radio supressor

[jeffdub]

i know these things are ancient but if i have my stereo on mw for talk sport i cant hear it with the engine running ! i bought a supressor and i was under the impression it fitted to the earth side of the coil is that right ? ive fitted it and its made no difference , should it fit to the alternator somehow ? its just a small black thing on a bracket with a round hole in and a wire with a spade connector cheers jeff

[kevtherev]

I would guess there is a break in the Aeriel sheathing somewhere Jeff

or the antenna plug has a poor conection

[kevtherev]

Charging systems noises heard on a radio is a "Whine". (diode plate, regulator)

" Popping" comes from ignition parts. (leads,caps etc)

again all contacts have to be clean.
Check that you battery earth lead is a good contact too

[jeffdub]

cheers kev the ariel on mine is just a wire that runs inside the windscreen rubber think a proper external ariel is the way to go

[kevtherev]

is it a whine, pop or static...or have you got a full house?

[Wychall]

Back in the pre-historic past, it was normal to fit suppressors to the coil AND the alternator. This however was done AFTER ensuring that HT leads and plug caps were suppressed. If you have plain caps and copper cored leads then no suppressor is going to work.

Also, as Kev suggested, check the condition of the aerial lead, and ensure that it is correctly earthed at both ends. The radio may work with a dodgy earth due to being low current but suppression will require a nice clean connection.

[jeffdub]

its a whine kev that increases if i rev it or have the wipers on and a bit of static thrown in lol

[jeffdub]

looks like i have to put up with the kids having capital radio on brian bloody racket lol

[Wychall]

Take the fuse out and tell them it's faulty!

[ghost123uk]

Your not supposed to fit any kind of suppressor on our electronic ignition coils, it can (will) damage the ignition module.

Whine is from the alternator.

However, you mention M.W. - did you know nearly all car radios have a tiny "trimmer", usually behind a hole on the back or side that you need to adjust to make your M.W. work correctly with your aerial ? It makes a BIG difference. If you get the owners manual for your set it should tell you about it.

Here is a website I found with lots of good info, including about the m.w. trimmer = http://www.chevelles.com/radiotech/reception.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[1664]

Take the fuse out and tell them it's faulty!

Yeah I've done that I went on a two week holiday with someone a few years back. She brought a box of cassettes by assorted 'arteeests' to listen to as we travelled. After a cursory glance when she wasn't looking I waited until she was in the pub and nipped out to "check something in the van". Desperately flicking through the Haynes manual I eventually pulled fuse number 3. Downside was it also killed the cigarette lighter, door courtesy lights and map reading light but that was a small price to pay - you should have seen some of the 'music'.....

[Cruz]

did you know nearly all car radios have a tiny "trimmer", usually behind a hole on the back or side that you need to adjust to make your M.W. work correctly with your aerial

Does nearly all include aftermarket hedunits?

[ghost123uk]

did you know nearly all car radios have a tiny "trimmer", usually behind a hole on the back or side that you need to adjust to make your M.W. work correctly with your aerial

Does nearly all include aftermarket hedunits?

Pardon

Ah, I guess you mean do modern aftermarket head units have this trimmer. Now I have to say sorry but I don't know

This is from an article I found =

TRIMMER ADJUSTMENTS

On all factory radios there is a "trimmer" adjustment screw that is used to optimize AM reception by properly trimming the antenna (electronically). Normally this needs little or no adjustment, but when radio and antenna components get swapped or reception is constantly poor despite a normally operating radio, it may be necessary to use this adjustment.



Follow these steps to adjust the trimmer:

1) Turn on the radio and tune to a weak station on or near 1400 kHz on the AM dial while the engine is off. Make sure there is ample volume so you can hear any differences while adjusting the trimmer. This process should be done in a fairly open area where large objects aren't around to affect normal reception.

2) Make sure all the sheet metal on the car is in place and shut the doors. Remove the tuning knob and knob behind it from the radio. Above the tuning control shaft you will see a small hole, inside is the trimmer adjustment. (Use the above picture as a guide).

3) Use a very small screwdriver that will fit the adjustment screw inside. Because the screwdriver is metal, you will have to make only slight turns at a time and then pull the screwdriver out each time (the screwdriver is metallic and slightly alters the trimming process) before listening to the radio's output from the speaker(s).

4) The idea is not to tighten or loosen the screw completely (remember this is a fragile component), just turn it a little in a direction that gives you the loudest output from the weak station tuned in.

5) Once you have the antenna "trimmed" properly (loudest output achieved), don't adjust the antenna itself (raise or lower the mast if it's telescopic) or you will have to repeat the process again for optimum reception. If you have a windshield antenna, this process can also optimize your reception. If you have a factory rear power antenna, don't worry about "loosing your settings" because the antenna should always extend to the full length every time the radio is on.

6) Install the knobs back on the radio.

My new head unit does not have A.M. (M.W. & L.W) so I cannot look at that one for you
I have a (crappy) Nikkia unit and I cannot find a trimmer on that.
Our "old school" Blaupunkt has got one (it is accessed via the cassette flap ) and on that it makes a world of difference, from no sound other than a faint hiss, to loads of M.W. stations, even foreign ones at night !

I did a bit of googling for you but did not come up with much useful. I think I have come to the conclusion that modern radios (electronically tuned) do not have the trimmer thing (though our electronic tuning Blaupunkt does have one )

Some stuff here = http://www.electronicspoint.com/antenna ... 14491.html

Perhaps an email to your radios manufactures technical department would find out ?

Other than that, if it was me, I would try temporarily adding some length to the aerial (with stiff copper wire and insulation tape) just to see if a bigger aerial would help (M.W. needs a bigger aerial than F.M.) btw, the trimmer we have been talking about is a small capacitor that "fools" the radio into thinking it is connected to a longer aerial than it is. They use them in CB radio "aerial matchers" also.