Does water interfere with certain radio signals, such as CB, TV, cell phones, AM/FM, etc?

Question

Does water interfere with certain radio signals, such as CB, TV, cell phones, AM/FM, etc?

Answer 1

Cb Water Works

Answer 2

I don't usually carry a cell phone but on the rare occasions when I do, I have it on vibrate and keep it in my pants pocket.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Actually, water and moisture absolutely can interfere with RF signals.

I work in the RFID and RF fields and there are issues all the time in this regard.



Radio signals, especially in the Gigahertz and above range can be affected by water, moisture and even the water content in a human body. The problem is that these signals tend to be absorbed by water.



Take note if you have a satellite TV receiver. If you dont have a really good satellite fix, you may notice a signal reduction and interference during a rain or snow storm. This is due to the extra moisture in the atmosphere.



You mentioned cell phones. The frequency of cellphones is somewhere between 800Mhz and 1000Mhz. These frequenceies can be affected by water in the same way.



The UHF RFID frequencies used in the US are in the neighborhood of 900MHz. I have tested and observed issues reading them through or near people or containers of liquids. This is a real and measurable effect on the RF performance levels.



The affect of water is more about problems with the RF passing through it, not so much just by being near it. Most RF systems, including GPS which is above 1Ghz, works well near water, but not through water. Thats why GPS won't work under water, but works great on the surface. Its also why submarines must either communicate using extremely low frequencies under water, or bring an antenna to the surface to use radio.



I think the effect of being near the lake at some times may have more todo about the lack of cell towers or other issues, and possibly a high humidity level, that with the effect of the water in the lake itself.

Answer 5

It does not INTERFERE with signals other than thick heavy rain and storm clouds.



As a matter of fact, transmitting across the water is great because there are NO obstacles to block the path of signals, especially line-of-sight frequencies. And some freqs actually can 'skip' off the water as well (after bouncing off the ionosphere)...



GPS is 'line of sight' from GEOSTATIONARY satellites an uses microwave frequencies that extend from 390 MHz to 1550 MHz. The GPS carrier frequencies are in the L band (1227.6 MHz and 1575.42 MHz).



Satellite radio, like XM, uses frequencies 2,332.50 through 2,345.00 MHz and Sirius uses 2,320.00 through 2,332.50 MHz (again, this is microwave band).



Analog cellular phones, 1G, use the frequency range of 824 MHz to 849 MHz to transmit to the cellular base station , and the cellular base station transmits to the analog cellular phone using the frequency range of 869 to 894 MHz. Digital cell phones operate in the 1900-MHz frequency bands



CB radio (AM) is in the 27 MHZ band and is subject to many issues (most noteably the sunspot cycle) as is 10m amateur radio.



Commercial broadcast radio, AM, uses 530 KHz thru 1580 KHz, and FM uses 88 MHz thur 106...and commercial television has it's own band as well....



And there are a gazillion 'marine' frequencies used by boating, shipping, military, etc etc.



Most ALL radio traffic is affected by SUNSPOT activity,and NOT by bodies of nearby water.



Your cellphone can be affected my many things, including interference from other radio sources (harmonics, etc( and you might just find an area where the coverage does not overlap well. There is no basis to this 'claim'.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunspot

Answer 6

I know when it rains and my friends Saab antenna is wet, the reception on her radio is alot better.

Answer 7

Water does affect radios but not in the way you mean. Radio signals rely on propagation for reception. What this means is that the signal has to bounce from the ground. While the earth always absorbs some signal, wet ground absorbs less. This effect applies to high frequency signals. Hams call the shores of lakes and the seashore their "10db amplifier" because it is like having a 10db amplifier connected to the signal. Water itself also has good refection capability.



Cell phones are constructed differently. For one thing the use UHF frequencies. The transmission does not rely on ionospheric propagation, rather they use line of sight. The nature of the cell structure of the mode is such that the radiation characteristics of the transmitting antenna are arranged so that the towers provide signal into some areas and not others. There is little need to provide tight coverage into low population areas so very large cells are used. Large cells have patchy coverage, which is a more likely reason for your signal loss around the shores of Lake Michigan.



Radio waves are absorbed and also reflected by many things. When the signals are either absorbed or reflected it leaves a low signal strength area behind the object. The Earth (in the form of hills and mountains) also does this and propagation on all frequencies is effected by this, every where. Radios are able to provide you with acceptable reception because of the AGC inside them and so the user is often unaware just how much the signal is varying when moving (as in a car).