Re: 2008 Kia Optima: Low-pitched "hair dryer" sound on AM band

ChrisCoaster wrote:
On May 3, 8:51 pm, makol...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
On May 3, 8:10 pm, ChrisCoaster <ckozi...@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
On May 3, 6:27 pm, Paul <m...@xxxxxx> wrote:
ChrisCoaster wrote:
On May 3, 12:05 pm, Paul <m...@xxxxxx> wrote:
ChrisCoaster wrote:
I have a 2008 Kia Optima sedan with a terrible "hairdryer" sound on
the AM band in ACC mode and when the engine is running. FM reception
is OUTSTANDING and I can lock on to stations up to 80 miles away!
AM? Not nearly as good. Would a capacitor/s help and where should I
place one/them?
Any suggs??
-CC
Sounds like the antenna outer coax is not grounded. Alligator clip ground the antenna and
coax at the antenna and see.
_________________________
The antenna in this car is the in-glass method at the rear window.
Should I alligator it at that end or close behind the radio(that will
require dismantling the dash of which I'm not too inclined?
-CC
Ground it at the window end. Its also possible that the antenna coax is not firmly seated
in the radio.
Or one of the inline plugs has come loose.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
______________________
Paul, Steve, if any of those were the case then my FM reception would
be equally in the outhouse(!) When I talk about picking FM, in
stereo, up from Newark NJ to Hartford CT, I MEAN from Newark NJ to
Hartford, CT!
I live about equidistant between those two. On the AM side I get in
clearly WFAN 660, WSTC 1400 and WNLK 1350(both within 10 miles of me),
1010 WINS, WCBS 880 news, and a couple others. If any of you are
familiar with WABC 77AM NY, they are supposedly a clear channel
certified station but with their TX site in freakin' New Jersey
instead of ontop of the ESB or some other high spot in Manhattan, they
are lost in the ether. It is WABC and 1130 NEW AM that both have this
hairdryer sound in the background, probably because they are
relatively weak from my location in southern Fairfield Co.
On my wife's car, they are just softer than the other stations, but NO
background noise whatsoever. To hear them in that car I just need to
raise the volume a few values. In my car, it's like driving next to a
hairstylist's chair while a customer's hair is being dried!
-CC
do you get the same noise on other AM radios in the area, how about a
portable near your car?

many am stations are not xmitting iboc which xmits wideband hash, if
there is a 790 or 750 in your area xmitting iboc, that could cause the
noise on 770 and it has nothing to do with your car.

check with another car or a portable radio

Mark- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -
_____________________
Mark, reread the paragraph beginning with "On my WIFE'S CAR..."

Paul, as far as trying different antennae, good idea! BUT - Today's
dashboards are another tale as far as getting into them or behind
them. This is not the '80s or earlier where members of the Philips
family held everything together in plain sight. ;)

I puilled the radio out of my Kia Spectra 3 weeks ago for a similar problem. It was fairly easy on the Spectra.
The plastic in front of the radio pops off and 4 screws held in the radio.
The Spectra has a whip antenna on the LR quarter. I had already checked that and found it to be ok.
The coax was plugged into the radio ok. A new antenna wire did not help.
AM volume is up and down. FM and CD is great. That means the radio itself is bad on my car.
Someday when I have time I'll pull it out and signal trace it.
.

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