Help me trouble shoot bad am/fm reception

[kjoyes]

I need help trouble shooting bad am/fm reception
i have a pioneer after market radio so i am only using the antenna to get reception.
i get one station. that is unexceptable....

[icingdeath88]

Are you sure you plugged it into the antenna, and not the defroster? Try plugging it into the other antenna plug, and double check that it's plugged in nice and tight.

[kjoyes]

hi everything is pluged in i have the 18inch extention pluged from the back of headunit to the black female connector that runs to a plug that plugs into the antenna assembly.

[icingdeath88]

Originally Posted by kjoyes

hi everything is pluged in i have the 18inch extention pluged from the back of headunit to the black female connector that runs to a plug that plugs into the antenna assembly.

There are 2 plugs back there that your extension could have found its way toward. Are you sure it's the right one? If not, try the other one. It's back there somewhere.

[kjoyes]

yes i am sure i am not in the small gray wire antenna that goes to the rear defroster that has a male plug
i have a male to male extention so i wont even go in that plug.

[LastSVXintheChi]

my radio get all fuzzy when i turn the rear defrost on...does that happen to anyone else?

[kjoyes]

I tested the the antenna with a multimeter for continuity one end on the mast and the other on the connector,and i got a beep so does that mean my antenna is working fine?
if you reception is getting bad with the defrost on it might be a grounding issue.

[SVXdc]

Originally Posted by kjoyes

I need help trouble shooting bad am/fm reception
i have a pioneer after market radio ...

Originally Posted by kjoyes

i have the 18inch extention pluged from the back of headunit to the black female connector that runs to a plug that plugs into the antenna assembly.

Originally Posted by kjoyes

i am not in the small gray wire antenna that goes to the rear defroster that has a male plug
i have a male to male extention so i wont even go in that plug.

That is the wrong one. The factory antenna cable with the male Motorola plug is the one that goes to the SVX's motorized antenna. You need an 18" extension cable (female to male). Technically, your male to male cable is a gender changer.

See picture here.

Here's how I remember which antenna lead goes where: Imagine if the car's antenna cables could reach the rear of your aftermarket head unit. The correct one that you should use is the one that you could plug directly into the Motorola socket on the back of the HU (if it would reach).

Contrary to what I wrote in my SVX Audio guide (and need to fix), the second antenna (on the rear glass) is a separate section of foil -- it's not part of the rear defogger. You can get noise from the defogger (often caused by bad ground leads back there), but that's due to the proximity, not because the antenna is using the same foil.

After switching to the motorized antenna, if you still have poor reception, you may need to clean the mast and contacts. See this thread:

Does the mast antenna ever go bad? Reception problems.