Thread: AM Radio Receiver Options for D2a?

Should only be the aerial..

Gavin
Look on Ebay,there are a range of cheap in-line signal amplifiers that may help.
My D2 has an Alpine head unit,older as it still has a cassette,no AM issues at all.
Eurovox made the best AM units in the past specificaly for Aussie cars.
Andrew

I'll confess to preferring the AM stations in general, and ABC/regionals in particular

A decent aerial is much better than an add-on in-line RF amplifier, which is just as good as amplifying noise as it is signal.

I feel your pain, the piece of (expensive?) rubbish in my softdash Classic is hopeless on AM. - Either too little signal-quiet- ...and noisy, or, press the "DX" (long distance) button and the front end overloads and it's loud AND distorted.
Mine has the radio aerial on one of the rear windows, with an in-line amplifier up in the roof lining, AFAIK. US models had them on both rear windows.

Never tried it in the bush, but if the Perth-Mandurah freeway run is any indication, then my 100 year old SONY AM/FM Walkman is just a good.
Or bad...

PS, as far as Perth is concerned, I wonder if the AM transmitter power has been reduced.... or moved to a less effective location.

All Japanese/Chinese/European radios are the same on AM.

That is because they have the opposite problem to Australia.

They have lots of AM stations near each other and cross talk becomes a real problem IE a harmonic of another station blowing through the signal.

It is expensive to improve selectivity so most radio manufacturers reduce sensitivity so that crosstalk is not such a problem and they can use cheaper components. Most AM radios AFAIR (from when I was ICE manager at Sanyo about 30 years ago!) are about 20Mv at 1 metre whereas some of the old AM discrete radios were 10Mv and the early Eurovox were 10Mv

Nowadays most tuners are probably the same IC so the idea of them making a high selectivity radio for Australia is just not possible.

All you can do is get the biggest antenna you can practically fit with low loss cable. Mobile one do one for FM but it also helps AM. However it is helically wound so cannot be retracted.
Regards Philip A

Or fit a very old car radio and poke it's signal into one of your head-unit's AUX inputs...

- You know, one of those dinosaurs where the inductive tuning mechanism is bigger than your whole (modern) 'entertainment unit'

Originally Posted by superquag

Or fit a very old car radio and poke it's signal into one of your head-unit's AUX inputs...

- You know, one of those dinosaurs where the inductive tuning mechanism is bigger than your whole (modern) 'entertainment unit'

I love it when you talk dirty - now to find out what it all means!!

Hi

If you are still looking this is what you need to install. Interstate truckies use them almost exclusively. ...................or so I was told. Mine works a treat.

AudioXtra - Axis, Blaupunkt, Dynamat, Uniden, Vertex Wholesaler - SW2

The lead is, if I recall the correct impedance (90ohm) for AM. Everything else out there is 70-75 ohm and set up for FM.

You can also get the short whip for around town.

Thanks Rick - looks good and am following up.