get them to go through the ferrite bead. The bead looks like a small dougnut made of carbon. Sometimes it takes more than 1 bead to make a difference.
If you disconnect your antenna does the noise go away? If it does that means the noise from the fuel pump is being picked up by the antenna. If it is still there when you disconnect the antenna the fuel pump noise is getting into your rig through the DC power wires. Yes if this is your problem, connecting the CB directly to the battery may help. you can also get a RFI noise filter that connects to the DC wiring. Radio Shack has them. You can also use ferrite beads on the DC power wires to the CB.
Making sure that the grounds on the vehicle are good is important. The bed of the truck should be grounded to the frame in at least 2 places. This has to be a metal to metal contact. factory grounds are not always the best. If the ground wires are on a painted surface they will not make contact.

Try contacting Ham Radio Outlet or Amateur Electronic Supply. HRO's number is 1-800-854-6046 AES's number is 1-800-558-0411. Both of these stores have 3 or 4
locations around the country.
You might try WWW.ARRL.ORG and look at the info on interference.

RFI can be a pain to get ride of. Sometimes each thing you do helps.

Good Luck

 

JustDave, hey man thanks for all your help...you definately sound like you know exactly what Im talking about and I appreciate those numbers. As you put it, each little thing helps...Ill get there sooner or later, thanks again...