AM radio reception

Shimon · Jan 15, 2006

My AM reception in my truck (85 F250 diesel) is terrible. I have an Eclipse CD5444 stereo which is a very good one but I have better reception with my 88 Ranger (stock radio) and the wife's 99 Subaru (stock stereo).

I've got a a good ground and do notice I have alternator noise so I'm going to get one these Newmar 150 amp noise filters. But is there anything else I can do to improve AM reception? Any antennas or booters? Thanks.

Glenn9643 · Jan 15, 2006

Forty or so years ago about all we had was AM... If I recall there was a screw near the tuning knob on the radio chassis, and you set the tuner to a station (not sure about the range, but I think in the 1400 range) and then adjusted the screw to "tune" it in. Don't know if that is still the case for AM, as mine in my truck works fine. My problem with AM is trying to get it on a set in the shop or house. AM antenna's don't seem to work there as well as they do in a vehicle for some reason, and I've not been able to find a tuning screw.

tractorwheel · Jan 15, 2006

Shimon, if I were you I would invest in a sirius satellite radio and do away with that AM situation. The new units have a built-in antenna and plug into the cig. lighter. They come ready use right out of the box. All you have to do is call and get it going /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif. You can have all the 'talk radio' you want plus alot of music variety.

Shimon · Jan 15, 2006

( I would invest in a sirius satellite radio)

Can you get local broadcasts like baseball games with satellite radio?

Modern stereos pretty much all have digital tuners and I don't think there any adjustments to them. I went out to the truck and turned on the radio without the engine running and the reception was clear. Started her up and I had no reception...just noise. So, the alternator is putting out a lot of noise. I checked the alternator and it has less than .5 VAC of ripple so the diodes are still good and the alternator works fine otherwise so I guess I'll get that line filter and see if that helps. Also might upgrade my antenna to one of those loaded coil antennas from C.Crane.

tractorwheel · Jan 15, 2006

satellite has college and NFL. Sorry i am not much help with the AM radio. good luck with it. I am curious to know if the new antenna works.

HGM · Jan 15, 2006

Satelite radio is great, they do have dedicated sports channels. This year should bring NASCAR to Sirius and every football game(to my knowledge). Sorry, cant comment on baseball, but I would immagine. If you goto sirius.com and check it out, they have channel/programing guides..

I've had Sirius for 2yrs now(didnt like XM) and wouldnt be without it. You can hear just about anything you want and probably a bunch that you dont(at least you have a choice)..The only thing that you might miss is certain talk shows that havent jumped on baord yet.

Shimon · Jan 15, 2006

Took a look at the Sirius web site and it doesn't appear that they carry any baseball broadcasts.

I think I'll stick with free radio for now as long as I can get my reception going. I mostly listen to books on CD anyway and occasionally AM radio for news, talk shows and baseball games.

HGM · Jan 15, 2006

Yea,
Its not for everyone I guess..... I think its great for me though.. Good luck with the reception /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Shimon · Jan 15, 2006

Looks like XM radio carries all MLB games.

goaliedad · Jan 15, 2006

I would suggest finding out who in your area works on car radios- most dealerships will farm this work out- I suspect a problem with the antenna. My boss recently was in a car-deer collision- after they fixed his car his AM reception was junk. This was a real bummer as we work for an AM-FM radio station. Long story- short- local shop replaced car antenna- boss now happy.

duber34 · Jan 15, 2006

I have the same symptoms on my '98 Explorer. AM reception is fine with the car shut off but unhearable (if that's a word) for all the ignition noise with the engine running. I noticed the condition slightly after I changed plug wires and it has gotten progressively worse. I suspect it's the cheap plug wires that I installed. One of these days I need to pick up a set of good quality wires.

Regards,
Duber

HGM · Jan 15, 2006

( I have the same symptoms on my '98 Explorer. AM reception is fine with the car shut off but unhearable (if that's a word) for all the ignition noise with the engine running. I noticed the condition slightly after I changed plug wires and it has gotten progressively worse. I suspect it's the cheap plug wires that I installed. One of these days I need to pick up a set of good quality wires.

Regards,
Duber )

Absoloutly, dont forget the cheap plugs that usually go along with them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.. Sorry for the dig, but always go factory with ignition components, it will save $$$ and headaches in the future..

duber34 · Jan 15, 2006

Hmmm, I can't honestly remember what brand of plugs I put in. I think they were Bosch. The only thing I am certain of is that they were not Champions.

