RF generated by car (motor)? What to do?

Recently my partner and I were driving around the countryside, looking out for areas without a lot of cell towers.  We were approaching one up the road, and I had my Gigahertz Solutions meter (800 MHz to 2.5 GHz) in the car; I turned it on, and it started making noise and registering RF. 

We stopped a ways away from the tower, turned off the car, and got out.  Suddenly, the RF meter showed nothing.  Not a tiny bit of RF.  "What the hell?", I said.  "Could it be malfunctioning?" We got back in the car, drove a bit more, and the meter registered RF.  "Hmm", I said. 

We turned off the car, and the meter stopped registering RF.  Turned on the car, the meter showed RF.  Clearly, something in the car is generatingRF! I'm assuming it's something under the hood (I really know very little about cars), though it comes into the car, too; by the floor mats, it was up to 30 or more uW/m2; when I checked outside of the car, even with the hood closed, it still registered! With the hood open, I couldn't tell what it actually was coming from.

Now, this is an older model (maybe late '90s or early 2000s - but probably more likely from the late 1990's) Honda Civic.  There are no GPS or wireless systems.  Neither of us use a cell phone.  I believe the displays (speedometer, etc.) are analog (using needles, not digital readouts).  I don't think the radio was on.

The noise from the RF meter seemed kind of "fast", like it was in time to something some part of the motor was doing.  You know how if you hold an RF meter to a light switch and flick the light switch on, it can generate a bit of RF that the meter will register? Is this (what I register from the car) the same sort - and is it something to be concerned about?

Is there anything we can do to block it (like at least putting foil under the floormats, or anything else you can think of)? Or would that just make things worse?

Or is there something that could be done to the motor?

In my dad's pickup truck (a Dodge Ram, I believe), I've never picked up RF with my meter.  Nor my mother's Suzuki Aereo, or however you spell it.

Any thoughts/advice are most welcome.

Thanks!

R.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

As a guess i the say its small amount of wireless to read the pressure of the tyre censors.. 
Unfortunately my motorbike has this device, and the transmitter is situatedunder my seat! But in the whole case of being surrounded in London. I dontreally feel it.
Best
Giles

--- On Wed, 28/4/10, R. Ticle <[hidden email]> wrote:

From: R. Ticle <[hidden email]>
Subject: [eSens] RF generated by car (motor)? What to do?
To: [hidden email]
Cc: [hidden email]
Date: Wednesday, 28 April, 2010, 1:23















 
 



 


   
     
     
Recently my partner and I were driving around the countryside, looking out for areas without a lot of cell towers.  We were approaching oneup the road, and I had my Gigahertz Solutions meter (800 MHz to 2.5 GHz) in the car; I turned it on, and it started making noise and registering RF. 



We stopped a ways away from the tower, turned off the car, and got out.  Suddenly, the RF meter showed nothing.  Not a tiny bit of RF.  "What the hell?", I said.  "Could it be malfunctioning? " We got back in the car, drove a bit more, and the meter registered RF.  "Hmm",I said. 



We turned off the car, and the meter stopped registering RF.  Turned on the car, the meter showed RF.  Clearly, something in the car is generating RF! I'm assuming it's something under the hood (I really know very little about cars), though it comes into the car, too; by the floor mats, itwas up to 30 or more uW/m2; when I checked outside of the car, even with the hood closed, it still registered! With the hood open, I couldn't tell what it actually was coming from.



Now, this is an older model (maybe late '90s or early 2000s - but probably more likely from the late 1990's) Honda Civic.  There are no GPS or wireless systems.  Neither of us use a cell phone.  I believe the displays (speedometer, etc.) are analog (using needles, not digital readouts).  I don't think the radio was on.



The noise from the RF meter seemed kind of "fast", like it was in time to something some part of the motor was doing.  You know how if you hold an RF meter to a light switch and flick the light switch on, it can generatea bit of RF that the meter will register? Is this (what I register from the car) the same sort - and is it something to be concerned about?



Is there anything we can do to block it (like at least putting foil under the floormats, or anything else you can think of)? Or would that just make things worse?



