I found a few threads referring to this, but they were mainly input as to the severity of the problem - not exactly the cause of the problem...

I'm a new TSX owner, about a week, since my 2002 TL was destroyed in an accident. Since I purchased my car, I've been enjoying the many flavors of XM but decided this evening to flip over to FM to see what's going on locally... most of the stations were filled with this annoying static. It's not so much that you can't listen to the music, but enough just to annoy the hell out of you. It's almost like listening to an AM channel.

Now, I don't expect a perfect sound system in any car, unless I add it myself, but this is worse than even my stock Mercury Sable from many years ago. It's also the only car that I've been in that has had this poor sounding quality in the Chicagoland area.

I'm guessing the speakers are alright, and probably the stereo unit itself since XM sounds great. I'd like to go in to ask them to check the antenna, but I'm not sure if it could even be looked at since its still firmly in place on the window.

Are there any other suggestions as to what I could ask for or what might be the cause and / or possible solution? Or is this something that all TSX owners have and just are dealing with through XM-only or otherwise?

 

In between buildings, the reception will be fairly poor. My car only has good reception in open places.

 

It happens everywhere: by buildings, expressways, fields, etc.

 

Revanche- please chek ur PM's... i sent one a few days ago, and today. please get back to me thank you

 

The antenna is not a metal mast using the metal body as the ground plane at a right angle - it is in the glass of the R windshield. Since it's lower than the roof and inside the glass and doesn't have that nice ground plane, they have an FM amp in the C pillar.

That FM amp seems to be susceptible to interference (Class D sub amps wereck it for example) and I don't know what else it's vulnerable to.

But traditionally FM amps amplify the signal AND the noise, and are not considered a good solution for poor reception by most installers I've worked with.

I I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's a design problem IMO. I haven't tried it, but someone wanted to install a Honda S2000 antenna on their roof. Don't know if they did it, but it should work better.

 

a while ago i was thinking of taking off amp and rewire myself, but i don't know how to remove cover on C piller, with SRS airbag on it i decided not to play around.. and yes, my FM is noisy