[Al Skierkiewicz]

Maynard,
Being near the main breaker is usually not a problem, having the antenna itself near metal objects will detune the antenna and make it inefficent. Spark noise from the brushes can wreak havoc with the modem and usually unloaded motors produce more noise than normal loads so being up on blocks would produce as much or more problems than driving. It also may be the way the robot is wired. The power for the RC should come from the first breaker on the multi position breaker panel. Make sure that all connection to the RC are tight. Finally, and I should have mentioned this before, you need a fully charged Backup battery connected to the RC. The NiCads come discharged so you need to charge them at least ten hours out of the box. The backup holds up the radio modem during times the RC shuts down for low voltage.