Have you ever wondered why sometimes your radio loses signal reception while driving?
We know how that can be quite frustrating since you cannot enjoy listening to your radio program properly sometimes. Since AM radios are delicate devices, there are a few things you could to do improve your AM radio reception in the car. For example, the first thing to check is whether or not your antenna is set properly. To find out how to do that, keep reading this article.
On the other hand, if you keep experiencing these issues with reception even after you have tried your best to fix it, your radio might not work properly. All that you can do in that case is to check whether your equipment is in good condition or check with the professionals. Anyways, let’s start with how to get better AM radio reception in a car!
5 Ways to improve AM radio reception in the Car
- Examine your antenna
- Fully extended antenna
- Think of purchasing a new antenna
- Consider adding an amplifier
- Your unit is the problem
1. Examine your antenna
When an antenna malfunctions, and is not giving you the best radio reception, you might need to check if it has been set up correctly. Even if your antenna has been working great from the beginning, but ended up malfunctioning now, there might be an issue with the connections.
If your antenna has not been set and connected well, it’s only natural that it will sometimes loose connection with the signal, and end up giving you poor reception.
To check that, you will need to find all of the antenna connection cables and see if they have been placed in the right place. If you spot that any cable has not been connected properly, you might need to reconnect or change it. This is one of the common reasons why any AM car radio does not have a proper reception, so, check this first.
2. Fully extended antenna
Have you have checked your antenna connections, and came to the conclusion that everything was okay with it, but you still do not have great reception, there are still some things you could try doing. For example, step out of your car and see if the antenna extends fully while your car is turned on.
An antenna that has not been fully extended will not be able to deliver good quality reception. So, if you see that your antenna is not extending fully, you will probably need to get a professional to check it. On top of that, if the antenna is leaning towards one end, that also might be an issue. Either way, consult with professionals to try and solve the problem.
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- How to improve AM radio reception at home
- How to Boost the Radio Signals in a Building?
- How does an AM radio work
3. Think of purchasing a new antenna
Antennas are inexpensive devices. If you doubt that your antenna might be causing you problems with reception, it’s better to replace it. Of course, consider replacing it only after you have checked its connection and whether or not it’s extended fully.
Of course, if you have been inspecting your antenna, and you end up finding a broken piece of it somewhere, that is also your cue that it’s absolutely the time to change it.
When looking at antennas to purchase, make sure to get just the right one for your AM radio. Try not to buy those that might be too powerful for your radio.
4. Consider adding an amplifier
Of course, you are here because your radio has not been receiving signals as it used to. Amplifiers are devices that are able to boost up your AM radio’s reception.
If you are wondering if the amplifier is just the right thing your AM radio needs in order to be able to receive strong signals, here’s how to check that.
- First of all, turn on your AM radio and try to connect to any particular radio station
- Is your radio is able to find, and eventually tune into any kind of AM radio station? If your answer is yes, but the sound coming out of your radio’s speakers is very weak, and looks like it is being interrupted by something, you might need an amplifier. On the other hand, if your radio cannot find any radio stations at all, and you have previously checked that your antenna is not the issue, then the problem must be the unit.
Adding an amplifier to your AM radio is a great thing you could do. Actually, even if your radio does not have any issues with reception, hooking up an amplifier to it could be a great idea. Amplifiers generally make signal reception better this means that your radio will probably be able to receive some radio stations it wasn’t able to receive before.
5. Your unit is the problem
And lastly, if you have tried all of the options above, tested them, and saw that neither of them works well, the issue is probably your head unit. The head unit is probably malfunctioning, is broken, or it wasn’t hooked right in the first place.
But, do not panic! Before being in a bummer that you will have to spend money and purchase a new head unit, check to see if it has been hooked to your whole car system right. In some cases, it might happen that your unit is not hooked right, or that some cables got mixed together. So, before all, check that first!
On the other hand, if that’s certainly not the case, one is sure- you will need to buy a new head unit. Tuners could break easily, but do not worry, you could find a cheap replacement. On the other hand, if you are willing to invest more money into a good quality head unit, you should definitely do that! Not only will you be sure that your new head unit is among the best-rated ones on the market, but, it will certainly work, and serve you well for years!
The epilogue on how to improve AM radio reception in the car
Lastly, we really hope that we were able to help you with your issue. However, remember that you could always take your car to professionals and get the whole radio issue professionally checked. If you do not want to do anything by yourself, and risk breaking something, consulting a professional is certainly the right choice for you.
On the other hand, if you are bold, and like to investigate that sort of thing, make sure to try all of our methods in order. You will probably see what has been causing the issue, and get it fixed in no time.
Thank you for joining us here today. We hope that you were able to improve AM radio reception in your car or get better am radio reception in a car with our tips!
