Poor AM radio reception

[Coug]

My 2012 Genesis gets absolutely terrilble AM radio reception, while the FM reception is crystal clear. There are some older threads on this topic but they focused on window tinting. I do not have tinted windows. I've driven dozens of cars in my locale, and even the sorriest of cars gets good AM radio reception. Has anyone experienced this problem with the AM radio?

 

[DRS]

The AM SUCKS!!! By when it does pick up a Channel that has HD, is sounds amazing for AM. Especially if one is a illegal alien listening to the "La Rasa" (the race) run AM HD channel.

 

[landtuna]

AM radio reception has deteriorated substantially over the past few decades due to overcrowding of signals, interference from neon lights/computers/all manner of other electrical sources PLUS modern AM radio circuits are just not as selective as older units tended to be.

Another potential cause, if you live where there are AM stations operating in "HD" mode are the HD sidebands which bleed over into other adjacent frequencies. This is usually heard as a "hiss".

I can be parked in front of a store with neon lights on the front and the static on AM, even a powerful station, will make it very irritating to listen to. This is a common complaint inside a car or out.

There is no solution for AM's problems as the FCC has seen fit to ignore all these problems apparently hoping AM will go away.

 

[ockevin]

also...make sure your rear window sunshade is not up...it affects the reception.

 

[mtrot]

My 2012 Genesis gets absolutely terrilble AM radio reception, while the FM reception is crystal clear. There are some older threads on this topic but they focused on window tinting. I do not have tinted windows. I've driven dozens of cars in my locale, and even the sorriest of cars gets good AM radio reception. Has anyone experienced this problem with the AM radio?

Yeah, my AM reception is terrible. Even on strong stations there is a garbled distortion. It seems to be worse when in an area with lots of power lines along the street. I wonder if it is some sort of switching distortion.

 

[mtrot]

also...make sure your rear window sunshade is not up...it affects the reception.

Hey, that is a great tip! So far, I have always driven with that sunshade up, but I will check it out with it down.

 

[EXBMWGUY]

We get one Minneapolis am station 1130, 80 miles to Menominee WI clear as a bell, sunshade down or up. When we lose that, we go to am 550 in Wausau and get it another 75-80 miles to Park Falls. I really believe there's something else going on here that the dealer needs to look at.

 

[Coug]

AM radio reception has deteriorated substantially over the past few decades due to overcrowding of signals, interference from neon lights/computers/all manner of other electrical sources PLUS modern AM radio circuits are just not as selective as older units tended to be.

Another potential cause, if you live where there are AM stations operating in "HD" mode are the HD sidebands which bleed over into other adjacent frequencies. This is usually heard as a "hiss".

I can be parked in front of a store with neon lights on the front and the static on AM, even a powerful station, will make it very irritating to listen to. This is a common complaint inside a car or out.

There is no solution for AM's problems as the FCC has seen fit to ignore all these problems apparently hoping AM will go away.

I get the gradual degredation of the AM space over the years. But I have two other cars that get great reception on the three local AM stations driving around town, but the reception on my Genesis is so poor I can't even understand what is being said. The dealer has worked on the antenna and completely replaced the radio, with no improvement. Because my other vehicles do not have this problem I believe it is something about the Genesis system.

 

[landtuna]

I get the gradual degredation of the AM space over the years. But I have two other cars that get great reception on the three local AM stations driving around town, but the reception on my Genesis is so poor I can't even understand what is being said. The dealer has worked on the antenna and completely replaced the radio, with no improvement. Because my other vehicles do not have this problem I believe it is something about the Genesis system.

AH! You didn't say in your original post that the radio had been replaced.

I don't know what "worked on the antenna" means but if the radio itself has been eliminated as the source of the problem then the antenna and its associated wiring deserve to be looked at next.

You can have the dealer test this easily enough by connecting a normal whip antenna to the radio and holding it out the window as you drive and dial between stations (being careful not to ground the antenna), You may get better results if you can talk the dealer into letting a genuine radio technician work on it instead of an oil change tech who reads from the instruction manual.

My understanding is the AM/FM antenna is located inside the rear window glass (embedded). If you have metallic window tint covering the window it will affect reception. If the antenna wire inside the window has been cut or broken reception can also be affected.

Check the radio settings and ensure you are testing reception with analog AM and analog FM (not so-called "high definition"). NOTE: AM-HD (IBOC) has a known interference problem with adjacent stations which you will usually hear as a "hiss". Try to do your testing on a station which has no "hiss".

See if you can re-post with a more descriptive problem definition.

1. You said AM is difficult to understand. Is the signal weak and cannot be made stronger with the volume control? Is reception garbled (volume is OK but unintelligible)? Lots of static in the background?

