Poor AM/FM reception

Here it is. I've got a '96 XJ with a PO installed Pioneer AM/FM/CD Player. I get poor to really poor radio reception. I get great reception in all of my other heaps. I've never installed a radio either. Where should I start? Does antenna wire work the same way battery cables do? (bigger=better)

You need to determine if the problem is electronic interference, poor antenna, or a radio issue.

Some radios have an antenna trim screw, search your model on the internet and find out if it has one.

I'd also check to make sure the antenna plug hasn't fallen out of the back of the head unit (assuming the PO even plugged it in). Radio installs are really easy, but people still screw them up pretty often.

joe_peters said:

You need to determine if the problem is electronic interference, poor antenna, or a radio issue.

How does one do that? Aside from making sure the antenna is plugged in?

Some radios have an antenna trim screw, search your model on the internet and find out if it has one.

Click to expand...

I did not know that?

hubs97xj said:

I'd also check to make sure the antenna plug hasn't fallen out of the back of the head unit (assuming the PO even plugged it in). Radio installs are really easy, but people still screw them up pretty often.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I didn't think it would receive anything if the antenna was'nt plugged in? I haven't even checked that?

joe_peters said:

You need to determine if the problem is electronic interference, poor antenna, or a radio issue.

Some radios have an antenna trim screw, search your model on the internet and find out if it has one.

Click to expand...

How does one do that besides moving wire around?

bugout said:

How does one do that besides moving wire around?

Click to expand...

Well, the "easy" way would be to see if the reception is better in the "ACC" position--no engine ignition, no alternator. A little more time intensive is to pull the radio from the dash, run a ground and power wires direct from the battery, and see if the reception is improved--in "ACC" and with the engine running.

Take the suspect radio to one of your other vehicles, power it up and use the other vehicles antenna--you can buy an antenna extension at any Radio Shack.

Or, you could take it to a stereo shop.

I was having reception issues for quite a while until I noticed the antenna wire had come loose under the dash where it just comes in the cab from the antenna mount. Connection was just loose, refitted it and has been working since.