Car radio tuner sensitivity

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D1023319

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#18572 15-Jan-2008 10:37

Hi,

I need a car radio that can tune into the local radio stations better than my current one. (apart from the fact my kids have knocked most of the channel selector buttons off).

So is there anyway to tell when selecting a radio how well the tuner will perform.??

Cheers

grant_k

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#104920 15-Jan-2008 11:10

By the sounds of it, you may have a Japanese Import radio (76-90MHz) with a "Band Expander". The sensitivity of this type of radio when tuned to our local band (88-108MHz) is rubbish.

For about $200 you can buy a replacement Radio/CD player from a local store which is tuned to the correct band 88-108MHz used in NZ and just about every country except for Japan. It would be money well spent and you will find the sensitivity is vastly improved.

ZollyMonsta

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#104934 15-Jan-2008 11:38

Some have 'DX' (distant reception) which can improve poor signal coming into the car radio.

Cheers,
Grant

Check out my LPFM Radio Station at www.thecheese.co.nz - Now on iHeart Radio, TuneIn and Radio Garden

As per the usual std disclaimer.. "All thoughts typed here are my own."

D1023319

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#105124 16-Jan-2008 08:28

Thanks for the feedback.

Yeh - my current radio is a japanese although I dont know if it has a band extender.

Anyway during a brief look around the shops, as you say some radios have "far away" boost although I found myself being distracted by a USB input.

Cheers

Dratsab

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#105143 16-Jan-2008 10:04

You may also want to think about distracting yourself further and looking at a bluetooth car stereo if you have a bluetooth capable phone or thinking of purchasing one in the near future. There's several offerings of bluetooth car stereos around and having the car stereo act as your hands-free kit is quite convenient, especially as you wouldn't have to worry about reaching over to turn down the music then pressing an answer button before you call goes to voicemail etc.

Run an NZ Google search on "Bluetooth car stereo" and you'll find some useful links/information, including commentaries previously posted on Geekzone.

n00dy

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#105283 16-Jan-2008 21:30

one area that is often missed is the antenna, lot of people forget that this piece of the equation is very important, some things to watch out for is, ensure the aerial has a good earth, that is that the base of the antenna has a good clean contact with the body of the car, it the antenna in mounted on the guard some antennas have a seperate earth cable which sometimes needs removing, cleaning (both body and terminal) same applies to a pillar or roof mount undo the screws and clean off any corrosion. Also if the cable to the radio has a join or extension ensure they are free from corrosion

grant_k

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#105298 16-Jan-2008 22:30

D1023319: Yeh - my current radio is a japanese although I dont know if it has a band extender.

The way to tell is by the Tuning Range:

If your radio tunes from 76-90MHz it is a Japanese Import.

If it tunes from 88-108MHz it is designed for the standard FM band used in NZ and almost all other countries except Japan.

D1023319

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#105324 17-Jan-2008 09:18

thanks

I checked the aerial earth ground first up so this isnt the cause.

yes I agree Blue tooth link for handfree phone is good idea as my phone has this capability.
FYI Supercheap has Sony model for $300 ish but I have been really surprised by the offering on trademe for the same models at $150 or so less.

AliExpress

Shop now on AliExpress (affiliate link).

PIERCD

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#105357 17-Jan-2008 11:47

A few years ago when I worked in the Car Audio industry, we did some radio reception comparisons among manufacturers. The clear winner in this field was Alpine closly followed by Pioneer. Of course there were some variance in models (you get what you pay for at the end of the day) but in comparable models and price points Alpine was the model to go for Radio reception, they also had one of the better CD mechs as well.