2. Are you having reception issues with FM? (not FM-HD but analog FM)

3. Do symptoms change when tuning AM from low to high frequency?

4. Are local AM stations stronger and better than stations located far away?

 

[mtrot]

Yeah, my AM reception is terrible. Even on strong stations there is a garbled distortion. It seems to be worse when in an area with lots of power lines along the street. I wonder if it is some sort of switching distortion.

Update: I put mine in the Hyundai dealer for service for the pathetic AM reception. They say the tech found out that there was corrosion somewhere around the connection of the window antenna grid to the wire that goes to the head unit. They said this area is inside the left rear pillar(not sure the name of the pillar), and that this required the tech to remove the fabric cover on the inside of that pillar to get to it. Supposedly, he cleaned up the corrosion.

The reception is a bit improved, but still no where near the great AM reception of the Elantra loaner they gave my while mine was in the shop. There is still a fair amount of the garbled sound some of the time, and there is very little range. With that Elantra, I could get AM stations 75 miles away with ease.

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[Coug]

AH! You didn't say in your original post that the radio had been replaced.

I don't know what "worked on the antenna" means but if the radio itself has been eliminated as the source of the problem then the antenna and its associated wiring deserve to be looked at next.

You can have the dealer test this easily enough by connecting a normal whip antenna to the radio and holding it out the window as you drive and dial between stations (being careful not to ground the antenna), You may get better results if you can talk the dealer into letting a genuine radio technician work on it instead of an oil change tech who reads from the instruction manual.

My understanding is the AM/FM antenna is located inside the rear window glass (embedded). If you have metallic window tint covering the window it will affect reception. If the antenna wire inside the window has been cut or broken reception can also be affected.

Check the radio settings and ensure you are testing reception with analog AM and analog FM (not so-called "high definition"). NOTE: AM-HD (IBOC) has a known interference problem with adjacent stations which you will usually hear as a "hiss". Try to do your testing on a station which has no "hiss".

See if you can re-post with a more descriptive problem definition.

1. You said AM is difficult to understand. Is the signal weak and cannot be made stronger with the volume control? Is reception garbled (volume is OK but unintelligible)? Lots of static in the background?

2. Are you having reception issues with FM? (not FM-HD but analog FM)

3. Do symptoms change when tuning AM from low to high frequency?

4. Are local AM stations stronger and better than stations located far away?

I don't use the HD setting--HD is off. The quality of the reception does not change with volume settings. Some stations are so garbled as to be unintelligible (strong local stations) and others have alot of background static. The FM reception is fine--no complaints with FM. I have not noticed any difference between low or high frequency on AM. I can't get reception from stations far away; these problems occur on local stations.

As others have stated, even other Hyundai models get great AM reception, so this is either a Genesis design flaw, or a problem with my vehicle. The dealer just replaced my radio for a second time. For some reason they keep thinking that will solve the problem. It did not.

 

[mikec]

Is your setup a Tech package?
There are two antennas in the rear window glass. "Left side" (driver side) is FM1, "Right Side" is FM2/AM. Since the mechanic worked on the driver side C-pillar I'm thinking he helped FM1 only... probably needs to do the same check on the other side.

My 2009 Tech has great AM reception; it picks up many more local stations than I knew existed in the SoCal area. And it has great sensitivity to weak stations; I can listen to individual stations quite a long time when driving out of state - much further than I could in my other cars that made this same trip.

Based on the shop/service manual (PDF file), at least for the 2009 Tech packages it appears the AM/FM tuner is part of the amp assembly, not the head unit in the dash.

mike c.

 

[mtrot]

Is your setup a Tech package?
There are two antennas in the rear window glass. "Left side" (driver side) is FM1, "Right Side" is FM2/AM. Since the mechanic worked on the driver side C-pillar I'm thinking he helped FM1 only... probably needs to do the same check on the other side.

My 2009 Tech has great AM reception; it picks up many more local stations than I knew existed in the SoCal area. And it has great sensitivity to weak stations; I can listen to individual stations quite a long time when driving out of state - much further than I could in my other cars that made this same trip.

Based on the shop/service manual (PDF file), at least for the 2009 Tech packages it appears the AM/FM tuner is part of the amp assembly, not the head unit in the dash.

mike c.

I assume you are talking to me. He may have worked on both sides. The AM reception is definitely better, but still poor compared to any decent car radio. But based on Coog's experience, I don't guess I'll let them change out the radio.

 

[Coug]

Is your setup a Tech package?
There are two antennas in the rear window glass. "Left side" (driver side) is FM1, "Right Side" is FM2/AM. Since the mechanic worked on the driver side C-pillar I'm thinking he helped FM1 only... probably needs to do the same check on the other side.

My 2009 Tech has great AM reception; it picks up many more local stations than I knew existed in the SoCal area. And it has great sensitivity to weak stations; I can listen to individual stations quite a long time when driving out of state - much further than I could in my other cars that made this same trip.

