LED RFI

LEDs are low voltage devices that use DC or pulsed DC power. It doesn't seem likely that DC, even pulsed DC, could cause enough RFI to affect your radio. I'd guess that it's the power inverters driving the LEDs that are causing the interference, not the LEDs themselves. [Though if a luminaire is composed of about 40 LEDs in series the net drop across all of them would be 110-120 volts.]

Is this RFI conducted through the house wiring and getting into the radio? If so, perhaps plugging the radio into a UPS would filter-out the RFI.(?) Otherwise, an antenna mounted outside might be needed.

--Well, those are my thoughts as an optics/lighting engineer. No doubt there are EMI/RFI experts out there who know way more about this than I do.

If your LED lamp fully comply with CE or FCC requirement on EMC, such problem should be minimum, unless your led lamp is very near to the radio. The EMI can be either conducted or radiated. If it is conducted, you can block it by adding common mode choke on the supply line. If it is radiated, you can cut the radiation path by shielding and grounding the led power supply unit. These are general method. If you did not get the right filter with the right frequency on the offending interference frequency, or the ground of the shield is not correct, it may not work also.

This interference is the odd-order harmonics created by the switching power supplies that power the LEDs. These switchers are more efficient than the older analog type with a rectifier and filter. Switchers often run at 100 Khz, and are mainly square wave pulse width modulation technology. As you know, a square wave is the sum of all the odd-order harmonics of a sine wave from fundamental to daylight. Some power supply makers round the edges of the square waves and reduce the higher harmonics - these cost more. Others use low pass filters on the input and output legs of the power supply and shield the power supply unit with foil.

I would suggest you buy some ferrite beads to place over all wires going into and out of a unit. These beads placed round a wire create a low pass filter - the highs are blocked. The lumps you see on video lines and USB cables aare ferrite beads wrapped up. Test this by trying it on a single unit with all other LED lights turned off.

Ferrite bead

If the FM distortion really comes from the LED fixtures, you are having a problem.

In fact you are not allowed to use them: the rules are strict: no appliance should interfere with any other.

If your neighbours would have issues too due your lamps they can take legal action.

Try to contact the supplier, for sure the responsible who has taken the responsibility to put an FCC mark on the lamp.

I don't know the actual levels of EMC allowed in the US, but for the EU it has been lowered recently.

Ferrite beads could solve issues.

Shielded power cables can also solve it. (used more and more in industry to shied the power cables related to frequency drives)

But when you are not used to work with electricity: try to stay alive and get those lamps exchanged with correct models.

Sir, I respectfully disagree with you.

You just Wasted your money. No, even though they are significantly higher in price than other light sources. Compared to incandescent they are cost effective for equal light output; compared to compact fluorescent they will last the number of hours they claim (the only CFL I have had that lasted close to its stated life was never turned off).

These are new,a trial,.. The light emitting characteristic used for LED's is true for all diodes. This has been known for decades. For a long time it was considered a curiosity and was absorbed by the insulating housing around the diode. At first they were only available in red, then other diode junctions were found to give the shorter wavelengths, with blue and even ultra-violet being the most recent.

not prefected yet... The major problem is with aging of the clear adhesive to pot the LED to its lens. The second problem is with elevated temperatures leading to shortened life. The temperature problem is common to all electronic devices and designs of fixtures with adequate heat removal are rapidly coming to the market.

you will burn your house down,... Definitely No, despite my mention of heat above. LED fixtures and bulbs run much cooler than incandescent or halogen bulbs. Those are the ones that will burn your house down. LED fixtures and bulbs run much cooler than the CPU of your computer.

companies just want your money,... A generic complaint that probably fits many other types of companies much better than it fits the LED portion of the lighting industry, which is very competitive. (For example, think of the oil companies).

prices falling fast. Generally correct, following a curve similar to the maturing of other products, such as computers, CFL's, etc.

your lights will be Out-dated in only months then what will you do? First part is semi-true and second part is valid. Since they will last years instead of months, by the time they are inadequate for the desired job, I am sure that even more appropriate ones will be ready and be better.

--JMM