Radio reception

[j4jon]

I'm hoping somebody may be able to point me in the right direction.

My parents A3 has the symphony stereo and when listening to AM (Radio 5) the reception is terrable. It crackles and buzzes and breaks up, although it is fine on FM stations.

I have checked that the aerial cable is actually physically plugged in to the back of the radio and all seems good.

We have check the aerial base on the roof and it appears to have some electronics in it, could this be the problem? Not sure if this is relevant or not but there is also a junction box on top of the sub, is this a diversity unit? Is there a seperate aerial for AM to FM?

Hoping somebody can help.

 

[NHN]

so do they have an 8L A3 1st of all?

 

[spiker]

Welcome to another of those common issues with S3's unless I have been just unlucky

1st S3 AM reception was so bad I had to replace the processor inside the stereo at 80000 miles
2nd S3 AM reception poor even with a booster - sold car at 60000 miles although was starting to fail
3rd S3 AM reception acceptable at best but seems to be going the same way as the other 2 - 68000 miles

Conclusion

£100-£150 for a processor replacement through an audio store or pick up a second hand / refurb unit on ebay

or

Try the Audi stafford store on ebay they usually have some stuff going cheap

 

[j4jon]

Yes it is an 8L A3 2001 and it is the Symphony 1 with cassette and single CD.

What is the processor inside the strereo?

So is it unlikely to be the aerial then, more likely to be the HU itself?

 

[Nilz]

Hey I have the same prob with my 2002 S3, sometimes the AM works really good, other times, its totally crap!!!

Would it help if i used an aerial booster, you know the type that yuo would connect when you plug an aftermarket stereo in???

 

[j4jon]

Just realised that I should have said MW not AM. Is there an easy way to test the various components individually?

 

[Mean Green Machine]

It could be a lot to do with the fact that FM (frequency modulation) has a small bandwidth so the sound waves dont often interfere with each other, hence better reception on the move. AM (amplitude modulation) has a wide bandwidth which often overlaps distant transmisions causing interfearence and white noise. It also it suffers more from RFI (radio frequency interfearence) from any cable with a vlotage running through it and MEMIC (mobile electro magnetic incombatibility) from moving mechanical parts such as flywhels and alternators. All this adds up to AM reception being poor for moving vehicles it could be just that your area is flooded by signals on a simmilar wave length or modulation are interfearing with radio fives frequency.

 

[j4jon]

It didn't use to be this bad, it seems to have gotten bad all of a sudden

 

[jonS3]

i've got an as new in-line signal booster I used, and it works well, it's for sale if anyone's interested :sign_plug:

 

[j4jon]

Go on then how much?