AM reception with stock unit stinks

[floridafitz]

I'm a talk radio junkie when driving around town...almost ashamed to say. Like the Dan Patrick broadcast in the morning for my sports update and entertainment. Problem is my AM reception can be great...well not great but okay, or it can be static ridden and basically worthless even when not in a confined area or near high voltage lines. Have the OE 6CD changer AM/FM head unit (not Bose) and every other function works fine. Have pulled the head unit to replace the front display one time and the antenna connection was okay at the radio end. Any suggestions on diagnosing / correcting the problem.

 

[DJones]

Pull out the loading inductor and use one really, really long wire for the antenna.

 

[floridafitz]

Thanks for the advice. What is a "loading inductor" and how do I get to it and remove. Does it's removal affect anything else. By using a really long antenna wire, do you mean the coax type that is now in use but only longer. Not sure how to reach the actual antenna mast connection. Need to take a look.

 

[DJones]

My advice is useful but impractical. A good AM broadcast band antenna would be several hundred feet in length. Since it can't be done with a mobile radio, manufacturers use a loading inductor to make the antenna appear to be longer.

 

[TollKeeper]

My answer is going to be a 2 part question...

Question #1: Would you like to listen to your AM Broadcasts in FM near CD quality?
Question #2: Do you have a Smart Phone with a internet access?

If the answer to the above questions are both Yes, read on. If its no... Well.. Hmm.. Not sure really

Anyways, if the answers are yes, you can install a BlueFusion Bluetooth radio kit. It will make it so you can talk via a bluetooth over your car radio, and, allow you to stream audio from your phone, VIA Pandora, or Iheart, or your internal hard drive, to your radio. Its what I have installed on my Envoy, and I LOVE it... (I listen to audio books via my hard drive, and WLW 700am via Iheart)

Amazon.com: Bluefusion Bfcl2K Hands-Free Bluetooth Integration for Select GM Class Ii Vehicles: Car Electronics

I bought a used one. However, it was brand new, just open box, for 40 bucks..

Also, be sure that the broadcasts you want to listen to are on Iheart, or available for streaming directly from the radio stations website.

 

[DJones]

Another possibility would be a HD radio tuner. HD does not mean, High Definition, but rather Hybrid Digital. The bandwidth only allows for FM quality, and not all stations transmit with this.

 

[MMIN]

I'm a talk radio junkie when driving around town...almost ashamed to say. Like the Dan Patrick broadcast in the morning for my sports update and entertainment. Problem is my AM reception can be great...well not great but okay, or it can be static ridden and basically worthless even when not in a confined area or near high voltage lines. Have the OE 6CD changer AM/FM head unit (not Bose) and every other function works fine. Have pulled the head unit to replace the front display one time and the antenna connection was okay at the radio end. Any suggestions on diagnosing / correcting the problem.

A couple quick questions.. Do you have an antenna on the front fender or is it built into the back window? Do you have HID lights? Do you have tint? Also how is the FM reception? Let me know and I can probably give you some things to check that could improve the reception.

 

[floridafitz]

Thanks for the suggestions. Front fender fixed mast antenna, no HID lights, no added tint, good FM reception.

 

[TollKeeper]

I know this is probly no help to you... But... My new Saab 97x nav unit has some killer AM reception over my OE 6 disc ch changer. No idea why..

 

[DJones]

Maybe it uses a product detector instead of an envelope detector.

 

[jbones]

The only AM talk I ever listened to was Paul Harvey

 

[MMIN]

To start you would want to check all the connections and clean them up with a wire brush (with the car off). In this system you have a disconnect at the back of the radio, under the glovebox - (which makes adding any type of FM modulator about a half hour job!), and at the mast itself. Check the mast make sure its tight. They very commonly come loose over time. Tight or not unscrew the mast clean up any rust on the threads and screw it back on. Grab a 7mm and drop the panel under the glovebox to find the next connection. Unplug it clean everything up and plug it back in. Do the same behind the radio. You could also find a test antenna and plug it in under the glovebox to see if reception improves. Unfortunately most of the time reception starts to suffer because there is corrosion building up where the antenna mounts to the inside of the fender. You could clean that up as well but if your going to take the time to do that I would just replace the antenna I don't believe it is very expensive.

You could also have an interface problem with the vehicle. Listen to AM with the car on versus starting the car. There will always be a difference in quality but if your getting a lot of interference you could have another problem.

 

[floridafitz]

Greatly appreciate the suggestions. Kinda like the Iheart radio idea but I pay for limited bandwith per month and prefer to use wifi when possible. No idea hat kind of bandwith the Iheart consumes an hour. Will check the antenna connections. It's just so odd that reception can go from good to terrible at any time and back to good again all in the space of a mile or less. Again...thanks for helping out.