Do LED lights affect GPS signal?

[ploughman1963]

My son has asked if there is any detrimental effects upon a simple GPS set up from using cheap LED lights in the same way that they affect the radio in the tractor? Me, being a technological dinosaur, am relying upon asking the collective for the answer

Thanks

 

[Robt]

Yes they do!. I once spent 6 hours trying to find a fault on a Bateman sprayer.... I ended up taking a sidecutter to the cheap GPS lights... problem solved... Do you grass up the driver who had badly fitted them or tell the boss.... I said i found a cut wire .....

 

[DrDunc]

Yes they do!. I once spent 6 hours trying to find a fault on a Bateman sprayer.... I ended up taking a sidecutter to the cheap GPS lights... problem solved... Do you grass up the driver who had badly fitted them or tell the boss.... I said i found a cut wire .....

And who says diplomacy is dead ?

 

[Digester Man]

What do they do? And what's the diff between cheap ones and not cheap ones?!

 

[milkloss]

What do they do? And what's the diff between cheap ones and not cheap ones?!

electrical interference. How it affect the gps I don’t know, the more expensive lights have a better suppression.......... maybe.

 

[Farma Parma]

The best of the Best ZERO issues its all about the whole quality of the electronics inside the lights
For Example Nordic LEDs are made to these specs

EMCCISPR 25 Class 5, EN12895, ISO 13766, ISO 14982, ISO 7637-2

Nothing sold from hongkongfooyey land on the likes of Ebay/Amazon even some of the known brands like Sparex fall into this trap altho some are nearly there.
Unless its clearly stated on the box/light unit itself id avoid like the plague.

Various other Brands from the likes of HELLA,(on Masseys/Fendts etc) & GROTE (JCB) should be all fine but mostly very expensive

 

[Farma Parma]

electrical interference. How it affect the gps I don’t know, the more expensive lights have a better suppression.......... maybe.

Put a CB Radio in a tractor & boy if anything else electrical produces what we term as White Noise it will pick it up, make no doubt about that.

 

[TheTallGuy]

The best of the Best ZERO issues its all about the whole quality of the electronics inside the lights
For Example Nordic LEDs are made to these specs

EMCCISPR 25 Class 5, EN12895, ISO 13766, ISO 14982, ISO 7637-2

Nothing sold from hongkongfooyey land on the likes of Ebay/Amazon even some of the known brands like Sparex fall into this trap altho some are nearly there.
Unless its clearly stated on the box/light unit itself id avoid like the plague.

Various other Brands from the likes of HELLA,(on Masseys/Fendts etc) & GROTE (JCB) should be all fine but mostly very expensive

Even if they claim compliance you can't be sure because such matters generally go un-policed - look at how combustible cladding got put on tower blocks! Someone signs a piece of paper that claims everything is hunky dory & nobody bothers checking it out until something goes badly wrong!

Another example - in my engineering days I used some equipment from a *very*big* name in a job that went into a *cough*government*cough* project - everything was done designed & installed according to the manual and compliance paperwork. Something went seriously wrong shortly after commissioning; as part of the investigation it turned out that the equipment not only had never been fully tested to the relevant standards, it was unlikely to be practical to ever achieve full compliance!

* note that certain information has been withheld because even 10 years on I am subject to a Non-Disclosure Agreement banning me from disclosing certain details.

 

[TonyMartinwasright]

Yes they will especially if the are cheap Chinese imported ones. They will be emitting RF and god knows what else (try your radio on AM, it will probably sound like you are inside a washing machine full of gravel with the lights on). How standards have dropped over the last few years, even if the lights have a BS kite mark or EU conformity symbol on them it's probably fake!

 

[ploughman1963]

Thank you all for the feedback

 

[Badshot]

I've had two orange beacons kill my rtk signal, ordinary not led, have fitted led floods and beacons on both machines, no problems since.

 

[Graham Smith]

@ploughman1963 The Nordic Light Go Series are a great value LED light that are rated to EMC CISPR 25 class 5 . They are all factory tested etc. Happy to discuss further if required. Here is a link to the types available:

Go Series LED Lights

Description

www.retrofitparts.co.uk

Thanks
Graham

 

[Farma Parma]

I've had two orange beacons kill my rtk signal, ordinary not led, have fitted led floods and beacons on both machines, no problems since.

an Halogen Bulbed orange beacon should cause no interference whatsoever unless its been made by idiots or isnt wired up very well?
or the motor in it because its so cheap is giving you the noise?

 

[TheTallGuy]

an Halogen Bulbed orange beacon sould cause no interference whatsoever unless its been made by idiots or isnt wired up very well?
or the motor in it because its so cheap is giving you the noise?

Depends on how the strobe is achieved - if it's done with a brushed motor then that's a source of noise, if it's done as a flasher then how the flash is achieved can create the noise.

 

[Mc115reed]

an Halogen Bulbed orange beacon sould cause no interference whatsoever unless its been made by idiots or isnt wired up very well?
or the motor in it because its so cheap is giving you the noise?

I’m more wondering what gps task he’s doing that involves needing beacons on ??‍

 

[Badshot]

an Halogen Bulbed orange beacon sould cause no interference whatsoever unless its been made by idiots or isnt wired up very well?
or the motor in it because its so cheap is giving you the noise?

Have had two, decent ones not cheap shite, the one that came on my t6 160 was one of them. So pole mounted OEM fitment.
Wasn't always trouble, but became trouble after a while.

 

[Badshot]

I’m more wondering what gps task he’s doing that involves needing beacons on ??‍

Forgetting to turn off between little fields.

 

[jd24]

My son has asked if there is any detrimental effects upon a simple GPS set up from using cheap LED lights in the same way that they affect the radio in the tractor? Me, being a technological dinosaur, am relying upon asking the collective for the answer

Thanks

Yep... And 5v USB charger adapter and Bluetooth can upset but some led lights emit loads of radio wave noise

 

[marcot]

I’m more wondering what gps task he’s doing that involves needing beacons on ??‍

A quick A-B line on a nice straight bit of road and a chance to pour a coffee and eat your sandwiches

 

[jd24]

So I've been flying rc plane helis and now drones with GPS on since I was 14 and I have a few other thoughts.

12v supply is likely to be very 'dirty' on a tractor. Particularly if motors are running off the 12v supply.
I highly recommend buying a 12v filter, regulator or at least buying a small ferrite ring a wrapping the positive around the ring several times. Also ground everything metal that isn't a live circuit.