• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

CAR RADIOS AND ANTENNAS THAT LOSE THEIR SENSITIVITY

A

ABQTom

Guest
About 4 months ago the radio sensitivity on my vehicle dropped, as if the LOCAL button the radio had been turned on (meaning the dx/local button).

I have checked the antenna and the connection to the radio and everything seems fine. Running my analog Sony AM/FM/TV/ ICF-36 even in the car has much higher sensitivity for AM.

The antenna is the C.C.Crane extension antenna about 40" long that goes for $39 - but I got it for $8 at G.I.Joes Sporting Goods.

And even more frustrating is my Radio Shack DX-399 (from 2002). It has terrible sensitivity and you have to use a loop all the time unless you are within the 5mV/m contour. Someone else I know has the same model with the exact problem.

Now that I have two radios with the same problem I thought I'd bring this here. However, I would imagine that whatever happened is internal to both units, and not fixable.

-T
 
I've read that car antennas do lose their sensitivity over time. ¿How old are the antennas? I've read that a go0d rule is to replace the antennas once every 4 to 5 years, as that's the average lifespan of car antennas, some last longer, and some may not last as long. The only thing I can suggest is to try a new antenna with each vehicle and see if that improves anything. If not, then it's an internal thing. I had to replace a car antenna once as I noticed I was begining to lose the sensitivity on the distant AM stations I liked. This usually affects AM first. FM can be "usable" even after the antenna is shot. I have no idea why this happens. Maybe due to the "elements" the antenna is exposed to in day-to-day life.
 
mimo said:
I've read that car antennas do lose their sensitivity over time. ¿How old are the antennas? I've read that a go0d rule is to replace the antennas once every 4 to 5 years, as that's the average lifespan of car antennas, some last longer, and some may not last as long. The only thing I can suggest is to try a new antenna with each vehicle and see if that improves anything. If not, then it's an internal thing. I had to replace a car antenna once as I noticed I was begining to lose the sensitivity on the distant AM stations I liked. This usually affects AM first. FM can be "usable" even after the antenna is shot. I have no idea why this happens. Maybe due to the "elements" the antenna is exposed to in day-to-day life.
Click to expand...

Very interesting and thanks. I don't know how old this antenna is. I buy the same model when I see them on sale at G.I.Joes, I've bought 2 or 3 over the past 5 years, because I knew they would all eventually break. I don't know where the others are. I installed the current antenna last summer, and before that, it was inside a house so it wasn't exposed to the weather.

HOWEVER....the "RECEPTACLE" of the antenna (where it screws in) hasn't been replaced since 2002! Could that be the problem, or, the wiring from this receptacle to the radio?!

Unfortunately, a new receptacle and wiring can't be re-routed through the same opening (too hard to explain why).

So, the best thing to do might be to re-mount an entirely new antenna w/ new wiring somewhere else on the vehicle?
 
I have a 1999 Ford Ranger p/u and the SO has a 94 Escort. (bank robbers we are not). The AM and FM reception on her car radio is now superior to mine. At one time reception was about equal. But my vehicle has more than twice the mileage so I'm attributing it to wear and tear on the vehicle FWIW.
Thank God it's the radio that is losing its sensitivity and not us!
 
I had a 1999 Explorer that I traded off last year. The FM reception was always pretty good all the time I had it, but the AM reception got worse over time not so much from the radio or antenna getting worse, but from engine noise that got worse as time went on. It still picked up OK with the engine off, but you can't get very far down the road that way. :D
 
There was more of a drop off on the AM side w/ my Ranger; it (the AM thankfully) really sucks. The FM did lose a little but in the area of longer distance stations from 75 mi or so out. Maybe there has been a proliferation of new FM's that make it more difficult to get the "out of markets" , I dunno.
 
I meant to add in my comments that the 2005 Focus I have now definitely seems worse. FM doesn't have enough separation and AM reception is definitely weaker. On the other hand, I also have a 2005 Dodge Caravan with a factory radio (Chrysler RAZ) that has excellent reception on both AM and FM. I also had a Chrysler PT Cruiser at one time with the same model radio.

It seems like Ford factory radios have definitely gone downhill, but Chrysler radios are still good, unless there has been a change in the last couple of years.
 
I've always liked the reception of Chrysler radios and the lack of noise that the vehicles have, plus they did sound significantly better on AM, even the non-AM stereo models sounded go0d in a voyager with very high frequency response. Ford and Chevys were always terrible, (at least since the 90's) very subject to engine noise and they sounded terrible. I won't even drive a vehicle that has a terrible radio. It gives me the impression that they skimp on other things to0.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom