AM radio static TSB

[Albertan]

While the car was in for clutch I mentioned that I have static on the AM radio.
Turns out there is a bulletin 06-08-44-020. The static occurs when the brake is applied. The fix is a replacement new design high mount stop lamp. It is on back order.

[ewill3rd]

It is on intergalactic backorder.
There is also another TSB about broken defogger gridlines which can generate static when the defogger is on.
Do you notice the static noise when the brake is actually applied?

[trukk]

I have to ask.....AM Radio???

-Chris

Just bustin chops

[Albertan]

I didn't notice the static when brakes were on more when going over rough roads, but then usually the brakes were lightly on as well. Now I'm going to pay more attention. I can get the static from rattling the headliner behind the sunroof.
Trukk
Hey, some of us do listen to talk radio! Look at my age, quit giving me static, I get enough from the radio!

[ewill3rd]

Sadly.... I listen to talk radio too.

[tedcmiller]

AM (amplitude modulation), unlike FM or satellite radio, is affected by amplitude distortion. This kind of interference is much more common that other forms of radio interference, and results from all manner of defects including bad mechanical switches, open grid lines on glass heaters (defoggers), arcing power lines or transformers, etc. It is this susceptability to amplitude distortion that created the need for FM (frequency modulation).

One of these days, analog radio (AM radio is an example) will go away just like analog TV is going away next year. The only reason the AM radio band is still around is that the spectrum occupied is small compared with, say, analog TV. HD FM radio is all the rage now, but note that it occupies the same spectrum as analog FM. A conversion to digital-only FM radio (i.e., more HD FM) is in your future.