On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 14:45:26 GMT, Nick wrote:
Thanks for help and answer. I did remove radio and the only thing on
back is the 2 modular plugs which I presume one is the power cables
and the other the ground and speaker wires. They are all bound in a
loom and terminate at a modular plug into the radio. I pulled them out
and none loose. Also the antenna jack was firmly seated and also not
loose. No ground wire on back of unit.There is a black wire in the
wire plug that may somewhere in the harness lead to a ground somewhere
probably a common one for all components of low voltage in car. Also
no adjustment screw since it is digital radio and factory stock
supplied to Toyota. The antenna to specify is a 18-21 inch single rod
screwed onto mast mount or wheel flare in passenger front. It is black
coated with what seems to be a wire coiled from bottom to top under
the black and usually found on all factory cars. It is a radio
antenna no other communications. I know atmosphere, weather,
mountians, etc. plaque reception but this is beyond that and compared
as I said in alot of field testing by me compared to otehr vehicles
and also past performers. I am at a standstill to as why. Radio is
fairly easy to remove with 4 screws on bexel face plate with a number
6 hex wrench and 4 -10mm screws under and slides right out. Booster
installed did do nothing., Not worse but not better either. In cities
may get along fine but in the rural and small town areas where i live
work and play is another story. Any suggestions for anotehr antenna
that would fit the screww on stub mount to improve it. Nick
In your original post, you seemed to say that working the electric
windows improved the radio for a time . . . If it did, that's a darn
good symptom.
Being digital doesn't change the laws of physics, there still may be
an adjustment in the back or under the front bezel - but like I said
that is mainly for AM reception, and if the car/radio is stock that
would have been set at the factory. The adjustment is only necessary
where the manufacturer intends the radio to be used with different
cable/antenna combinations.
Was it always bad? or did it go bad? That tells you something . . .
Is there some objective way you can say the sensitivity is low? Like
the stereo indicator came on at some location and no longer does?
Are you talking about one station primarily? If so, has there been
some structure added where you live that may account for poor
sensitivity? AM doesn't care, it goes around bends and structure; FM
is more "line of sight." FM works better with elevated transmit and
receive antennas and nothing between them.
There isn't a push button marked "DX" on it? That's jargon for
"distance" and increases the gain of the receiver.
In your original post you said you changed radios antennas and cables
- I get the feeling from the second post that you did not?
Antennas do make a difference. A higher antenna will work better, one
tuned to the wavelength of the frequency you want to receive will work
better. But a car is very limited. You can't really raise the
antenna enough to make much of a difference. The wavelength has to
suit many frequencies and is a "random wire" (not cut to a specific
frequency - but tuned to the frequency).
Somewhere between your first and second post I get the idea that your
perception is based more on subjective feelings than objective facts.
There may be a problem, I'm not saying there isn't; but if you want to
know what is going on you have to be objective. You can't compare
your car radio to a home receiver with a better antenna or cable and
expect the same performance.
If you haven't changed cables or antennas, do so. Even a 8 foot
length of wire hung out the window will be better than a defective
antenna or cable.
Check with other people, see if other cars have better performance.
I know of no magic antenna or amplifier that can make a signal where
none exists. There is no antenna or amp that will correct a defective
receiver, there is no receiver that will correct a defective antenna
or cable. You can optimize things like the antenna length or add a
booster to buy a small increase in sensitivity.
Radios sometimes have an extra wire coming out that isn't used - some
radios use it as a signal that the radio is turned on so that some
other device in the car will be able to respond (like motorized
antennas that go up when you switch on the radio)
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