Or is there something that could be done to the motor?



In my dad's pickup truck (a Dodge Ram, I believe), I've never picked up RF with my meter.  Nor my mother's Suzuki Aereo, or however you spell it.



Any thoughts/advice are most welcome.



Thanks!



R.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





   
     

   
   


 



 











     

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Puk relpies - could be something shorting out to earth or do you have a
part electronic ignition system or wireless type excelerator pedal, also do
you have aircon, a sensor in this system might emit RF, or course all is
speculation, how about airbag sensors ???


In a message dated 28/04/2010 05:35:09 GMT Daylight Time,
[hidden email] writes:

Is there anything we can do to block it (like at least putting foil under
the floormats, or anything else you can think of)? Or would that just make
things worse?

Or is there something that could be done to the motor?

In my dad's pickup truck (a Dodge Ram, I believe), I've never picked up RF
with my meter. Nor my mother's Suzuki Aereo, or however you spell it.

Any thoughts/advice are most welcome.

Thanks!

R.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ack! I never considered that such a thing would exist...what's interesting is that it seems measureable throughout the whole front of the car, and through the hood and with the hood open...

R.

--- On Wed, 4/28/10, Christina Steils <[hidden email]> wrote:

From: Christina Steils <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [eSens] RF generated by car (motor)? What to do?
To: [hidden email]
Received: Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 4:34 AM







 



 


   
     
     
As a guess i the say its small amount of wireless to read the pressure of the tyre censors.. 

Unfortunately my motorbike has this device, and the transmitter is situatedunder my seat! But in the whole case of being surrounded in London. I dontreally feel it.

Best

Giles



--- On Wed, 28/4/10, R. Ticle <rticleone@yahoo. ca> wrote:



From: R. Ticle <rticleone@yahoo. ca>

Subject: [eSens] RF generated by car (motor)? What to do?

To: esens@yahoogroups. com

Cc: emfrefugee@yahoogro ups.com

Date: Wednesday, 28 April, 2010, 1:23



 



Recently my partner and I were driving around the countryside, looking out for areas without a lot of cell towers.  We were approaching one up the road, and I had my Gigahertz Solutions meter (800 MHz to 2.5 GHz) in the car; I turned it on, and it started making noise and registering RF. 



We stopped a ways away from the tower, turned off the car, and got out.  Suddenly, the RF meter showed nothing.  Not a tiny bit of RF.  "What the hell?", I said.  "Could it be malfunctioning? " We got back in the car, drove a bit more, and the meter registered RF.  "Hmm",I said. 



We turned off the car, and the meter stopped registering RF.  Turned on the car, the meter showed RF.  Clearly, something in the car is generating RF! I'm assuming it's something under the hood (I really know very little about cars), though it comes into the car, too; by the floor mats, itwas up to 30 or more uW/m2; when I checked outside of the car, even with the hood closed, it still registered! With the hood open, I couldn't tell what it actually was coming from.



Now, this is an older model (maybe late '90s or early 2000s - but probably more likely from the late 1990's) Honda Civic.  There are no GPS or wireless systems.  Neither of us use a cell phone.  I believe the displays (speedometer, etc.) are analog (using needles, not digital readouts).  I don't think the radio was on.



The noise from the RF meter seemed kind of "fast", like it was in time to something some part of the motor was doing.  You know how if you hold an RF meter to a light switch and flick the light switch on, it can generatea bit of RF that the meter will register? Is this (what I register from the car) the same sort - and is it something to be concerned about?



Is there anything we can do to block it (like at least putting foil under the floormats, or anything else you can think of)? Or would that just make things worse?



Or is there something that could be done to the motor?



In my dad's pickup truck (a Dodge Ram, I believe), I've never picked up RF with my meter.  Nor my mother's Suzuki Aereo, or however you spell it.



Any thoughts/advice are most welcome.



Thanks!



R.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





   
     

   
   


 



 







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hmm, a lot of possibilities...I really don't know about the ignition system- see if I can find out.  I can't imagine that a car that old would use a wireless accelerator pedal, but I guess the manufacturer can be asked - same, I guess, could be said about the sensors.

