WYZE Spotlight Kit Emits Noise on 156.0150MHz

I’m a ham radio operator and I have radio scanners running in my office.

I received the Wyze Cam Spotlight Kit today, and noticed my scanners stopping on a frequency of 156.0150MHz.

When I unplug the spotlight kit, the noise immediately goes away.

https://youtu.be/vNUTR1d0k3s

  1. So what?

  2. It’s probably the added load on the power supply, not the light or the camera.

  3. So what?

The lack of directionality led me to think it’s the power supply. You could always try a different one.

I’m using the original power supply, and tries another v3 camera power supply with the same results.

I don’t understand what you mean by “So What ”

Try a non-Wyze USB supply to verify further.

Not a surprise to me? Switching power supplies use square waves. Square waves create an infinite series of odd harmonics, So pretty much interference on any band is possible.

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What I mean is so what that something related to the light is generating RF noise. If it’s not violating its license then what’s the problem? Just avoid that band. I can’t complain when I get WiFi interference from someone’s microwave…

Please stop trolling my post. You have no idea what you are talking about.

I am dismissing your complaint as irrelevant. Why does it matter that the device is emitting noise? Simply because your scanners notice it?

Because the FCC says so…

Have you tried an alternate USB power source other than a Wyze USB supply?

Have you tried another receiver than the scanners, some scanners are more susceptible to “RF birdies” than others. Have you tried a 2m transceiver on same frequency?

EDIT:
No interference on commercial Motorola 2-way or a Yaesu FT-8900 @ 156.015 MHz - Only interference on my cheap Uniden scanner and cheap Radio Shack scanner. Not a “Real” issue affecting public safety communications. (Had to go to neighbors whom had spotlights on his V3’s as I do not)

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Tried another radio, and another power source, same issue

a $700 scanner and $500 Yaesu radio is not cheap equipment.

Well I did say “On MY cheap scanners” I did not say your’s were cheap…

I do know that the Yaesu FT-8900 has a better front-end and receiver than a hand-held, and the commercial Motorola hand-held is of high quality also.

When I have a chance to dig out some other equipment and will try some others at my neighbors…

As a new ham, I understand the issue. Since I am new, is that frequency in the non-commercial spectrum? I see that it is used by Tioga PA. Fire Ground 3 to be exact. How can Wyze use it? Low power output?

I only noticed the noise because I monitor the Columbia County Fire/EMS that uses that frequency…

Hi,
SMPS, (Switching mode Power Supplies), are notorious for RFI, (Radio Frequency Interference), Most wall wart power supplies, are switchers, so your supply is more than likely emitting lots of RFI.

The additional wire supplying power to the Spotlight LED on the V3 camera, is probably acting as an antenna to transmit the RFI, assuming you were not hearing RFI prior to the install of the Spotlight. It may also be that the Spotlight takes a lot more current than the supply is happy with, that can also cause an increase in RFI.

I took two steps to solve this problem in my shack. I purchased a Mix31 Snap on Ferrite from Fair-Rite.
See:

I wrapped the power lead of the Spotlight device through the ferrite core, at the back of teh camera, that reduced 90% of the RFI. I then did the same with the power lead to the camera itself, that got rid of all the RFI.

Fair-Rite make a Mix43 version, which would probably work better, but I don’t have one to test, and the Mix31 version removed all RFI on my end.

See:

For more information and links to a few more articled on RFI reduction.

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Simple solution, Don’t Use The Wyze Spotlight on your V3 :rofl:

But the FCC approved this device? So this must be normal for the distance? If not, report to the FCC?

We’re just users here, and I don’t have a VHF scanner in my house. Switching mode power supplies create havoc in short distances. Some people measure closely, and that isn’t valid. The FCC test measures at a certain distance for approval.

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