Regards,
Duber

rswyan · Jan 16, 2006

( If I recall there was a screw near the tuning knob on the radio chassis, and you set the tuner to a station (not sure about the range, but I think in the 1400 range) and then adjusted the screw to "tune" it in. )
I believe this is called an antenna "trimmer" and if I recall correctly I've seen that screw on the backside of radios as well.

I believe it is meant to compensate for the variation in overall length of antenna plus the antenna lead wire (which can vary by antenna location and specific vehical)

RedRocker · Jan 16, 2006

Give THESE guys a look, they have all kinds of AM antenna stuff.

HGM · Jan 16, 2006

Duber,
I really couldnt decide which is worse in a Ford. I have probably changed more Bosch (new) plugs for intermitant missfires, rough idles, hard starting, poor radio receptions, etc. than any other brand. I do believe this has more to do with the fact that most folks know Champions dont work well in these applications. Either way, I can just about guarantee that you will recognize a difference by either installing your old components or new Motorcraft parts. Like I said, dont want to slam anyone, its just a fact that I have learned with experience. I have recommended tune-ups or wires on many ocasions only to have the customer say "I'll do it myself". Then a week later, they'll return telling me I was wrong and they want their money back. I would then go out on a limb and replace the parts at my cost to prove my point. They then had to pay the original price pluss their parts that didnt work. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif..

I'm a Ford guy, but I will only install the manufactures brand ignition components in any vehicle. You wouldnt think electricity would be fickle, but it is..

Anyhow, I think we're hi-jacking the thread a bit, but if you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

meledward23 · Jan 16, 2006

I find Satellite Radio lacking in many of the good AM programs. I prefer talk radio and am sick of trying to tune am stations which is why I have satellite. But for talk radio, it's just not worth it to me (at least Sirius).

Speaking of Sirius, I have about had it with them. The have changed their station line up I dont know how many times in the past year. But I suppose that is fine when they are expanding and adding stations. But the lastest move ticked me off.

They reorder the stations and move my favorite from xxx to 132. Foxnews used to read across the screen. Well now all it said was news. Then for two months I am listening to foxnews. Then one day I am listening to it and after about five minutes I thought"what gives" cause this sounds like CNN. Sure enough they changed that station over to CNN Headline news, dropped fox completely and never mentioned a word about it.

XM picked up fox.

I will probably be picking up XM. Tuough change since I get Sirius for free in one of my vehicles. The previous owner still pays for it. (My Old Man).

Redbug · Jan 16, 2006

Hello Shiman,

I have a 1991 Gmc Pickup with the original radio. The radio over time, (within a couple months), slowly started losing reception, mainly on the AM side. I had checked out all the logical choices...antenna connections, plug wires, etc. but that did not do it. A diode or other component inside the radio went bad. Considering the temperature extremes, and all the bouncing around, it's remarkable radios work as long as they do. I did some checking around and most factory auto radios are in production for about 5 years. Then it gets hard to locate one...junkyard maybe. United Radio rebuilds the older auto radios. It's where most dealers send theirs. You send in your old radio as a core and they send you back the replacement. That's what I wound up doing. http://unitedradio.com ...just a thought as a last resort.

6or7dazeaweek · Jan 16, 2006

Shimon: Before you go out & pop for the expensive noise filter, you might want to go to your local Radio Shack store & see if they have any "ferrite beads". They look like small donuts. Take & remove the power lead from your radio & pass it thru the donut, looping it thru a couple of times. This MAY help. You could also do the same with the OUTPUT wires that are coming from your alternator. AM reception is tough when ignition and noise from alternators come into play. Ferrite beads are cheap and I'd put them wherever I could trying to eliminate any pulse type noise that may be radiated into the air. You may find that you get some improvement by doing this. If you do find improvement and it doesn't completely remove the problem noise, just keep trying. Sometimes just taking a small battery operated AM radio & running it along wiring harnesses or electrical components such as alternator or distributors will give you a clue as to where the problem or problems lie.

I've got lots of techie info that I can print out if you need more guidance. Just let me know.

Good luck!
Jon

RobertN · Jan 16, 2006

Interesting about the Fords. I had a '80 F250 with a 400 in it. I did a full tune up on it one time, wires, cap, rotor, plugs ect. It ran terrible!

Turns out, I had pulled all the plug wires off and started from there. I ran them all neatly and had everything in the wire holders ect. Well... I did not put them in the same place in the wire holders. A couple of the wires were cross firing! Turned out, the wires had to be in a specific spot in the loom and holder, or else they would cross fire on one side of the engine. I had the factory manual, which pointed this out. Of course, I didn't read that stuff until I had spent a few hours dinking with it /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

It did seem to affect the radio too, but the truck ran so bad that the radio was not an issue...