Crappy AM reception on FJammer???

DuneCruiser21 · 09-12-08, 03:47 PM

Hi. I recently purchased a pre-owned FJ and the one thing that's bothering me is the AM reception is REALLY REALLY BAD. Much worse than my other vehicles when tuned to the same stations at the same locations.

Why do I care? Mostly I don't. But where I live the hometown baseball games are broadcast on several area AM stations (and not available on FM unless I drive out of state) and there's a local sports talk show I like to tune in to sometimes.

Listening to either one is nearly unbearable in the FJ.

fjcruiserforums has some noise about this issue but there doesn't seem to be broad consensus about the FJammer being any better or worse than the average new car radio.

So, my question is, is it just me? Maybe I have a bad radio or loose connection somewhere? Or, is the head unit in the FJ really that bad (as a couple people suggest on fjcruiserforums)?

dallen341 · 09-12-08, 04:18 PM

Is the antenae buried within a window? IF so, is that window tinted? Some tint/film has metal in it. The metal blocks heat/light and AM reception.

My BMW suffered this problem until I stripped the tint.

Don

DuneCruiser21 · 09-12-08, 04:40 PM

Nope. Some smart Japanese engineer was bright enough to actually put a tall mast antenna on the FJs that happens to be as tall as the FJ with factory roof rack (or at least I read that somewhere). Good idea, kinda. Seems to me if the antenna hits something you'd better be moving awfully slow or your gonna lose the roof rack

I'm not a (technical) radio guy -- but the tall mast is wrapped in plastic with a wire that's coiled around / up the mast. If I'm not mistaken, that wire is the AM antenna. So I'm guessing that's not the problem.

Woodeye · 09-12-08, 05:07 PM

DuneCruiser,

I have the same thing going on in my FJ! Mine sounds fine with the Sirius radio or a CD, but in FM or AM I get this little sound like a speaker is beginning to tear or crack. Like the old days when you turned up the thing too loud you could blow a speaker. Bugs me too. I wonder if an aftermarket antenna will fix it. anyone know?

Woodeye/Cryoboss

DuneCruiser21 · 09-12-08, 05:12 PM

For what it's worth, FM reception is just fine in mine. It's only the AM that's a problem (for me).

inkpot · 09-12-08, 06:23 PM

Howdy! Have you checked the back of the radio to make sure the antenna is plugged in? Also, Places like Radio Shack used to sell antenna amplifiers that just plug inline. John

jmylie · 09-13-08, 10:25 AM

The AM radio reception in the FJC is better than reception in our Jaguar.

As you purchased a pre-owned FJC, the po may have installed and then removed an aftermarket radio. Maybe his re-install was not so careful. I would check that it was installed properly.

Radio's used to have to be tuned to the antenna. Sometimes there is a screw on the back of the radio for this purpose. You tune to a weak station in your area and adjust the screw until it comes in as clear as possible.

Not sure about the radio in the FJC but it's worth a try.

I do listen to AM quite a bit and I'm not located that close to the cities where they broadcast from, so I would expect your FJammer to be better than you describe.

DuneCruiser21 · 09-13-08, 08:04 PM

Thanks (everyone). I've got some good leads to follow up on. When I can find the time I am going to pull the head AND the antenna and check the connections. Or, I was at my dealer today (picking up another/different new car for my wife) and let them know I was unhappy with the state of things. Maybe I'll just make them do it

DuneCruiser21 · 09-23-08, 06:53 AM

Update: I talked with auto audiophile who works at a high-end car stereo shop... We did a side-by-side comparison of two 2007 FJs equipped with the same head unit and there is def. a BIG difference in reception -- the other FJ was getting a much clearer signal than mine.

The expert tells me the car frame/body is the AM antenna (the AM antenna jack is connected into the ground system) -- the "whip" or "staff" antenna is for FM only.

So, the test tells him I either have a poor connection somewhere in that circuit OR I have a dud head unit.

My recently purchased FJ goes back to the dealer next week so they can trouble shoot the problem.

NYCTRD · 09-23-08, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuneCruiser21

Update: I talked with auto audiophile who works at a high-end car stereo shop... We did a side-by-side comparison of two 2007 FJs equipped with the same head unit and there is def. a BIG difference in reception -- the other FJ was getting a much clearer signal than mine.

The expert tells me the car frame/body is the AM antenna (the AM antenna jack is connected into the ground system) -- the "whip" or "staff" antenna is for FM only.

So, the test tells him I either have a poor connection somewhere in that circuit OR I have a dud head unit.

