Radio Static on AM -need help
Thread Starter
7th Gear
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Cincinnati oh
Radio Static on AM -need help
My 02 coupe radio has excessive static on the AM band. It gets worse when moving. Only the big 50 kilowatt station here has enough brawn to bust through this static. I can live with only 1 station, but it does take the shine off the near perfect ride. I asked the dealer to "take a look" since it's still under warranty. He did the cleaning joints and checking etc. I was impressed with the effort, but the bottom line is that it still is awful. My wife's car also has windshield antenna with no problems, but then her top doesn’t come off either.
Any suggestions?
Any suggestions?
Former Vendor
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,518
Likes: 7
From: Valencia CA
Just a thought...
Get "XM" or Sirrus satellite "radio"....there's a gazillion stations and they all come in crystal clear....I can't imagine anything on the AM dial that you couldn't find there. I'm actually surprised "AM" still exists as it always has and always will be a crappy way to transmit the news, nevermind any music.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 54,204
Likes: 180
From: S.W. Ohio. . . . . . NRA Life Member
when you say "static"... do you mean like off station noise - or the background noise you'd get when listening to a distant station.
Or a poping noise that varies with engine RPM ?
Or a poping noise that varies with engine RPM ?
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,779
Likes: 6
From: LOS ANGELES CA.
Static on the AM band
Originally Posted by vett2002
My 02 coupe radio has excessive static on the AM band. It gets worse when moving. Only the big 50 kilowatt station here has enough brawn to bust through this static. I can live with only 1 station, but it does take the shine off the near perfect ride. I asked the dealer to "take a look" since it's still under warranty. He did the cleaning joints and checking etc. I was impressed with the effort, but the bottom line is that it still is awful. My wife's car also has windshield antenna with no problems, but then her top doesn’t come off either.
Any suggestions?
Any suggestions?
Race Director
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 15,324
Likes: 2,080
From: Guelph, Ontario
I also have a problem getting AM in my car. It either works, or doesn't. I only need it in order to get the traffic reports, as there is an AM news station here which gives traffic reports every 10min. Without that station it sometimes takes me 20min or more to finally get a traffic report from the FM stations, and by then it could be too late, I'm already stuck in the jam I could've avoided if I had only known sooner. 
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 133
Likes: 2
From: Winsdor ON
Don't give up. You paid good money for that car --- make them fix it. I had a similar problem on my 98. Dealer could not fix it, so they tried telling me that it was my window tinting that was causing the interference ! Finally, they found the bad connection to the antenna.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,540
Likes: 0
From: bloomfield nj
check the antenna amp/diversity box up in the roof.cars with the antennas in the rear glass need it to boost the radio signal.i believe the vette has it mounted at the the top of the hatch[inside the trim panel].also,does the reception change/get worse if you turn the rear defogger on?if so,i would look at the grounds in the rear first.but most likely everyone is suffering from either poor grounds/loose lead connections or shorted amps.the most common is the amps and/or connections.rarely do you see a glass go bad.
