Gold plated Jacks And RF ?

[Matthew Seed]

Hi guys

I have real issues with radio interfearence, this has been going on some time it's from ministry of defence Ariel's I live near.

One interesting development is I have all planet waves cables but just recently tried a a Dimarzio cable. The a dimarzio has almost no interfearence co paired to the new plant waves. The only real difference I can determine between them is the planet waves have gold plated jack plugs and the a Dimarzio has silver.

Could gold plate be a higher inducer of RF ?

Thank you
Matthew

[Jim Lockhart]

It is very unlikely to be the lack of gold plating that makes the difference. More important factors are the quality of the cable shield and the quality of the plugs at each end. Metal handles on the plugs tend to be better than plastic or rubber with respect to RF shielding. I believe the DiMarzio is a high quality cable, but don't know about the Planet Waves.

[DGL.]

I don't think so, silver is actually a better conductor than gold, gold however wears slightly when you plug/un-plug creating a cleaner contact.
More likely the dimarzio cable has better screening properties than the planet waves cable.

High power transmission masts can reek havoc as you have found out. I still remember a story from when we had an really high power (about 30-50MW ERP I believe the most powerful in Britain now demolished) SW station in Dorset, the locals were hearing Russian radio that was being transmitted from the mast in their toasters! (the dielectric effect of differing metals in the toaster)

[Hugh Robjohns]

As others have said, it's more likely to be down to the type of cable screen, the capacitance of the cable, and whether the plugs are metal or plastic bodied.

H

[Matthew Seed]

Thanks guys. I think I'll invest in a few Dimarzio cables then and get rid of my vast collection of planet waves guitar and mic cables.

Thanks for help
Matthew

[James Perrett]

I'd suggest you buy sensible cables rather than cables with fancy brand names. Decent screened mic cable isn't expensive (around £1 per metre or maybe less) and decent Neutrik or Switchcraft connectors are only a couple of quid each. Studiospares do some reasonable ready made cables if you don't want to make your own.

[John Willett]

I would also suggest getting Neutrik EMC XLRs - I use these now on all new cables I get and they vastly reduce RF interference.

[ef37a]

Before you chuck out perfectly good cables buy and try a set of these...
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/ferrite-clip-on-hem3017-n94ab. You might even be able to rob some off old printer and VGA leads, they don't seem to fit them any more.

Then, where you have "static" cables e.g. outboard to patch bay, use cheap 3mm OD foil screened cable. It is so cheap (www.cpc.co.uk) that you can have a good extra length to wind onto a ferrite. If you are making up you own XLRs you can fit a 1nF cap to the body yourself.

Dave.

[twanguru]

If you are referring to 1/4'' cables, make sure you are using the PW cables correctly: Planet Waves FAQ

I have one of your Custom Instrument cables. What does "shielded end" refer to?

This configuration provides the best shielding against external noise. The shield intercepts external noise and diverts it to the amplifier ground, reducing interference. Connecting the shield to the amplifier end provides the shortest and most direct path to the amplifier ground and maximizes the shielding effectiveness. If the shield is connected at the guitar end, the intercepted noise is forced to travel through the cable before reaching the amplifier ground; this causes extra noise pickup by the cable and reduces shielding effectiveness. If the shield is connected at both ends, some of the noise can still travel through the cable before reaching the amplifier ground, thereby reducing shielding effectiveness.

[ef37a]

If you are referring to 1/4'' cables, make sure you are using the PW cables correctly: Planet Waves FAQ

I have one of your Custom Instrument cables. What does "shielded end" refer to?

This configuration provides the best shielding against external noise. The shield intercepts external noise and diverts it to the amplifier ground, reducing interference. Connecting the shield to the amplifier end provides the shortest and most direct path to the amplifier ground and maximizes the shielding effectiveness. If the shield is connected at the guitar end, the intercepted noise is forced to travel through the cable before reaching the amplifier ground; this causes extra noise pickup by the cable and reduces shielding effectiveness. If the shield is connected at both ends, some of the noise can still travel through the cable before reaching the amplifier ground, thereby reducing shielding effectiveness.

I assume then that this is a two core, "shielded return" cable? Otherwise the shield MUST be connected at the guitar end for it is the signal return path whence all our unbalanced woes spring!

