Recently I traded in my 2008 Volvo for a 2011 Honda CRV. I noticed that many(but not all) stations have static in the background. Some are clear and some the static seems to come and go. I never had this with my Volvo's radio and all the stations I listen to were clear all the time. Any ideas on what the problem may be? Is this an easy fix? Thanks!
Question about car Audio/radio static
- Thread starter Chris B.
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Garbage radio the antenna/radio is not grounded properly.
Originally Posted By: chainblu
Does the static go away with the engine off?
2nd this? noise supression device?
Does the static go away with the engine off?
2nd this? noise supression device?
Originally Posted By: Chris B.
Recently I traded in my 2008 Volvo for a 2011 Honda CRV. I noticed that many(but not all) stations have static in the background. Some are clear and some the static seems to come and go. I never had this with my Volvo's radio and all the stations I listen to were clear all the time. Any ideas on what the problem may be? Is this an easy fix? Thanks!
If it is a 2011 CRV, it is probably still under the factory warranty. Why don't you just take it back to your local Honda dealership for diagnosis?
Recently I traded in my 2008 Volvo for a 2011 Honda CRV. I noticed that many(but not all) stations have static in the background. Some are clear and some the static seems to come and go. I never had this with my Volvo's radio and all the stations I listen to were clear all the time. Any ideas on what the problem may be? Is this an easy fix? Thanks!
If it is a 2011 CRV, it is probably still under the factory warranty. Why don't you just take it back to your local Honda dealership for diagnosis?
Does the AM reception work? If not, the antenna is bad. Like others have said, it is best to take the car back to the dealer. Probably all they will do is replace the radio but maybe they can also check the antenna too. It could be that the antenna cable has a kink in it somewhere or has a bad connection. It could also be that the radio in your old Volvo just had a better tuner and/or antenna. Maybe ask the dealer if you could test drive another 2011 CR-V and see if it has the same radio reception problem.
I concur re: having the place you bought it at check it out.
As the owner of a 1998 V70 though, they have an excellent AM/FM frontend as I'm amazed at the distant stations I regularly receive, even in the daytime. You didn't specify AM or FM. Could be a fault or just a lousy Honda radio.
As the owner of a 1998 V70 though, they have an excellent AM/FM frontend as I'm amazed at the distant stations I regularly receive, even in the daytime. You didn't specify AM or FM. Could be a fault or just a lousy Honda radio.
Are you listening to AM or FM ??
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Are you listening to AM or FM ??
Mostly FM but I tried AM today and most stations were clear for the most part. Sometime the FM sounds clear and great and then the static is back. Engine off and on does not seem to make a difference as far as I can tell. I have another Volvo(2004XC70) and some of the same stations on it's raide have a tiny bit of static too but it seems better over all then the Honda.
Are you listening to AM or FM ??
Mostly FM but I tried AM today and most stations were clear for the most part. Sometime the FM sounds clear and great and then the static is back. Engine off and on does not seem to make a difference as far as I can tell. I have another Volvo(2004XC70) and some of the same stations on it's raide have a tiny bit of static too but it seems better over all then the Honda.
radios come with different receiver sensitivity and adjacent noise rejection... just part of the design. I can't recall who used to build honda radios or who builds them now... but in the late 80's and early 90's, their reception was some of the weakest I've known and auto-reverse mechanisms had a small ball bearing that was the achilles heel of the unit. They changed radically in the early-mid 90's and reception improved a lot.
Some areas do better with weak reception, especially in a crowded cit where busy airwaves can overwhelm a receiver.
stubby antennas, long antenna lines (rear roof mount), in-glass antennas, power antennas, all lose some signal when compared to a solid whip.
I can't fathom dealer techs understanding RF at that level or even having test equipment to discern equipment sensitivity / rejection.
See if they'll swap the radio... it could be a fault, or it could just be a weak design.
Some areas do better with weak reception, especially in a crowded cit where busy airwaves can overwhelm a receiver.
stubby antennas, long antenna lines (rear roof mount), in-glass antennas, power antennas, all lose some signal when compared to a solid whip.
I can't fathom dealer techs understanding RF at that level or even having test equipment to discern equipment sensitivity / rejection.
See if they'll swap the radio... it could be a fault, or it could just be a weak design.
Usually the limiter circuits in FM receivers do a good job on impluse noise such as generated by ignition systems. AM is the more difficult mode to keep noise free. If the AM is OK with the engine ON but FM is not I would suspect a problem with the receiver itself. If you hear a "pop pop pop" which changes with engine speed it's ignition, if it is more of a whine it may be an alternator problem, but either way I would suspect AM to be worse. If your Honda has a small amplified antenna instead of wires in the glass I would suspect that as well. Ask to listen to another CRV on the lot with the same antenna and radio. If it sounds noisy on FM as well, you may be stuck with the noise until you put in a good aftermarket radio. There is plenty of info on the net about noise reduction in mobile radio installations, mostly HF radio.
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I have checked several other radios in different cars and most of them sound similer to my Honda on all stations. Maybe my Volvo was like this too and I never noticed? After hearing several and they are all the same I think my Honda raido is ok. Even the worst static is not not ban and you have to listen for it to notice. It is faint crackling in the background. Some stations are 100% clear.
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