Are our stock radios really this bad. It has been like this for a long time so I always have to listen to cds. The antenna is hooked up but this sucks. I get literally one station and ofcourse its what I don't listen too. Interference from wideband or other gauges maybe?
radio static is driving me nuts
- Thread starter whi tri
- Start date
yup it I small one......great
I guess ill try that since I have a junked explorer behind our shop
I'm not even sure if my radio works.. I don't think I've ever had it on the entire time I've owned my car lol.
Take the antenna and the wiring out of the Explorer, plug that wiring into your radio and try hiding the antenna in the dash or up in the a-pillar. It is okay to bend it a little bit. Try that first and if it doesn't work then just put the antenna back on the factory mount.
I thought there were a lot of folks that shaved the antenna mounting off of their cars and mounted the antenna under the dash, right above the headliner or in the a-pillar and didn't lose any functionality. You could keep the stubby on the outside just to fill the spot.
If there are sources of interference you can check by putting the AM radio on, selecting the lowest station possible, then drive the car and see if it the noise follows vehicle speed or engine speed. If so the major sources of interference are coils, alternator and grounds that are contaminated. Make sure you haven't grounded any gauges or aftermarket equipment near the radio ground and that the radio ground is tight and good to go.
You might be able to find an after-market kit that mounts to the front or rear window glass as well. The new cars have them mounted in the window kind of like the defroster grid so it gives it the same surface area if not more. I've never looked into it but I got to think somebody offers a stick on antenna grid that you could put in the back and never see it or in the front high enough that it would be in the tinted area.
SV
I thought there were a lot of folks that shaved the antenna mounting off of their cars and mounted the antenna under the dash, right above the headliner or in the a-pillar and didn't lose any functionality. You could keep the stubby on the outside just to fill the spot.
If there are sources of interference you can check by putting the AM radio on, selecting the lowest station possible, then drive the car and see if it the noise follows vehicle speed or engine speed. If so the major sources of interference are coils, alternator and grounds that are contaminated. Make sure you haven't grounded any gauges or aftermarket equipment near the radio ground and that the radio ground is tight and good to go.
You might be able to find an after-market kit that mounts to the front or rear window glass as well. The new cars have them mounted in the window kind of like the defroster grid so it gives it the same surface area if not more. I've never looked into it but I got to think somebody offers a stick on antenna grid that you could put in the back and never see it or in the front high enough that it would be in the tinted area.
SV
Get a louder exhaust and listen to that. Music to my ears.
If the shorty isn't working but you really don't want to go back to the TALL factory antenna, here is an excellent and easy to do solution (that doesn't affect the signal reception) from my Terminator FAQs. How To Shorten Your Factory Antenna
Well I came home and put the 10ft explorer antenna on and nothing changed. It's been so long since I put the shorty antenna on and I'm sure I would've noticed if my radio immediatly sounded like crap. I guess I'll check for grounds
do you still have the hood blanket with the ground?
The stock radio is pretty decent from my experience. I can pick up my home town stations to about 50 miles away before the static gets too unbearable, and I have a UPR shorty. I would say make sure your antenna connector is pushed all the way in and has a good connection. Trace the antenna wire all the way to the antenna and make sure it didn't get cut or pinched or anything.
You can always get a replacement stock radio for pretty cheap from a junkyard or eBay. If you want to go aftermarket, the new "hd radio" are great, it's still fm radio, just digital. Makes a huge difference.
You can always get a replacement stock radio for pretty cheap from a junkyard or eBay. If you want to go aftermarket, the new "hd radio" are great, it's still fm radio, just digital. Makes a huge difference.
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There are 2 little boxes that bolt to the back of the head which are supposed to work as radio-wave-interference-eliminators (or something like that). They're grey and have electrical connectors that go to them. Maybe yours have failed or are unplugged.
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