Radio fading in and out.

[deja7654]

Hey guys. My radio has been fading in and out only when listening to the radio. If I listen to a cd it will play normal, but when I tune to a local station, the sound will be strong, then you can hear what sounds like a speaker coming in and out. It's weird. Only with radio though, not with cds.

Since it's only with the radio, could this be a antenna problem? Is there anything I can do to check this out?

 

[barefoot]

clean your grounds.....that is all i know to tell ya!

enjoy!

 

[KevLar]

Since the sound from the CD player is unaffected, I think you're right in suspecting something with the RF portion of the head unit.

What exactly do you mean by "then you can hear what sounds like a speaker coming in and out" ? Are you talking about feedback or signal fade ?

There are lots of things that could interfere with a radio signal, so having an idea of when it's happening and if it does so in a predictable manner is pretty important. When does it happen ? Is it at a particular place on the road or just sitting in your driveway ? How long has it been doing this ? Is it a recent development or not ? What bands are affected (AM, FM, WB) ?

Think about these questions to narrow down the possible causes. Here are a few things I would do in terms of troubleshooting. First, I would first check the antenna connections, one at the back of the head and the other where the antenna cable connects to the antenna. You might have corrosion in either place, but particularly in the wheel well where the antenna is located. Second, if you have a portable radio, take that in the truck and see if it reacts the same way when the radio in your head unit is acting up. If it does, then it's likely an RF interference problem.

Lastly, if you have a microwave oven installed in your truck, I would suspect that might be the cause of your problem

Kev

 

[barefoot]

Lastly, if you have a microwave oven installed in your truck, I would suspect that might be the cause of your problem Kev

what? no more trailside popcorn.....:rofl:

good one kev!

 

[deja7654]

This problem has been occuring for a few months now. It doesn't matter where I am, parked, driving, engine off/radio on, etc. it does it no matter what. It is not predictable. comes and goes as it pleases. I really only listen to FM so I can't tell you at this point if its all bands or just FM. I was fooling with the radio today and turned the Spatial mode on and off. the fading in and out sounds exactly like when you turn the spatial mode off and on. it's a pretty noticable change..almost like the rear speakers are fading out some but still playing music. If i listen to a cd it never does it. People who ride in the car always say, "it sounds like your speaker is going out." I know it isnt, because it's only the radio portion.

I thought the antena was on the rear side window? It's in the wheel well?

Thanks for the help. Hopefully this helps you now.

 

[KevLar]

This problem has been occuring for a few months now. It doesn't matter where I am, parked, driving, engine off/radio on, etc. it does it no matter what. It is not predictable. comes and goes as it pleases. I really only listen to FM so I can't tell you at this point if its all bands or just FM. I was fooling with the radio today and turned the Spatial mode on and off. the fading in and out sounds exactly like when you turn the spatial mode off and on. it's a pretty noticable change..almost like the rear speakers are fading out some but still playing music. If i listen to a cd it never does it. People who ride in the car always say, "it sounds like your speaker is going out." I know it isnt, because it's only the radio portion.

I thought the antena was on the rear side window? It's in the wheel well?

Thanks for the help. Hopefully this helps you now.

Sorry, didn't want to mislead you... My antenna (D1) is up front on the fender. Check the antenna connection wherever it is and also on the back of the head. It's possible that the antenna coax has rubbed along something shorted the bround braid onto the chassis.

However, it's starting to sound like a problem with the tuner portion of your radio. Most decent heads have had auto tuners for a while, so maybe this portion of the RF side is what's acting up. I think there are usully adjustment screws for the RF side, so you should be able to get it "tuned" by a stereo decent shop. As I said earlier, you could try taking a regular battery operated radio with you and compare the performance of both. If the portable works OK, then it has something to do with the reception in you head.

Kev