What does cross-modulation interference refer to?

Cross-modulation interference specifically involves the phenomenon where signals from a strong station can unintentionally affect the reception of other weaker signals in the vicinity. This occurs when the strong carrier signal modulates, or alters, the characteristics of nearby signals, leading to overlapping audio or data that corrupts the intended transmission from other stations. The strong signal typically causes distortion in the weaker signals through this modulation effect, which is particularly problematic in crowded frequency environments, leading to significant degradation of clarity and quality of the affected signals.

The other options do not accurately describe cross-modulation interference as they refer to different aspects of signal clarity, noise, or general electrical interference that do not involve the modulation interaction between disparate signal sources.