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Necoa #: 10732
Location: 18(N.CA,N.NV)
Joined: Jan 07, 2008
Posts: 82
Year: 1974
Model: El Camino
Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 1:50 pm Post subject: Bad reception
Well yesterday I installed a stereo into my El Camino for the first time in my life, and I'll tell ya it was a lot easier than I had anticipated. Its all great and everything works fine except for the poor radio reception, I have the antenna plugged in, but it still dosnt come in quite clear. I inspected the line from the antenna, nothing wrong with that, but where the antenna mounts to the fender its loose and where the antenna screws into the mount(dont know the correct term) it is welded onto there. Could this be the reason for poor reception or should I be looking at something else? _________________ -Andrew, 1974 El Camino, finally a 350!
Loose mount could be part or all of the problem. The braided shield in the antenna wire needs to be grounded, or you will have poor reception and pick up noise. The mount needs to be tight and grounded. You might have to loosen part of the inner fender to get to the underside of the mount.
Doug _________________ 85 El Camino 305, TH350, K&N, dual exhausts
87 El Camino 305, 2004R, K&N, dual exhausts
1964-1/2 Mustang conv, 260 V8, dual exhausts
2002 Jaguar XJ8, 2000 Harley Road King
Lakewood, CO
Last edited by dougs85 on Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:54 am; edited 1 time in total
I thought 4 gens all came with the antenna in the windshield!
Mine is but the connection corroded off so I have a piece of speaker wire fastened to the cowl screen right now until I replace tha windshield.
Like Doug said it has to be grounded good to work correctly. Te mast should be 30". _________________ "Still Just Truck'in"
"Johnny"
Bradley, Illinois
Necoa #: 10732
Location: 18(N.CA,N.NV)
Joined: Jan 07, 2008
Posts: 82
Year: 1974
Model: El Camino
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:12 pm Post subject:
PaPa Johns 77 wrote:
I thought 4 gens all came with the antenna in the windshield!
Mine is but the connection corroded off so I have a piece of speaker wire fastened to the cowl screen right now until I replace tha windshield.
Like Doug said it has to be grounded good to work correctly. Te mast should be 30".
Maybe thats why I have two wires for the antenna? Either way, whichever one I have plugged in dosn't make much of a difference. _________________ -Andrew, 1974 El Camino, finally a 350!
Necoa #: 2321
Location: 15(AZ,NM)
Joined: Jan 30, 2004
Posts: 1169
Year: 1974
Model: El Camino
Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 3:26 am Post subject:
Yeah, I still have the windshield antenna and reception is good so long as I'm pointed at the radio towers.
If somebody put a regular whip antenna on yours they probably got sick of bad reception too...
Grounding is critically important as are making sure the connections are tight and free of corrosion.
I've tried in line antenna boosters and they can help but it's really just a bandaid solution.
I've gotten to the point now that I look at the receiver sensitivity and am drawn to words like "supertuner"
_________________ 74 El Camino Classic - project car #1
96 Camaro - RIP, Traded 10-16-2007
2008 Mustang GT, It ain't a Chevy but at least it's American!
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