When you say something could be shorting out to earth, how/what exactly do you mean?

Thanks,

R.

--- On Wed, 4/28/10, [hidden email] <[hidden email]> wrote:

From: [hidden email] <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [eSens] RF generated by car (motor)? What to do?
To: [hidden email]
Received: Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 8:37 AM







 



 


   
     
     
Puk relpies - could be something shorting out to earth or do you havea  

part electronic ignition system or wireless type excelerator pedal, also do

you have aircon, a sensor in this system might emit RF, or course all is  

speculation, how about airbag sensors ???

 

 

In a message dated 28/04/2010 05:35:09 GMT Daylight Time,  

csteils@yahoo. co.uk writes:



Is there anything we can do to block it (like at least putting foil under

the floormats, or anything else you can think of)? Or would that just make

things worse?



Or is there something that could be done to the motor?



In my dad's pickup truck (a Dodge Ram, I believe), I've never picked up RF

with my meter. Nor my mother's Suzuki Aereo, or however you spell it.



Any thoughts/advice are most welcome.



Thanks!



R.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





   
     

   
   


 



 







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Yes, it seems tough to find out exactly what is sending the RF...
 
Most of the Honda fuel engines (4 cylinder) are a bit special, because they use VTEC: Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control. If your car engine has got VTEC (it should be in the manual), that might be causing the RF?
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VTEC
 
If you push the throttle and you measure more RF then it's probably coming from your engine I would say... But not necessarily the other way around...
 
In your car you can also let the electronics work without starting the engine, do your read any RF in that case?
 
good luck,
Stephen.
 
 
 
 


--- On Wed, 4/28/10, R. Ticle <[hidden email]> wrote:


From: R. Ticle <[hidden email]>
Subject: [eSens] RF generated by car (motor)? What to do?
To: [hidden email]
Cc: [hidden email]
Date: Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 12:23 AM


 



Recently my partner and I were driving around the countryside, looking out for areas without a lot of cell towers.  We were approaching one up the road, and I had my Gigahertz Solutions meter (800 MHz to 2.5 GHz) in the car; I turned it on, and it started making noise and registering RF. 

We stopped a ways away from the tower, turned off the car, and got out.  Suddenly, the RF meter showed nothing.  Not a tiny bit of RF.  "What the hell?", I said.  "Could it be malfunctioning? " We got back in the car, drove a bit more, and the meter registered RF.  "Hmm",I said. 

We turned off the car, and the meter stopped registering RF.  Turned on the car, the meter showed RF.  Clearly, something in the car is generating RF! I'm assuming it's something under the hood (I really know very little about cars), though it comes into the car, too; by the floor mats, itwas up to 30 or more uW/m2; when I checked outside of the car, even with the hood closed, it still registered! With the hood open, I couldn't tell what it actually was coming from.

Now, this is an older model (maybe late '90s or early 2000s - but probably more likely from the late 1990's) Honda Civic.  There are no GPS or wireless systems.  Neither of us use a cell phone.  I believe the displays (speedometer, etc.) are analog (using needles, not digital readouts).  I don't think the radio was on.

The noise from the RF meter seemed kind of "fast", like it was in time to something some part of the motor was doing.  You know how if you hold an RF meter to a light switch and flick the light switch on, it can generatea bit of RF that the meter will register? Is this (what I register from the car) the same sort - and is it something to be concerned about?

Is there anything we can do to block it (like at least putting foil under the floormats, or anything else you can think of)? Or would that just make things worse?

Or is there something that could be done to the motor?

In my dad's pickup truck (a Dodge Ram, I believe), I've never picked up RF with my meter.  Nor my mother's Suzuki Aereo, or however you spell it.

Any thoughts/advice are most welcome.

Thanks!

R.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]








[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

loose wire sparking out, or relay wearing out, switch wearing out and
sparking and so on


In a message dated 28/04/2010 13:18:44 GMT Daylight Time,
[hidden email] writes:

When you say something could be shorting out to earth, how/what exactly do
you mean?

Thanks,



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]