fm radio static

[rraabb11]

for those with:
stock 1 disc
jbl 6 disc
scion hu

do you get alot of static just on a blank station? for use with sirius, i hear it thru the talk radio using any station-the static is just so powerful. is it just my unit or the radio? thank you for the feedback.

ps-if i was to change, should i go with the scion or jbl? sound quality is number one, looks two. dont really care for 6 disc b/c of ipod and sirius.

06 sr5

 

[sketch1]

Normally with any blank station you will get static(signal A), but when you turn on the transmitter it should cause the static to stop and you should only hear the station(signal B). They shouldn't be overlapping one another. That would only happen if signal A is stronger than Signal B. So the problem might be that your Sirius transmitter isn't putting out enough signal. This could be a faulty unit, or perhaps where you have it mounted in the car. The problem might even be with the head unit. Do you receieve clear broadcasts on regular radio stations? If not your antenna might be loose or unplugged from the head unit. And if that is the case it won't receive a strong enough signal from the Sirius unit to overtake the static.

Try taking your sirius unit into your house or another car and see if it works any better. If it does try moving the unit around the cab to other locations. Try using it with the car turned on and off, it could be receiving interference from something in the car (not likely however).

Also I am assuming you have tried different blank radio stations right? Some signals are stronger than others, so if you have not attempted changing FM frequencies I would try that.

 

[rraabb11]

its sitting enclosed in the sunglasses holder. i also have it ran to the the mp3 input in the armrest, and getting bad static as well, using 2 6' long 1/8" head wires with 3 wires (ground? left and right) right now they are connected with gel phone line caps. maybe soldering will help, or they need shielding. i think its the length acting as an antenna. any thoughts?

 

[sketch1]

You say you have it run to the MP3 unit and you are still getting static? Yeah it sounds like you need to shield the wires.

However you kind of lost me with your wiring setup. Are you saying you have 2 6" sections of audio cables coupled and running to the mp3 input? Your description sounds like you are using RCA inputs opposed to a mini jack, but when you say 1/8" plug, that is a mini jack, so I am not clear on what the 2 other cables are. You shouldn't have to ground an audio cable.

 

[rraabb11]

the wires only come in 6' lengths. the ends are raw, the opposite ends have minijack or 1/8" heads. i has 3 wires, one for each speaker side. (mono would have one wire) the other wore is defined as "drip", which i assumed was ground. the guage is real tiny. any ideas as to how to shield? just heat shrink?

 

[sketch1]

Oh I understand what you are saying... you made your own cables. Okay here is what I would do. I would buy a 12' mini jack cable (male to male) and I would run that opposed to using the cable with the raw ends. Just plug one end into the head phone jack (I am assuming it has one, I don't actually know) and then the other into the mp3 jack in the center console. That will save you a lot of headache. It's possible that you need to shield them, it's also possible that the connections are not soldered perfectly. It is a pain to make audio cables, so any time I can avoid it I do. So that is my reccommendation, scrap the 6' sections and go for a pre made. I don't know how you go about shielding a cable...sorry.

 

[ovrrdrive]

Mine does the same thing. A sirius unit using the FM transmitter is almost useless.

My understanding is that the t4r uses an FM signal amplifier and that's my bet as to where the problem is. An over-amplified FM signal makes the same pops and buzzes that I hear over the sirius signal.

I've been using a cassette adapter and getting better results. Actually the sound is a lot nearer to CD sound when using the adapter but there is still some buzzing like the signal is being over-driven.

I'm going to try a hard-wired modulator next.

In all other vehicles the unit works fine using the FM transmitter. But the sound quality is still much , much better using a cassette adapter.

In my area there are only two stations clear enough to use, and on a bad day both are solid static in the t4r.

 

[rraabb11]

could we swap head unit to scion? maybe pioneer doesnt do it-thoughts?