My recently purchased FJ goes back to the dealer next week so they can trouble shoot the problem.

If there was a significant difference in two identical units side by side, then you obviously have a problem with that unit! It may be a bad radio, or as you suggested an "iffy" connection somewhere.

For the last 20+ years, radio manufacturers have totally "cheaped out" on the electronic components used to build the AM radio curcuits. This is part of the reason AM doesn't sound nearly as "phat" as you remember it in the cars of the 60's and early 70's.

In the 80's, Motorola & Kahn introduced "AM STEREO" to try and revive this dying medium. Too little too late.

DuneCruiser21 · 09-25-08, 01:22 PM

What a pleasant surprise...

Today the FJC went back to the dealer (bought it pre-owned with a "Toyota Certified" warranty) and to my shock and amazement, once I demonstrated the problem to them they immediately said:

1) We'll order a new/replacement head unit, and
2) If that doesn't fix the problem THEN we'll start hunting for the "iffy connection"

It must be cheaper to slap in a new head unit and hope that fixes the problem than it is to give me the free labor associated with finding a bad connection somewhere in the grounding system. Whatever! I get a new head unit out of it.

Now we'll just have to see if this fixes the problem...

NYCTRD · 10-01-08, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuneCruiser21

What a pleasant surprise...

Today the FJC went back to the dealer (bought it pre-owned with a "Toyota Certified" warranty) and to my shock and amazement, once I demonstrated the problem to them they immediately said:

1) We'll order a new/replacement head unit, and
2) If that doesn't fix the problem THEN we'll start hunting for the "iffy connection"

It must be cheaper to slap in a new head unit and hope that fixes the problem than it is to give me the free labor associated with finding a bad connection somewhere in the grounding system. Whatever! I get a new head unit out of it.

Now we'll just have to see if this fixes the problem...

Nice to hear stories like that!
My head unit sometimes wouldn't "boot up" the SAT radio module, so the dealer replaced both the head unit and SAT radio module within a month of buying the truck and it's been fine since.

JLH911 · 10-09-08, 09:57 PM

I'm an FJ60 owner and I recently installed an aftermarket head unit with a brand new stock antenna. I too was getting bad AM reception only.

Since the Antenna was new as the radio, I knew it had to be something else.

I jiggled the connector(male) where the antenna plugs into the radios antenna receptacle(female) and it'd come in good, then bad as I jiggled it.

What I ended up doing was taking some sandpaper and "scuffing" the antenna connection that plugs into the stereo's female connection....problem solved.

Give it a try.

I think there was some sort of light coating to keep the metal from developing corrosion.

Michael1 · 10-10-08, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuneCruiser21

The expert tells me the car frame/body is the AM antenna (the AM antenna jack is connected into the ground system) -- the "whip" or "staff" antenna is for FM only.

I don't believe this. A completely untuned grounded body is not going to make for an antenna.

Michael

joebob2586 · 10-10-08, 01:27 PM

actually that is correct the body acts as an antenna same with a CB radio when you attach the CB antenna to the body it turns the whole body into an antenna, and why would you say its not grounded?

Michael1 · 10-17-08, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joebob2586

actually that is correct the body acts as an antenna same with a CB radio when you attach the CB antenna to the body it turns the whole body into an antenna, and why would you say its not grounded?

The body doesn't act as the antenna in the CB case either. The body is grounded to the radio, and acts as an antenna ground plane for a tuned vertical antenna. The body of the car doesn't actually radiate, but it does influence how the antenna radiates.

Michael

joebob2586 · 10-17-08, 12:23 PM

Ok but if you tune the CB antenna then it does act as a ground, plus any point of metal on the body of the truck is considered ground, that is why you can wire up anthing and have the ground wire touching the body for it to work.

tmarshall · 10-19-08, 02:43 PM

Today I was washing my Windshield and noticed 7 perfectly spaced dots tha stick out on the inside on the very top of my windshield. Thought maybe thats the AM Antenna, or heating element. Might be worth looking into, especially if your windshield was replaced at any time.

NYCTRD · 10-22-08, 09:41 AM

Amazon.com: Radio Frequency Principles and Applications: The Generation, Propagation, and Reception of Signals and Noise (IEEE Press Series on RF and Microwave Technology): Albert A. Smith: Books

joebob2586 · 10-24-08, 11:14 AM

I wanted to correct the way I phrased what I was saying above, what I was trying to say was that any metal point on the truck body will act as a grounding point for any electrical component, the reason the body helps gain reception or act like an "antenna" is that the body acts like a plane for the radio receptions to bounce off.