New Crossfire owner (2004 Coupe & LOVE LOVE LOVE it). I primarily listen to AM sports radio and the reception is horrible.. Has anyone experienced improvement with an aftermarket deck or will it require an antenna upgrade too?

Current project(s):
- BT ODB2 -> Android tablet mount running torque
- Considering a Eurocharge
- Potential stereo replacement

 

I replaced the head unit and I think AM got worse. The AM specs on modern head units suck, been that ways for 25 years.

 

Thank you for the post.. It's a shame AM is so neglected. I'll probably just end up streaming it via TuneIn over bluetooth ::sigh::

 

Juat a few random thoughts on this ...

1. You might consider upgrading to an aftermarket radio that has "HD radio" capabilities? While HD Radio is primarily advertised as a benefit to FM listeners ("digital, near CD quality sound" and "ability to tune in as many as 3 additional sub-carrier stations broadcast along with the primary station's content"), many AM station also support HD radio, giving you FM stereo type sound quality.

2. I would think you probably could upgrade the antenna on the car to improve your AM reception, but that would probably take some experimenting with various lengths of antennas and so forth. The last time I checked, most car stereos simply used the same antenna connection for both the AM and the FM reception. (Some may simply use an internal coil type antenna in the radio itself for AM?) The ones that work best have diversity antennas from the factory, but you rarely see these anymore except on a few high-end luxury cars. (The diversity setup usually has one grid-type antenna built into the window glass that's optimized for AM reception, and a second antenna connector from the stereo goes to a standard whip or telescoping antenna for the FM.)

 

Interesting, I didnt realize some AM stations had HD. That would be cool.. I'll look up my stations online and see if they have HD available. It's too bad new stereos are all polished black now :| It seems only the marine stereos are silver and they don't have bluetooth.. Might just have to deal with the eye-sore of stark blk on silver.

I'm thinking the CTS I just sold had a diversity antenna then, because its reception was incredible.. This is great info, thank you!

 

Actually, there are a few marine stereos out there with silver faceplates that support bluetooth!

For example, the Clarion M-502:

Amazon.com: Clarion Mobile Electronics M502 Boating Radio: GPS & Navigation

 

WOW, that Clarion is gorgeous! By Bluetooth, I'm primarily concerned with getting Hands-Free calling with noise cancellation. My preference is a head unit with Parrot BT hands free like the current Kenwood decks. I'll hunt the Marine units some more

 

Kingtj,

It looks like Clarion is in fact using Parrot technology for the hands-free mic! I think I'll give it a try. I'm a little worried a built in mic will be very effective for noise cancellation but they have an external add-on. Quality of the mic looks weak to my eyes though its worth a go