am reception


  #1  
Old 07-23-02, 06:56 PM
janema
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am reception

I've noticed on my 91 Honda civic that my am reception on the radio has suddenly gone bad. I have a good sound system (Alpine) that I had installed a year ago. The reception has only recently gone bad, and no adjustments to the radio make any difference. I'm wondering -- what does the outside antenna connect to (if anything), and is there a way to check any connections?

Thanks much!
 
  #2  
Old 07-24-02, 06:34 AM
Joe_F
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You could have a bad ground going to the antenna. On some AM radios, there is an AM reception trim screw.

Might want to go to www.crutchfield.com and see if they have any online help or suggestions.

My coworker fixed his AM reception by cleaning the connections and changing his ignition wires. If your ignition wires are old, this could be the cause of poor AM reception.
 
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Old 07-24-02, 07:30 AM
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wouldn't bad ignition wires cause a tell-tale wheezing sound?
 
  #4  
Old 07-24-02, 07:39 AM
Joe_F
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Could be. However, the original poster is not clear in his description of the problem, so until we have more information, we'll likely not know .
 
  #5  
Old 07-24-02, 05:47 PM
janema
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am reception

Thanks for the advice, Joe.

I'll have my mechanic check the connections and ignition wires. I'm a "she," and while that doesn't mean I can't do it myself, the limitations of my knowledge in this area mean that I shouldn't.

At any rate, the poor reception isn't really due to a "wheezing" sound .. its more a matter of local stations that once came in strong now sounding distant due to intermittent static.

Again, thanks for the tips, and I'll let you know how its resolved (tho it may take some time for me to get back to y'all as this isn't an "Urgent" situation).

Jane
 
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Old 07-25-02, 05:02 AM
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I had an old factory radio in my Cultass that was doing the same thing with FM frequencies. Since the radio had some other issues, I pitched it for a nice, but not "all decked out", Pioneer ($200, coulda spent $1000 on a top-notch one). The new Pioneer seems to play much, much clearer.

If it's in your budget, look at replacing the radio with a new aftermarket brand like Pioneer or Sony. Avoid Jensen.

Mako
 
  #7  
Old 07-26-02, 03:58 AM
thekeymaker
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might also want and be sure your antenna is on tight
 
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Old 07-26-02, 04:36 AM
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It's one of those electric telescoping ones- it's tight, trust me!! The old factory radio was all petered out.
 
  #9  
Old 07-26-02, 01:29 PM
thekeymaker
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power antenna huh don't you hate those things in winter. Don,
 
  #10  
Old 07-29-02, 05:01 AM
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Well, I've only had this car for a month so I dunno with it. I know that the '85 Riviera I had a few years back always went up, no problem. The electronic and motorized components of those 80's model GM's seem to be immortal. Well, almost. I hadda replace a window and lock switch on this one. But oh well. At least the motors didn't go out!
 
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Old 07-29-02, 06:17 PM
thekeymaker
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yes i know their all making stuff disposable now. not like the old days where stuff lasted longer and was better built. Don,
 
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Old 07-30-02, 05:08 AM
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I dread the day that good old cars are hard to find. I only looked a few days and stumbled across this one, and I know of a number of them, albeit NOT for sale, in the years of this car with LESS than 70K miles and in near perfect shape. These things seem to last forever.
 
  #13  
Old 07-30-02, 03:02 PM
thekeymaker
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yes i know what you mean i'm slowly fixing up my van may not actully keep it but someone on this forum said it is riddled with problems and the last time i had it in to the Dealer all the Dealer said is all i need is a Tune-Up i guess it can't be all that bad then. also i replaced my antennae last week was not to bad but worked easier taking out the antennae and putting the new one in with wire used the wire to guide out and guide in the new antennae Don,
 
  #14  
Old 07-30-02, 03:16 PM
Joe_F
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Commenting on the original posters quandary, where do we stand?

Commenting to Don: Have you purchased the OEM manual as suggested by the forum? How come the dealership charged you 800 bucks if all you needed was a tuneup?

Don...there's more to the story than you're telling us here. There are pages of posts on your van with the various troubles it has had since you got it....and that's fine, but myself and I believe I speak for Knuckles too still contend that the problems you are having are NOT ones a normal vehicle would be having.
 
  #15  
Old 07-30-02, 03:42 PM
janema
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am reception

Hi Joe -- and thanks to all of you who have participated in trying to solve my problem.

I got brave and removed the console so I could check the connections in the back of my system. All the connections looked good. I did the same when I removed the exterior antennae and while I'm no expert in these matters, again, everything looked good. I'm leaning toward the idea that the ignition wires may be bad given that the car is 11 years old and to my recollection, they have never been changed.

I will have my mechanic check this when I go in for my next regular maintenance ... probably in the next 2 months or so, and I will be glad to let you know the resolution should you be interested.

Again, thanks to all for your efforts!

Jane
 
 

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