Video System Noise "Tricks of the Trade?"

hey guys, I'm an installer and we do quite of bit of video systems now a days, and almost all of the video systems we send out go out w/ noise. mostly alternator noise, this is my questions.....

deos running direct power from the battery and run it into a relay switched by the accessory wire make any bit of noise difference than just connecting to constant and accessory under the dash??

what do you guys do about barrel connectors (the things that convert male RCA to felmale etc etc) it seems like we use alot of these because every system is different and seems like the brain or tuner or dvd or whatever it maybe never has the right connection, i think these cheap-o un sheilded connectors maybe the problem????

grounding... when u guys have a big video system.. tuner, dvd, vcr, tuner antenna, etc etc... do u ground all that stuff back to 1 place?? if so where?

fm modulators... could the noise be getting into them?? some systems we do have wireless fm modulators that just get wrapped around the antenna, do those induce the noise? anything you can do w/ them to help reduce it? also with those how far do you extend the little antenna and where do you run it to?

anyhow, is there any tricks of the trade that I'm missing out on? seems like all of our systems have noise filters and it just reduces the noise and doesnt cure it... granted a large part of it can come from the company being total cheap asses.. we do alout of power ackustik, farenheit, soundstorm, movievision... also we use cheap ass RCAs. but when we use cheap ass RCAs for audio we dont get any noise? anyhow.. any tips would be GREATLY appreciated, if we get the sh*t going out right the first time, we wont have to tear it apart when it comes back...

Thanks,

Eric.

Hey Eric,

• Using a relay to clean up the power signal does work in most cases IF the ground is absolute.
• Anytime you SPLIT an RCA cable with connectors or splices, you loose quality in the audio or video & you induce distortion in the form of noise or lines on the video screen
• The ground is dependant on where the device is located. You have to remember that the laws of resistance still aplly to small gauge ground as well as larger gauge amp grounds. The longer the cable the more resistance it has to take on. Rule of thumb is make sure your ground in not any longer than 2 or 3 feet for any device.
• The FM modulators whould only have to be mounted behind the radio or at the antenna. Running the power wire from the rear of the vehicle to the FM mod should not induce noise. The quality of the modulator will be the factor in the noise induction.
• The main concern I have about cheap RCA's is that they are not shielded from EMI that the vehicle produces. If you use less barrel connectors and better shileded RCA's + run your power wires and your audio/video wires on opposite sides of the vehicle + limit the length of the grounds, you will reduce if not eliminate the noise factor that you are inducing into the system.
• Please email me at techsupport@velocitymotorsport.com if you want better audio / video equipment and RCA cables.

thanks or the info... its hard to persuade a customer to buy expensive RCAs, and I think thats where most if it comes from, that and those damn barrel female to female, or male to male RCA adapters, someone needs to start setting standards, I dont understand why some TV have male inputs, and some have female inputs same w/ FM modulators DVDs, movievision brains.  oh well, I guess I can do nothing about it then unless a customer will spend the extra money, but thats doubtful.

Thanks for the info,

Eric