terrible reception on my factory radio?

 

Moved to Audio Forum

You posted this in "Roadsters", so we can assume you are talking about a radio in a Roadster. This means you have one of our beloved black whip antennas on the back of the car. These are known to deteriorate and physically go bad, but not go bad in reception, so much.

The system is simple, you have the head (am/fm radio), the antenna, the antenna cable and inline preamp. The factory radios are getting old. Many have upgraded to current products commonly available everywhere from WalMart to Amazon. If the actual issue is the antenna system, (not too common) a new radio won't fix anything. But most of the time, a new radio IS the answer.

Is your reception bad on AM or FM? When tuned to an AM station say, 50 miles away, do you hear your spark plugs popping away? Do you hear alternator whine in the speakers?
Help us by telling us more than "terrible reception" - that is too vague.