chromeplated500

iTrader: (10)

I haven't ever had very good reception with my radio, compared to my truck. I have cleaned the connections on both ends of the antenae line. Is there anything else that I can do?

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

You have multiple "antennae"?

The segmented power antenna is not the most efficient for reception. Check that the ground at the antenna base is clean and secure. Other than that, you might have to look at getting a fixed-mast antenna for better reception. If you're planning to upgrade your system, aftermarket tuners often have better sensitivity than the factory radio.

ccriderss

you cannot compare the reception of a firebird, to the reception of a truck, that is like comparing "apples and oranges." Try to compare to another similar vehicle, and then decide if your reception is bad. There are many possibilities that can cause bad reception, including a bad tuner inside the radio. And for the most part, i agree with the post above that aftermarket stereos have better reception ( as i have been a professional installer for many year), EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF GM. for some reason, and i do not know why, DELCO RADIOS HAVE THE BEST FM RECEPTION OF ANYTHING ON THE MARKET.

chromeplated500

iTrader: (10)

Alright. sounds like I'm gettin an aftermarket one if the ground doesnt help. now for the other question, why is it so different to compare reception of a truck to a car? both GM. Just not sure I understand the logic behind that.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

No reason I can think of. Trucks will get better AM reception and will be better for transmitting (CB, SW, etc.) because they have better ground planes. Our cars have far less metal in them so they don't present a good "counterpoise" (ground plane) for antennas. However, FM reception isn't based on counterpoise because of its higher frequency and line-of-sight directionality. Cars and trucks use a 31" quarter-wave antenna that is tuned to the center of the FM frequency band and still provides acceptable reception at both ends of the band. I suppose the additional antenna height on taller vehicles like trucks could add somewhat to reception but I wouldn't think the difference would be significant.

Actually, one of the best vehicles for FM reception is the Corvette with its dual antenna diversity system. Diversity systems incorporate electronics to determine which of the two antennae is receiving the stronger signal as the vehicle moves and switches between them as necessary. This switching is so fast that the listener can't hear the difference but it makes the system much better at multipath (reflected signal) rejection which results in better signal and less noise.

chromeplated500

iTrader: (10)

That is some pretty indepth info... makes alot of sense.