Re: 2004 bmw 325xi: AM Radio Statics and Reception Problems
- From: kludge@xxxxxxxxx (Scott Dorsey)
- Date: 14 Nov 2008 10:38:21 -0500
In article <d78c66c9-0087-4b50-ac2d-02d2e8bac53d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
<egavish@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
My 2004 325xi am radio had problems with AM radio statics and
reception for many years. It was replaced twice already.( Now seating
and waiting for 3rd replacement appointment). Is there anything else
other than replacing of the radios that can be done? Is this a known
problem with BMW AM radios. Or I should try to declare this a lemon.
Anyone?
Nobody today is willing to put a decent AM radio in a car. The first
issue is the antenna... a real AM antenna is large... even the little
meter-high stub that cars had for years is now considered too large by
car manufacturers. The low-profile stubs are just not effective antennae
at all.
The second issue is that cars are now filled with electronic crap that
causes radio interference. The only solution for this is to shield the
radio and then get the antenna as far away from the electronics and
wiring as possible... but that affects the car design a lot and car
manufacturers don't like that.
The third issue is that most listeners don't really give a damn about AM
reception, so most AM radios have poor sensitivity and selectivity and
many of them have no high end at all because manufacturers don't want to
put good sharp filters into them.
Let me also say that something very bad has happened on the AM band in
the last year and that if you used to listen to big clear-channel stations
across the country at night, you may find the new IBOC digital carriers
from adjacent stations are knocking them out. I used to be able to tune
the dial from KGO on up to WSB here and now half of the big powerhouses
are full of buzzing noises from IBOC-AM. Write the FCC and complain about
this.
If I were you I would look into the Philips DC777 car radio, or possibly
the Sony XR-CA660X. Both seem to have decent AM front ends. Grundig and
Blaupunkt both used to make some models that were well-known for good AM
quality but I don't know if any of that stuff is still made.
Take off the low profile antenna, and add a real radio antenna. You can
find generic kits at your local auto parts store to do the job. DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO SPLICE the cable that comes with those things... it is not coax
but a goofy low-capacitance line that matches to a high-impedance source
(like an antenna that is much shorter than a quarter wave).
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
.
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