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Re: AM Radio Reception
Posted by Loren Amelang - http://saabnet.com/tsn/forms/e.php (more from Loren Amelang - http://saabnet.com/tsn/forms/e.php) on Fri, 4 Apr 2003 13:06:30
In Reply to: , Kok Chen, Sat, 17 Dec 1988 12:00:00 

>Is there any way possible to boost the reception on the factory radio on a
>1996 900 SE? Ever since new, and this is even the second radio they've had in
>the car, it has been rubbish on the AM band.

AM radio has become a neglected afterthought, with reception of even 
expensive sets nowhere near what even the cheapest car radio provided in, 
say, 1950. One difference is there is no longer an antenna trimmer. In the 
old days there was a back-panel tuning adjustment that matched the antenna 
(at the height you wanted to run it) to the input stage of the AM tuner. It 
did nothing for FM, but made a world of difference in the strength of AM 
stations.

About all you can do now about signal strength is make sure you have a good 
antenna, a good ground at its base, and a good cable between there and the 
radio. A marginal antenna can work fine for FM but provide lousy AM. You 
might try buying a simple and cheap aftermarket antenna, plugging it 
directly into the radio, and holding it out the window - if your AM 
reception improves, you know you have an antenna or cable problem...  You 
don't have a CD changer signal injector or suchlike device in series with 
your antenna cable, do you?

And then there is interference. You didn't say what kind of rubbish you 
were getting. AM is much more sensitive to all kinds of noise - static from 
wheel hubs, whine from motors or alternator, raspy noises from digital 
electronics. Each one must be tracked down individually and suppressed. A 
cheap portable radio tuned off station is handy for exploring noise sources.

Good Luck!

Loren
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