MacBook Pro is picking up a radio or TV audio signal

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Level 1

1 points

MacBook Pro is picking up a radio or TV audio signal

My Macbook pro has been picking up a signal of a football channel (I'm in the UK). Whether it's a radio station or whether someone is constantly watching football on SKY or freeview and i'm picking up the sound I don't know. Its not constant but only when I open a web browser (I use google chrome mainly) but it also happens when I open Safari. To stop it I usually just close the browser and open it again or switch off the airport.

The other day i'm sure I picked up a phone call through this aswell. Has anyone else ever experienced this or know anything about it?

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on May 25, 2011 11:16 AM

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Answer 1

ds store

Level 7

30,855 points

May 25, 2011 11:51 AM in response to Spider-Prem

Yes, it's noise in the audio channel and Apple used to have a support document on it but it's gone.

Ok, there is a few of ways noise can get into the audio channel.

Say you have speakers hooked up to your Mac, you have the volume of the Mac low and the amplifier of the speakers set high. This will increase the unwanted noise, so instead reverse the situation, increase the volume on the Mac and lower the amplifier.

Another way is if your analog audio cables are too close to other wires carrying a strong signal, the electromagnetic field influences the electrons in the audio cable.

Another way is noise is coming back through your power, modem or cable and either being picked up by your Mac or by your amplifier.

Now it seems because you are hearing phone calls and if it's coming from the Mac speakers, you perhaps need a DSL filter on the line someplace, forget where it's supposed to go as I haven't used a the phone lines in many years.

Did you try that? Do you have any speakers or amplifiers or is the noise coming from the computer?

Ideally, a Toslink stereo mini optical to standard Toslink adapter and cable should be used to connect a Mac to a high quality stereo/surround sound system as optical doesn't get the noise in the audio channel.

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Answer 2

Spider-Prem Author

Level 1

1 points

May 25, 2011 2:14 PM in response to ds store

No I haven't connected my mac to any speakers, it just comes from the built in ones. It's only on some occasions it happens it's not constat. I've only heard one phone call too but the wierd thing is they're not coming from within my house it's from else where!

I use a wi fi connection most of the time. But the modem is near the phone line (including the DSL filter) and near speakers that are connected to the PC.

I did read something that it could be coming through the power part of the macbook but the post was quite old and on some other website.

It's not so much of a problem as of yet I just find it bizarre that i pick up these signals. I would like it to stop though.

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Answer 3

Jun 4, 2011 12:35 AM in response to Spider-Prem

i had the same problem today for the first time. i have changed nothing on my desk. i have an 2006 imac running leopard 10 .5. 8. i run a pair of truth powered studio monitors with the mac. i got a radio or tv broadcast today after visiting youtube.com complete with cheesy toothpaste commercials. i do not use bluetooth or wifi.

i could not figure out where the sound was coming from, so i eliminated each variable one at a time. i quit safari and bingo it stopped. when i started safari again it did not return.

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