Nosiy recording from tuner

[stahlhelm]

Hi MD lovers!

I am trying to record jazz sessions form my analogue tuner but there is a periodical hiss noise during recording and playback. MD deck is a Sony MDS-JE500 machine. If I move the deck away from the tuner the noise becomes quiter. If the deck is in the top of the tuner noise is quite audiable. What is this? I can't move the deck too far away the interconnect cable is only a meter long. Why the deck is broadcasting this noise.

FM antenna on the tuner is coaxial cable running up into the attic.

Thank you

Regards

[sfbp]

Generally speaking Sony has done a terrific job of isolating all its MD decks from any ability pick up or create electronic noise of any sort (bit of a blanket statement). Their car stuff is amazing from this POV.

I would venture a guess that, if you're certain it's the MD deck, on a 14 year old machine something is cracked, or a capacitor that is supposed to suppress something is blown and no longer suppressing it. Most unlikely to be cost effective to repair, unless you can do it yourself and are a dab hand with the scope/soldering iron/volt meter. There are literally hundreds of more modern decks. Get one with MDLP if you can.

But even more likely is that you have to nail the SOURCE of the RF from your tuner.

Common isolated power sources (to avoid ground loops) help. Heavy shielded RCA analog cables help (you might have to go buy one, the ones from 20 years ago don't come close to the standard you can get for $5-10 these days - with the advent of HD people are finally fussy about things like that again). Indeed I am not sure why your cable is only 1 metre, unless it is something very unusual.

Stephen

PS and if the tuner has any autotune circuit, it could be simply that cutting in?

[stahlhelm]

Generally speaking Sony has done a terrific job of isolating all its MD decks from any ability pick up or create electronic noise of any sort (bit of a blanket statement). Their car stuff is amazing from this POV.

I would venture a guess that, if you're certain it's the MD deck, on a 14 year old machine something is cracked, or a capacitor that is supposed to suppress something is blown and no longer suppressing it. Most unlikely to be cost effective to repair, unless you can do it yourself and are a dab hand with the scope/soldering iron/volt meter. There are literally hundreds of more modern decks. Get one with MDLP if you can.

But even more likely is that you have to nail the SOURCE of the RF from your tuner.

Common isolated power sources (to avoid ground loops) help. Heavy shielded RCA analog cables help (you might have to go buy one, the ones from 20 years ago don't come close to the standard you can get for $5-10 these days - with the advent of HD people are finally fussy about things like that again). Indeed I am not sure why your cable is only 1 metre, unless it is something very unusual.

Stephen

PS and if the tuner has any autotune circuit, it could be simply that cutting in?

I am sure it is not the tuner. This is an olschool Akai AT-2400 one. The noise is not audable when I am not recording from the tuner.

The interconnect cable is a 200 GBP Chord piece 1m. Shorter is better.

[sfbp]

I am sure it is not the tuner. This is an olschool Akai AT-2400 one. The noise is not audable when I am not recording from the tuner.

The interconnect cable is a 200 GBP Chord piece 1m. Shorter is better.

Well you could buy about 5 new decks for the price of that cable I think the solution is clear, at least for now.

When/if you know whether the same interference happens on another deck, then you can decide what to do. Sounds like some sort of ground loop to me.

If you can record another source into the MD deck(s) on the same (or similar) input, without noise, then it's not the deck - it's the tuner's fault. "Old School" sounds like a recipe for unexpected noise, to me, what do I know?