No A.M radio reception...but have F.M???

[Armond]

Stereo guy says it's the antenna. Has anyone experienced similar problems. TIA

[cj]

At one point in time, the antennas on '02's were only used for am reception.Find a new stereo guy or stereo.

My Alpine gets am just fine with the factory antenna.

Cris

[Armond]

I've got a brand spankin new Pioneer???

[wsb-unclebill]

Probably not your problem but I once owned a car that had metallic based tint and it interfered with my AM reception (FM was fine).

just a thought!

[cj]

I've got a brand spankin new Pioneer???

Did you install it right? Save the wire nuts for your house.

BTW, Pioneer a trail to a better head unit.

Cris

[rogerspeed]

Some car radios have an adjustment screw for AM reception, I forget what the technical term is, maybe, antenna trim screw. Check the manual.

[02Les]

Stereo guy says it's the antenna. Has anyone experienced similar problems. TIA

As my unit is almost as old as the car, this may not apply to a new unit. On mine there is a wee screw behind the RH (?) knob so you can tune the unit to your aerial/antenna. Find a bad reception station and turn the scew to get best reception. Maybe the new breed of radios does it automatically?

[Chris_B]

Do you have any AM reception, or is it completely dead? If completely dead, the AM section in your head unit may be fubar. Otherwise, your stereo guy is probably right, but to prove it you can simply stick a wire in the center of the antenna socket. Try one a couple of feet long. It doesn't matter if the wire is insulated, as long as it is not shielded (e.g., a piece of coaxial cable). You should get some AM reception on the stronger stations.

Problems with the antenna can be: poor connection between the ground plane (the car body) and the antenna; poor connection between the antenna cable and the antenna or any insertion point. Corrosion is the likely suspect for any poor connection problem.

BTW, I have tried all the major head units over the years and have concluded that Pioneer has the best FM section of any mainstream supplier. I don't know about AM... just don't listen to it.

[Armond]

Do you have any AM reception, or is it completely dead? If completely dead, the AM section in your head unit may be fubar. Otherwise, your stereo guy is probably right, but to prove it you can simply stick a wire in the center of the antenna socket. Try one a couple of feet long. It doesn't matter if the wire is insulated, as long as it is not shielded (e.g., a piece of coaxial cable). You should get some AM reception on the stronger stations.

Problems with the antenna can be: poor connection between the ground plane (the car body) and the antenna; poor connection between the antenna cable and the antenna or any insertion point. Corrosion is the likely suspect for any poor connection problem.

BTW, I have tried all the major head units over the years and have concluded that Pioneer has the best FM section of any mainstream supplier. I don't know about AM... just don't listen to it.

yes I do have some AM but it's all static noise. I'll try to stick another antenna. Dr. Laura is only on AM darn it.

[slash02]

yes I do have some AM but it's all static noise. I'll try to stick another antenna. Dr. Laura is only on AM darn it.

Dont forget coast to coast am.

Does the static vary with the RPMS of the engine? Also what model is your radio? old blaupunkt/beckers have a matching cap you have to adjust to get am to work....

[c.d.iesel]

....and another OBVIOUS tech tip = DO NOT TEST YOUR RADIO (-= AM =-)

INSIDE THE GARAGE , NEAR LIGHTING, POWER LINES - HAVE

CLEAR SKY ABOVE. Do locate the tiny AM antenna trim screw

on the radio and GENTLY adjust a weak AM station to

strong clear reception. Plug a TEST antenna into the radio, and run a

grounding wire from the radio to a clean metal (no paint!) to the car body.

on this BECKER, the -=AM=- antenna trim screw is behind the tiny

plug here on the faceplate - between the "M" and "U". On other

radios it may be on the back side of the radio - sometimes

a "symbol" is next to the hole where the screw resides.

Usually - the "trim" screw is next to the station tuning knob - look at

the other BECKER units above and note the tiny black plug near

the station tuning knob. Remove the faceplate so you don't disturb

or loose the tiny plug - just expose the trim screw

without the faceplate.

[levik]

AM reception is greatly sensetive to a ground of the antenna. So don'd discard your stereo guy. It could be the grounding of the base or the condition of the cable itself. Make sure the radio is solidly grounded to the chassis as well. FM in most cases will work with just a piece of wire stuck into the socket.