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#349541 - 19/12/2011 13:38 FM - Not so good
Redrum
old hand

Registered: 17/01/2003
Posts: 998
I have an MKIIa with tuner installed in my car as well as a HD Radio head unit. Unfortunately the tuner and the HR Radio do not have very good FM reception. I’m thinking the problem may be the fact both the tuner and the HR Radio are using the same antenna (I have Y cable).

Would a signal booster work to improve reception?

In the old days you could tune the FM receivers by tweaking the trimmer cap. I don’t see that as an option with this new fangled stuff.

I probably should have asked the brains here years ago but I really don’t listen to the radio too much.

Any ideas?

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#349546 - 19/12/2011 19:48 Re: FM - Not so good [Re: Redrum]
mtempsch
pooh-bah

Registered: 02/06/2000
Posts: 1996
Loc: Gothenburg, Sweden
What's the reception like if you remove the Y and connect only one unit?
If OK then a booster might help, if not it'd probably just be amplifying garbage.

It's not the case that your antenna is supposed to be fed power, by separate wire or via adapter over the coax, and that isn't currently provided?
_________________________
/Michael

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#349547 - 19/12/2011 20:09 Re: FM - Not so good [Re: mtempsch]
Redrum
old hand

Registered: 17/01/2003
Posts: 998
Originally Posted By: mtempsch
What's the reception like if you remove the Y and connect only one unit?
If OK then a booster might help, if not it'd probably just be amplifying garbage.

It's not the case that your antenna is supposed to be fed power, by separate wire or via adapter over the coax, and that isn't currently provided?


I knew someone would ask if reception would be better with only one tuner connected. To be honest I haven’t looked into that. I know the original factory radio worked OK, the first empeg tuner worked OK (actually pretty good until the tuner module died) and now both tuners don’t work very good. Guess I’ll crawl my fat ass under the dash and disconnect the Y to be sure.

I never really gave much thought to RF boosters. I always put them in the snake oil category. Maybe if they just separate the tuners from each other that might be enough to make things better,

There is no power of any kind going to the antenna. It’s just a plain old wire antenna on an older (but nice) Jeep.

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#349548 - 19/12/2011 21:47 Re: FM - Not so good [Re: Redrum]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
As Michael says, the only use for a booster is for a weak signal. If you have a crap signal, you'll probably only get a stronger crap signal. This can help with digital sometimes though
_________________________
Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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