Car antenna reception

aaronoxf · 07-12-2007, 04:06 PM

This problem has been bugging me for a while but just though owww it'll be alright. I regularly drive up and down the country via the M1 so by passing major towns, but I regularly have bad signal on my radio, I have recently changed my stereo, but had poor reception before, so I brought a new antenna/aerial but the problem is still there, my question is, is this just a problem with the power of my aerial or is its some wiring somewhere or do you think it could simply that I travel through black spots all the time????

**qldit** · 07-12-2007, 05:23 PM

Good Morning aaronoxf, it is common with newer radios to have poor reception performance due to extra amplification in the RF stage being no longer used. (cheaper design)
This kind of problem was also further evident with older antenna getting water in their "air cored" coaxial cable that is used, but you have replaced your aerial so that more or less precludes that as a possible problem.

Generally when a radio is freshly installed there is a procedure for trimming the aerial to the radio, this is normally done with the aerial extended and selecting a very weak station usually at the high end of the band on AM then adjusting the trimmer in the radio, this doesn't affect the FM band. Your radio instruction book should mention the process.

You could try an "inline" antenna booster, this is a small device that attaches inline to the aerial cable and radio and is powered from the +12 volt vehicle system, but these devices don't really give good performance unless a reasonable signal is present.

Aerial installations do require the underside of the panel they are mounted on to be clean metal (to make a good earth point) this is neccessary when really chasing best signal.
A recessing antenna can also be problematic when chasing better reception, the standard original simple external cowl mount type is generally better.

It is a nuisance when this problem presents itself isn't it, on one of my vehicles I used for long distance travel, I actually went to a lot of trouble to source a specific "high sensitive" radio and had a large fibreglass whip antenna to help overcome the problem.

Others will have different ideas.

Cheers, qldit.

aaronoxf · 07-13-2007, 03:44 AM

Thats very good advice, thing isthe reception isnt always bad, but the majority of the time its pretty bad, my MW reception isnt that bad, suprisingly, but my FM can be pretty bad, I was thinking maybe changing my adaptar which conects the back of the stereo to the arial, i was thinkng of changing this as it is very old and has been sat in a dusty draw for months!

Thanks for all the great advice though!

**bruiser** · 07-13-2007, 06:07 AM

How to test antenna: www.installdr.com/TechDocs/999801.pdf

**qldit** · 07-13-2007, 06:07 PM

Good Morning aaronoxf, that is interesting, actually any antenna problem is generally more evident on the MW band, the adapter you mention could have involvement, definitely worth a try, but I would be inclined to comparitively check with another vehicle and system if the same problem is present if you get a chance, some of those FM stations don't really have a lot of transmission power so you could well be chasing a non-existant problem.
Antenna boosters do help with FM reception probably moreso than with AM but once again you need a signal to be able to work reasonably.

Most FM stations are a waste of time listerning to when distance highway travelling here, their coverage is really more or less limited to line of sight.

All the best with your investigation.

Cheers, qldit.

jaggerwild · 09-06-2007, 05:48 PM

Hey aaronoxf!
qldit is right as here in NY the "pay radio" stations that are on FM band, have stopped building new antenna in the rule areas. As they assume they have gotten all the "new customers" they are gonna get so why spend more for less is there thinking.

Quote:

so I brought a new antenna/aerial but the problem is still there, my question is, is this just a problem with the power of my aerial or is its some wiring somewhere or do you think it could simply that I travel through black spots all the time????

I'll assume the purchase was from a reputable car audio place?

Ha made myself laugh as can't use both those words together after the stuff I've seen. If you did pay someone to do this then go back and ask for more help with it as the problem is still there.
You replaced the radio and the antenna but did you replace the line that goes between them both? Also does the radio have a "good" source for ground? Are all the connections done properly, no lose wires? This is usually the source of the problems that I've seen as I've seen many. If you spliced the wires (witch is OK) they still need to be "clean" connections an proper too.
Hope we helped you, if so let us know. qldit will have other ideals

**EnglishPaul** · 10-14-2007, 02:49 PM

Hi, just thought I'd stick my ore in.
I only know the basics, but I am in the UK, and there are a few peculiararities here.
I assume you are using FM (and not AM: SW or LW which tend to sound bad in comparison). Only the bbc fm stations have national coverage; if it is a local station then the fm signal will drop out with distance. Nationally FM coverage is continuous, but with different tuning frequencies. Most good car radios will have a receiver dedicated to searching for the same station on alternate frequencies. This is not the case for your average 'gettoblaster', but I assume you are not trying to use one of those.
Look in the radio manual and see if there is an RDS search facility, and check that it is turned on. If you haven't got the manual it is worth hunting the internet.
If your radio is, however, set up correctly to search for FM, then I am a bit out of my depth and bow to the other contributors.

