I am wondering if perhaps my antenna is damaged how good is everyone's radio reception on their TL. Mine is ok on stronger stations but it is noticeably more static then on my previous vehicle and seems to have some blank out issues.

 

IMO, the reception on the TL sucks arse. I think it is due to having the antenna in the rear window glass, which makes it apparently more directional than a standard mast antenna (or at least I have heard something along those lines). My 1994 Accord with a broken automatic mast antenna got WAY better reception than my '03 TL, as did my 1982 Datsun 200SX. Heck, my 1976 Chevy Vega that I drove in 1986 got better reception. One of the weaker points on the vehicle. I also get stations that come in that are supposedly in stereo, but they seem to lose one of the channels intermittently. Never happens on the stations with the stronger signal, so I think it is due to the terrible reception our cars have.

 

Thanks a bunch that truely eases my mind i think alot of it is that this was one of the first vehicles with the in glass antennae that i recall seeing out there. I was worried that some how it may have been damaged glad to know that isnt the case Thanks for the answer to my question

 

Are your windows tinted?

 

No I am all stock right now....

 

Yea mine is the same. I got 20% tint too. I kinda get pissed that some of my friends cars have better reception but I like the TL anyway. Just listen to more CD's

 

Some window tint has a small amount of metal in it to prevent fading (some more than others) It will sometimes interfere with radio reception. Try an all-dye tint. And no I'm not talking about chrome tint only, some black tints have metal in it also.

 

I notice that reception on the same road at the same location varies by the direction I'm traveling. This difference is more noticable if the signal is weak to begin with.

I don't like the way this radio handles the ever changing quality of stereo broadcasts. 1 minute the station is in with surround sound like qualities, 15 seconds later it's more mono sounding, then back to somewhere inbetween... and on and on. Other car radios seem to stay pretty consistant.

I do have to say that it is one of the better radios when it comes to weak/staticy signals. I'm constantly pulling stations out of NYC in the southern half of Dutchess County.

 

I have noticed that my reception SUCKS on AM channels but ok on FM's

i read in the manual that part of the service is to clear the radio mast, can this be done ourselves?

 

my reception has recently gone bad. all stations are comming in with static when it was working fine a few weeks ago. I haven't done anything to the car, could something be lose?

 

possible?? check that the antenna is plugged in securely into the HU

 

I bought a 99 TL new and the FM reception sucked from the beginning. I complained and went out in another identical car and it was the same marginal reception. I made several attempts through the service manager and the regional manager to see if there was a fix or work-around and never got anyone to pay attention. Eventually I found someone in the regional HQ to talk to. They did not admit to any knowledge of problems with reception. They did admit that the antenna in the rear window might show some directional "characteristics" or weaker stations. I asked about a dealer-installed real antenna option and they had nothing like that. For about 2-3 years after I bought it, I kept complaining on all of the customer satisfaction surveys I responded to. After the first complaint, they directed me to the regional people. Other than that, they never responded. I finally got over it and stopped listening to the local stations where I had reception problems. When I rode in non-Acura cars, those stations were fine. It will remain a mystery to me why I was the only one who seemed to care. Except for this, I love my car.

PaulTX

 

1+1=3

 

Interesting thread. I also get poor reception of AM stations in my TL.

Does anyone know if it would be possible to add a second antenna, perhaps inside the trunk, to improve reception?