am\fm reception

[hans]

hi all
is there any way to increase radio reception on my radio , mine is terrible, have replaced antenna but that didn't help , can you fit a booster or something similar
thanks Hans

[p38arover]

What do you drive? How far away from radio stations are you?

[hans]

2002 defender , had a pioneer cd\radio fitted when i got the car new, live half way between Melbourne and ballarat reception dies closer i get to ballarat , even when im out bush the other people im with reception seems ok while i struggle to hear anything

[PhilipA]

If you are talking FM, I am surprised as Pioneer have just about the best FM tuner of all aftermarket sets.

If you are talking AM , I am not surprised as nearly all aftermarket sets have terrible AM performance as that is how they are designed because in USA and Japan and just about anywhere else the problem is AM crosstalk due to close stations, so they cut sensitivity to avoid paying lots for high quality components to boost selectivity.
You can buy a helical high gain antenna from AFAIK Mobile 1 , but it is tuned to FM, but still helps AM a bit.
The only other things you can do are to shut up the car electrically as much as possible to improve the s/n ratio.
An antenna booster is possible but the car better be quiet electrically or there will be little gain.
Regards Philip A

[Sleepy]

I would check your antenna hans. Mine had crapola reception when I bought it. Under warranty, LR refittted the antenna and cleaned all the antenna contacts and mounts and it worked much better.

I must say, still nowhere near as good on AM as my 2001 Defender.

[wrinklearthur]

I would check your antenna hans. Mine had crapola reception when I bought it. Under warranty, LR refittted the antenna and cleaned all the antenna contacts and mounts and it worked much better.

I must say, still nowhere near as good on AM as my 2001 Defender.
Hi All

When a aerial repair causes the FM reception to improve and the AM stays crook. The aerial trimmer ( a small variable capacitor ) needs adjusting, but unfortunately, trimmers are not always found on radio's produced now days. :mad:

[JDNSW]

As above. If the problem is mainly AM, it could be some specific equipment is causing excessive interference, which may be able to be improved by fitting suppressor capacitors to it (but seek expert advice - some equipment does not take kindly to these). Also, consider fitting coaxial capacitors to the power feeds for the radio, as close as possible to the set. Check and clean all earth connections (not just the radio). Bonding leads between the bonnet and bulkhead may help, and it may be necessary to bond other panels such as the mudguards as well (these are supposed to be electrically bonded but particularly if there have been repairs or connecting surfaces may be painted or corroded or bolts loose).

John

[hans]

thank you every one for the reply,s will act on all suggestions as soon as possible, will let you know on results thanks again for the effort
regards Hans

[wrinklearthur]

Hi Hans

What John and I are both talking about is filtering, the aerial trimmer is part of a filter and the capacitors used for noise suppression are also a part of a low pass filter, taking the high frequency noise component to ground.

To find out if there is electrical noise on the reception of the AM band, tune your radio off any stations, to the part of the band where you can hear only noise, then go around the vehicle turning on things like, the heater fan, then listen to the result, any increase in static noise means that motor can do with a suppressor.

John is also correct in saying that some items in modern car can not be fitted with suppressors.
For an example, the transducer for a electronic speedo gives a signal wave form, that is a square pulse, fitting a capacitor can alter the shape of that wave form, ( but not the frequency, as that is determined by the speed of the rotating prop shaft ), the signal's leading edge when tailored with a capacitor tends to become a slope and not have the square edge that the electronics needs to read from.

To test for earth bounding problems, turn all the electrics on, headlights, etc and flex, bump, move, the panels, such as the bonnet and doors, any sharp static noise increase, indicates a poor earthing to the chassis of that part, that test is best done right out in the open.