07-12-2007, 04:06 PM	#1 (permalink)
aaronoxf Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Leeds Posts: 65 OS: XP Sp2	Car antenna reception This problem has been bugging me for a while but just though owww it'll be alright. I regularly drive up and down the country via the M1 so by passing major towns, but I regularly have bad signal on my radio, I have recently changed my stereo, but had poor reception before, so I brought a new antenna/aerial but the problem is still there, my question is, is this just a problem with the power of my aerial or is its some wiring somewhere or do you think it could simply that I travel through black spots all the time????

07-12-2007, 05:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
qldit TSF Gearhead Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Brisbane Australia. Posts: 592 OS: All Systems, mainly Linux	Re: Car antenna reception Good Morning aaronoxf, it is common with newer radios to have poor reception performance due to extra amplification in the RF stage being no longer used. (cheaper design) This kind of problem was also further evident with older antenna getting water in their "air cored" coaxial cable that is used, but you have replaced your aerial so that more or less precludes that as a possible problem. Generally when a radio is freshly installed there is a procedure for trimming the aerial to the radio, this is normally done with the aerial extended and selecting a very weak station usually at the high end of the band on AM then adjusting the trimmer in the radio, this doesn't affect the FM band. Your radio instruction book should mention the process. You could try an "inline" antenna booster, this is a small device that attaches inline to the aerial cable and radio and is powered from the +12 volt vehicle system, but these devices don't really give good performance unless a reasonable signal is present. Aerial installations do require the underside of the panel they are mounted on to be clean metal (to make a good earth point) this is neccessary when really chasing best signal. A recessing antenna can also be problematic when chasing better reception, the standard original simple external cowl mount type is generally better. It is a nuisance when this problem presents itself isn't it, on one of my vehicles I used for long distance travel, I actually went to a lot of trouble to source a specific "high sensitive" radio and had a large fibreglass whip antenna to help overcome the problem. Others will have different ideas. Cheers, qldit.

07-13-2007, 03:44 AM	#3 (permalink)
aaronoxf Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Leeds Posts: 65 OS: XP Sp2	Re: Car antenna reception Thats very good advice, thing isthe reception isnt always bad, but the majority of the time its pretty bad, my MW reception isnt that bad, suprisingly, but my FM can be pretty bad, I was thinking maybe changing my adaptar which conects the back of the stereo to the arial, i was thinkng of changing this as it is very old and has been sat in a dusty draw for months! Thanks for all the great advice though!

07-13-2007, 06:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
bruiser TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,648 OS: xp	Re: Car antenna reception How to test antenna: www.installdr.com/TechDocs/999801.pdf

07-13-2007, 06:07 PM	#5 (permalink)
qldit TSF Gearhead Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Brisbane Australia. Posts: 592 OS: All Systems, mainly Linux	Re: Car antenna reception Good Morning aaronoxf, that is interesting, actually any antenna problem is generally more evident on the MW band, the adapter you mention could have involvement, definitely worth a try, but I would be inclined to comparitively check with another vehicle and system if the same problem is present if you get a chance, some of those FM stations don't really have a lot of transmission power so you could well be chasing a non-existant problem. Antenna boosters do help with FM reception probably moreso than with AM but once again you need a signal to be able to work reasonably. Most FM stations are a waste of time listerning to when distance highway travelling here, their coverage is really more or less limited to line of sight. All the best with your investigation. Cheers, qldit.

10-14-2007, 02:49 PM	#7 (permalink)
EnglishPaul Still no avatar Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Sheffield Posts: 989 OS: XP SP2	Re: Car antenna reception Hi, just thought I'd stick my ore in. I only know the basics, but I am in the UK, and there are a few peculiararities here. I assume you are using FM (and not AM: SW or LW which tend to sound bad in comparison). Only the bbc fm stations have national coverage; if it is a local station then the fm signal will drop out with distance. Nationally FM coverage is continuous, but with different tuning frequencies. Most good car radios will have a receiver dedicated to searching for the same station on alternate frequencies. This is not the case for your average 'gettoblaster', but I assume you are not trying to use one of those. Look in the radio manual and see if there is an RDS search facility, and check that it is turned on. If you haven't got the manual it is worth hunting the internet. If your radio is, however, set up correctly to search for FM, then I am a bit out of my depth and bow to the other contributors.