Dave.

[John Willett]

If you are referring to 1/4'' cables, make sure you are using the PW cables correctly: Planet Waves FAQ

I have one of your Custom Instrument cables. What does "shielded end" refer to?

This configuration provides the best shielding against external noise. The shield intercepts external noise and diverts it to the amplifier ground, reducing interference. Connecting the shield to the amplifier end provides the shortest and most direct path to the amplifier ground and maximizes the shielding effectiveness. If the shield is connected at the guitar end, the intercepted noise is forced to travel through the cable before reaching the amplifier ground; this causes extra noise pickup by the cable and reduces shielding effectiveness. If the shield is connected at both ends, some of the noise can still travel through the cable before reaching the amplifier ground, thereby reducing shielding effectiveness.

I assume then that this is a two core, "shielded return" cable? Otherwise the shield MUST be connected at the guitar end for it is the signal return path whence all our unbalanced woes spring!

My reading of this is that it is a balanced cable with the shield connected at the amplifier end only (often called "psuedo-balanced") - the signal runs on the two internal cables only. At the guitar end, the shield of the jack plug is connected to the second wire instead of the shield.

[ef37a]

If you are referring to 1/4'' cables, make sure you are using the PW cables correctly: Planet Waves FAQ

I have one of your Custom Instrument cables. What does "shielded end" refer to?

This configuration provides the best shielding against external noise. The shield intercepts external noise and diverts it to the amplifier ground, reducing interference. Connecting the shield to the amplifier end provides the shortest and most direct path to the amplifier ground and maximizes the shielding effectiveness. If the shield is connected at the guitar end, the intercepted noise is forced to travel through the cable before reaching the amplifier ground; this causes extra noise pickup by the cable and reduces shielding effectiveness. If the shield is connected at both ends, some of the noise can still travel through the cable before reaching the amplifier ground, thereby reducing shielding effectiveness.

I assume then that this is a two core, "shielded return" cable? Otherwise the shield MUST be connected at the guitar end for it is the signal return path whence all our unbalanced woes spring!

My reading of this is that it is a balanced cable with the shield connected at the amplifier end only (often called "psuedo-balanced") - the signal runs on the two internal cables only. At the guitar end, the shield of the jack plug is connected to the second wire instead of the shield.

Just wot I fort but I dislike the term "balanced" for such a setup.

Dave.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Planet Waves are quiet coy on how they actually wire their cables, but some information suggests that their cables have a double shield arrangement, using an inner foil wrap and an outer braided screen. So it's possible that the outer braid is connected at one end only ... or they may indeed use a twin-core cable to carry the signal and return in unbalanced cables, as suggested. Who knows for sure?

Personally, I'm not keen on the idea of a cable screen left isolated at one end. We called that an aerial when I was at college!

H

[Hugh Robjohns]

Just wot I fort but I dislike the term "balanced" for such a setup.

He did say pseudo-balanced, to be fair... and if we are talking about guitars and isolated pickups, it could be treated as a balanced source quite easily.

H

[ef37a]

Just wot I fort but I dislike the term "balanced" for such a setup.

He did say pseudo-balanced, to be fair... and if we are talking about guitars and isolated pickups, it could be treated as a balanced source quite easily.

H

Hmm..This game has enough "pseudo-science" audio tomphoolery and BS to confuse the noob. I like my balanced sinks and sources to have two legs of equal impedance.

Dave.

[homergah]

[/quote]

Hmm..This game has enough "pseudo-science" audio tomphoolery and BS to confuse the noob. [/quote]

Yes...and I can prove it...

[Hugh Robjohns]

I like my balanced sinks and sources to have two legs of equal impedance.

Me too.

H

[Martin Walker]

Planet Waves are quiet coy on how they actually wire their cables, but some information suggests that their cables have a double shield arrangement, using an inner foil wrap and an outer braided screen. So it's possible that the outer braid is connected at one end only ... or they may indeed use a twin-core cable to carry the signal and return in unbalanced cables, as suggested. Who knows for sure?

If it's of any help, I found this image on their web site:



Sure enough, the screening seems to comprise a conductive PVC jacket covered by a foil shield and finally a dense braided shield - really belt and braces stuff

Martin