Guys, I really need some help here...

I bought a new deck to fix the static from the stock one... but this time is 100X worse!!!!

I ripped the dash apart thinking maybe I didn't connect the antenna correctly, with the radio on, I messed around with the connectors. Sure enough, it looked fine... no issues there. No difference in the reception.

I then opened the hood and messed around with the coax on the antenna with the radio on, maybe it was loose. Nope, no issues there, tighter than a drum no change to the reception.

I then got my 3/8" box wrench and I took the antenna off, and I had the radio on, and when I took it off it made no difference. However, when I fiddled around with it, I was getting a little bit better reception. But it wasn't enough to make that big of a difference.

Mind you, this is with local stations not that far from me.

But what boggles me is why the heck the signal goes in and out when I am driving in relation to the power lines. When I go under my powerlines over the driveway they completely cut out the radio reception! Can't pick up a thing!

 

LOL.. I have the same problem with power lines and reception.. high - voltage lines radiate out to about 200 feet or a bit more and the smaller lines, such as would be down your street, tho a lot lower voltage, will still interfere with reception if you're, say, directly under them.. ever seen someone hold a fluorescent tube underneath a high-voltage line? it lights up.. that's your friendly electromagnetic radiation at work..

 

I can't understand why my Dad's Windstar and none of my other trucks EVER had this problem...

This is not acceptable.

 

sorry cant really help except.....get sirius!

 

Radio frequency interferance. Usually is higher voltage signals that pulsate and interfere with nearby radio frequence.

I listen to more CDs then i do FM. But ive never had a problem with mine. With stock deck and my aftermarket one

 

Of the 4 '99-'05 Crown Vics i've had for work, the AM/FM reception is excellent. The antenna is in the rear window defroster. In '06 I think the CV's use an antenna on the rear quarter panel. I won't get an '07 until fall and haven't heard about reception. The reception in my wifes and fathers '01 and '02 Explorers is awful. AM is useless unless very close to the station. Same radios, single CD, stereo. It must be the antenna. More surface area in the CV I guess.

 

See if it happens with just they key in the ACC position. Things like HID headlights do this, mine do it's rediculous. I don't get reception for crap when the HID ballasts ignite.

 

I can't believe it's really this bad. I have a $9 Dollar Store radio that gets perfect reception in my truck. I am planning to bring it to the dealer and I am going to lose a shoe up their behind if they don't get this fixed!

Sorry I sound kind of pathetic, but come on, I spend X amount of dollars for a great system and I can't pick up my local 50,000 watt stations 5 miles away... unless I'm sitting right next to the towers. Yet my $9 cheapo battery operated radio can pick up FM stations 50 miles away with a small, flimsy 3" antenna, inside of my truck! Yet my truck has a 25" antenna and it can't pick up squat!

 

ford messed up on the F-150's entertainment segment, they did make the inside quite though, all three (2004, 2006, and 2007) of my dad's F-150s have this problem but i think it is the reception because cds and sirius and xm work great, the radio sucks

 

Probably have a hotwire in contact with the cable that runs from the antenna to the HU. If you want to annony someone with a high dollar surround sound system, run an extenison cord over the speaker wires.

 

Hmmmmm.... you just gave me an idea!

I have my 12v wire running near the antenna for my ham radio! I'll disconnect it in a few minutes, give it a test run, and see what I get.

Hopefully all I got to do is simply reroute the power cable to my radio.

I'd laugh if that was the problem.

But, I'll try not to get tooo ticked if it doesn't work.

 

Nope it doesn't work.

However, I notice when I take out the antenna and I reverse it... what do ya know, it works REALLY well!

So... I'm going to the stealership tomorrow, and ask them if they can take an antenna off another truck, of if they got on in stock and see if it will work any better. If so, I'll either have them order it, or if it's in stock, I'll take it.

If not, I'll look around the area, I've got Pep Boys, Autozone, Advanced Auto, and Radio Shack might even have a universal antenna.

So the good news is, it isn't the coax, nor the adapter... I've nailed it down to the antenna for sure.

If it truly is the antenna, and it works with a new one... then all of you that have poor reception should try a new antenna first. Simple, yet easy.

But we'll see tomorrow.

 

again good luck.

I bought a universal shorty antenna from orilies for like 4 bucks. I believe they also have unsiversal near stock length antennas also

 

Well, I went to Pep Boys first this morning, because it was the first auto place before the stealership. So I got a universal chrome antenna mast, and it came with about 3 adapters, and one of them fit. So I screwed it into the base and hoped for the best.

The radio reception is a little bit better on certain stations... but it's still not that great.

What I am going to do next, when the weather gets nicer out, I am going to buy a universal antenna (antenna mast, and coax with the mount) and I am going to try that.... but not mount it. If that works, then there is something wrong with the mount or the coax.

I am going to get excellent radio reception, no matter what it's worth.

 

Well, I went to Pep Boys, got a nice chrome antenna... and man it makes the truck look even better being it chrome... however, that still did not make it work.

So what else did I do?

1. I took apart the factory antenna, and looked at it carefully. Nothing looked wrong. So I took it over to my local stereo shop that has SWR meters and checked the radio reception over every single FM frequency that is used for OTA Broadcasting of local radio stations. Basically from 88 Mhz and 108 Mhz. Came out fine, especially with the new antenna. The stock one had problems in the 91 Mhz to 94 Mhz range, but only slightly. However, that new antenna fixed that. They basically stated that the antenna mast, antenna coupler, and the coax was all fine and in great working order. They then suggested I bring the truck down for some analysis. Which I might do, but I'll have the stealership look at it first, only because it is under warranty and the stereo shop agreed with me.

2. While I was at the stereo shop, I was talking to the one of the techs about possibly getting a whole new antenna, and mounting it someplace else in the truck. He told me that might actually be a good idea. So he got me an external high gain antenna, and he told me if it don't work, just bring it back and they will refund me. I'm not talking about an antenna mast, I am talking about a whole antenna... coax and all. So I bought it, and I got home and I practically ripped half of my truck apart, and I installed it, grounded it, and then was the moment of truth. Well... sorry to say folks, it still did not work. So, I went back over to the shop, with my truck this time, and I had them look at it. Go to find out there is a problem with the grounds on the truck and suggested I bring it to Ford because the antenna being grounded to the truck was picking up the electricity and then reproducing through my headunit. The tech then showed me something very odd, indeed. They hooked the external antenna back up (the one I just returned) and told me to hold on to the ground. So I did, not sitting in the truck. What do you know, perfect radio reception. The tech then took hold of the ground wire for the antenna... radio reception horrible. Proof right there that there is some sort of electrical grounding issue with my truck.

The tech told me that it could any number of things... what it is, was beyond him. The tech also mentioned to me, that if it was an older truck, not under warranty, he said he would have isolated the headunit and the antenna from the main ground on the truck... being he would have cut the factory harness and directly hard wire the connection... but not using the power or the ground on the factory wires. As for the antenna, he would have grounded it directly to the battery. The battery outputs a linear voltage in such that it won't affect the FM frequencies.

So with that said, I am going to call the service dept at the stealership and see what they will do to my poor truck.

But dang, I am so desperate to get the radio working, it's beginning to be worth the trip over there. Especially since a highly experienced stereo tech couldn't help me and told me to go see the dealer. As it must be that bad.