Based on the shop/service manual (PDF file), at least for the 2009 Tech packages it appears the AM/FM tuner is part of the amp assembly, not the head unit in the dash.

mike c.

My 2012 has the tech package. I also had a 2009 (with tech) and it did not have this AM radio problem. Mtrot, you can let them change out the radio if you want. It didn't hurt my reception, but it didn't help it at all.

 

[Genny10]

I have a 2012 with Tech. Terrible AM reception. My 2010 with Tech had great reception, with or without the shade up and both had the same tint.

I'm wondering if it isn't an antenna issue because I also keep losing my FM HD2 channel in Dallas. It just disappears and then you have to go back and find it.

Can someone explain FM HD? For example, I have the same number (97.1) which carries two HD channels under that number. I cannot "dial" in the HD2 channel. I have to go to the "Local Stations" settings to find the HD2 (will show 97.1 HD1 and 97.1 HD2), although as I said, the HD2 will come and go.

 

[Waki]

2012 Tech with excellent AM & FM RECEPTION. clear as a bell, long range !

 

[veed]

Can someone explain FM HD? For example, I have the same number (97.1) which carries two HD channels under that number. I cannot "dial" in the HD2 channel. I have to go to the "Local Stations" settings to find the HD2 (will show 97.1 HD1 and 97.1 HD2), although as I said, the HD2 will come and go.

when HD lights, push the knobbus kabobbus down (like a mouse click). instead of radio freq, HD will now be highlighted. turn the knob to select between sub-bands (if there are any). to return to freq, push the KK again.

unless i mis-read, HD subbands are not storable.

DIS manual pp 42-43

 

[Savage1]

I have terrible AM reception and I learned from this thread that the AM antenna is embedded in back window. I do have slightly tinted windows and I stumbled onto a band aid.... When I get a lot of AM static, I turn on my rear window defogger and the static decreases significantly. It doesn't eliminate the static altogether but does reduce the noise.

I bought my '11 V6 used and I hate to go to the dealer so this has been a temp fix. My FM reception seems fine all the time.

 

[sluggo]

I haven't experienced these problems in my car as yet (just had it a week), but I"ll check tonight on the way home.

It could be that the main amplifier is interfering with AM reception. If the amp's outputs operate in a switching (as opposed to linear) mode it can really ruin AM reception, depending on the frequency of operation. Many switching amps have significant power in the area of 500kHz-1.2MHz, right in the middle of the AM band. This energy is difficult (meaning expensive) to completely filter even in a good design, and so automotive equipment manufacturers have to choose between cost and performance.

"Digital" AM is not affected by this problem unless it's really out of control.

 

[landtuna]

Can someone explain FM HD? For example, I have the same number (97.1) which carries two HD channels under that number. I cannot "dial" in the HD2 channel. I have to go to the "Local Stations" settings to find the HD2 (will show 97.1 HD1 and 97.1 HD2), although as I said, the HD2 will come and go.

"HD" is a marketing term which essentially tries to connect HDTV with its digital radio counterpart. The term is meaningless but is used by iBiquity (the developer of digital radio) as a marketing tool.

The proper term for digital radio is IBOC (In Band On Carrier). A digital signal is transmitted alongside the base signal (either FM or AM). FM works pretty well but IBOC puts a lot of interference out on the sidebands (the hiss I stated earlier). If you are hearing a hiss on your AM analog signal it is because of an adjacent digital signal and there is nothing you can do to eliminate it. If the interfering station unplugs its digital exciter the hiss will stop - so it can come and go.

Just like digital signals on TV, the range of a digital radio signal is much lower than a straight analog signal on the same frequency. Digital signals, both AM and FM, are also affected much more by topography (buildings, hills, tunnels etc.) than are analog signals - hence the reason that digital signals tend to drop out from time to time.

Most digital-capable radios are designed to fall back to the analog signal when the digital signal gets too weak. Since the two signals are generally not simulcast it seems to the listener that the radio is switching stations (which, in effect, is what it is doing) and it can become very annoying. Again, nothing you can do except turn off HD if the radio gives you that option.

With the Genny's Lexicon system, once you dial in an HD2 signal, you can store it just like any other station. Tuning a digital signal in the first time requires you to tune to the analog frequency then, once you see the "HD" symbol in the upper right corner of the screen, you depress the DIS knob and the radio will bring up the HD2 signal.

The iBiquity system has many severe inherent design problems and that is the prime reason why digital radio has not caught on. It was supposed to bring increased fidelity and more services to the FM and AM bands but the necessity of buying a new radio has limited its rollout almost exclusively to new car dashboards - where the mobile shortcomings are the worst.

If I didn't answer your question here please give me some additional detail and I will try again. I tried to keep my post very untechnical since most people don't understand digital radio.