Increase fm stereo reception

[Pyrojodge]

Hey guys,

I have never had great stereo reception on Aftica. I installed a digital TV antenna that had an out for stereo. It did not seem to make a difference. No that I have installed the Fusion Av700 I feel like reception has gotten worse. What can i do to increase or help with the reception? Thanks for the responses guys!

 

[Molson]

if you can, hook up an FM antenna with the thin wire that exits from the standard antenna connection to stereo. Wrap that wire around a bow rail stanchion nut and bolt. It will essentially make your bow rail the FM antenna. Other option is to install an externally mounted antenna.

 

[Pyrojodge]

Hey Molson,

Tried the bow rail idea... no help...

I installed an external antenna with not much help. It has a round jack that you plug an adapter to...

Like this without the grey coupler.

 

[Molson]

how far away are your FM radio transmitters? I'm getting about 50 miles on my bow rail mount. But the stations I'd normally get in my car from a distance I cant reliably get on my boat.Only local (less than 50 miles, 50,000 watt transmitters)

 

[just me]

XM..

 

[IanBat]

On the last trailer boat, I ran a 2.4M oh sorry 8' fm antenna, same size as my VHF antenna, so VHF on one side of the boat, fm on the other. I like the look of twin antennas!

Reception was brilliant, I could pick up stations well over 200km away


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Pietro]

On the last trailer boat, I ran a 2.4M oh sorry 8' fm antenna, same size as my VHF antenna, so VHF on one side of the boat, fm on the other. I like the look of twin antennas!

Reception was brilliant, I could pick up stations well over 200km away


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I did just the same. One Shakespeare for VHF and another one for FM. Works perfectly and it's nice too!

 

[Phlorida]

Hey Molson,

Tried the bow rail idea... no help...

I installed an external antenna with not much help. It has a round jack that you plug an adapter to...

Like this without the grey coupler.

What kind of antenna did you install? Is it one of the 8' antenna's in the picture of your boat? Is it an AM/FM antenna? I have an 8' Shakespeare AM/FM antenna on my boat and I pick up much more distant stations than I do with my car in the same area.

 

[tbirdvet]

Are you sure it is not the radio? Try a portable unit and campare the signals?

 

[Pyrojodge]

Here's what I got,

It is a round Majestic Triax UFO Aerial antenna...



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Majestic-Tr...857?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a1fac15a1

It has A line In specifically for the radio. I can't imagine it's the new stereo because the old one had pretty crummy reception as well. Now in the car I get tons of stations but just 20' away I get just a few.


So If I understand you guys correctly? I can take a VHF antenna just like the one on my STBD side and wire it directly into my stereo and make it an FM antenna? That would be great. I have an old Loran antenna that I want to replace but didn't want to off set the balance of the boat. (visually that is)

 

[sdarc]

As a guess maybe it is your antenna or could it be the antenna cable itself?

 

[dpmulvey]

As a guess maybe it is your antenna or could it be the antenna cable itself?

I'm thinking cable is rotted or shorting as well. I have dockmates getting 50 miles of reception on a rubber duckie antenna.

WRT the antenna, Shakespeare makes an 8' AM/FM antenna that looks exactly like a VHF antenna. You could also get a smaller 3 foot laydown AM/FM antenna that mounts to your arch and put a second VHF antenna opposite your current one in the event you ever wanted to install a backup radio.

 

[Gunn]

WRT the antenna, Shakespeare makes an 8' AM/FM antenna that looks exactly like a VHF antenna.

This is what I have. I ran it down the port side of the radar arch and into the cabin behind the stereo. Works great!

 

[IanBat]

Hi Jason, I think you can use a VHF, though you can get FM antennas that match the VHF in appearance, as that's what I use.

Incidentally, have you got that majestic hooked up to a tv? How is the reception on the tv if so.?

What I am getting to here is those aerials need to be powered, the power feeds back up through the coax. I run a GME unit and have run all new coax etc, and was having reception issues on the tv. Turned out to be the brand new marine tv! Anyway I had the v8 super cars playing whilst I was on the boat and was replacing the ball valve in the vacuflush. I switched the battery isolator off to stop the vacuflush and lost all tv reception, no signal message on the screen. Took me a minute to realise I had killed the 12v feed up the coax. I tested it, to prove my theory, and with now power it, no reception.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Pyrojodge]

Thanks everyone!

I have decent TV reception. 25 channels or so. I also have a red indicator to let me know the power is on. I don't believe it to be a faulty coax as they are only 2 years old and I have TV. I am going to buy the FM antenna and replace the old Lorna one... wanted to do it for years but didn't know what to replace it with until now!