Sonata AM Reception - Horrible

Discussion in 'Hyundai Sonata' started by MR, Sep 24, 2003.

  1. MR

    MR Guest

    To All,

    I have a 2003 Sonata V6 with the stock radio/CD player. The AM
    reception is simply horrible, very week. What can be done to improve
    the reception and signal strength? I would appreciate your help.

    Regards

    MR
     
    MR, Sep 24, 2003
    #1
  2. MR

    Jason Guest

    I've never noticed this problem with my 03 Sonata LX. Which factory
    stereo do you have?
     
    Jason, Sep 24, 2003
    #2
  3. MR

    pookeybrain Guest

    I can't find it on google but there was a thread a couple of months ago
    regarding this.

    If I recall correctly there are 2 connections to the antenna in the rear
    glass and these can be reversed on accident at the factory causing the
    problem your having with the AM reception.
     
    pookeybrain, Sep 24, 2003
    #3
  4. MR

    PC Guest

    Seems prety standard for Hyundai. My 02 XG350L AM really is bad and my
    wifes 02 Santa Fe is bad too. Still, I try to look at it like I got a
    $10000 discount on a car for poor AM reception. Overall the cars have
    been good. :)
     
    PC, Sep 24, 2003
    #4
  5. MR

    Hal and Sue Guest

    Our Santa Fe and Sonata both have crappy AM reception.Any signal booster
    available?
     
    Hal and Sue, Sep 24, 2003
    #5
  6. MR

    MR Guest

    Hi Jason,

    thanx for responding. I have the base model Sonata V6 which comes with
    the basic AM/FM Radio and CD player - I don't have the model number
    readily available, I'll have to check the owners guide.

    MR
     
    MR, Sep 25, 2003
    #6
  7. MR

    MR Guest

    Hi PC,

    I agree, the car is running like a champ. The reception problem is a
    minor annoyance and I was hoping for an easy solution.

    MR
     
    MR, Sep 25, 2003
    #7
  8. MR

    MR Guest

    Hi Pookeybrain,

    very interesting. I would like to search for this further. Do you have
    any ideas what the subject header for the thread was?

    MR
     
    MR, Sep 25, 2003
    #8
  9. MR

    PC Guest

    I believe this is what MR was thinking of:

    http://www.hmaservice.com/webtech/iindex.asp?id=394880476#_394880476

    However, in my experience with
    1. Hyundai
    2. 40 plus years in electronics
    3. Glass antenna's
    I think that this is just a radio with poor "rejection" (get multiple
    channels on one freq) and poor "sensitivity" (can't bring em' in) :)
    A "real" antenna might help. I guess you could buy one for a few bucks
    and just plug it in the back of the unit. I would expect it to
    improve. By the way, AM likes long antenna's. The longer the better.
    I also think Hyundai is aming for the young crowd, who under 25
    listens to AM???

    PC
     
    PC, Sep 26, 2003
    #9
  10. MR

    Jason Guest

    Hrm... That makes it more difficult for me to help. I have the LX
    model with the double-din head unit. I can say, however, that my car
    does not have this problem with AM stations. That would say to me
    that it's either the head unit or that your wiring is faulty.

    I would check to see if your antenna was wired incorrectly (a good
    portion of them were and this causes poor AM reception). I believe
    that there is a TSB up on WebTech (http://www.hmaservice.com/webtech)
    that will tell you how to fix the problem.
     
    Jason, Sep 26, 2003
    #10
  11. MR

    MR Guest

    Jason,

    my AM/FM/CD model # is H260. Thanks for the link, I will check it out.

    MR
     
    MR, Sep 30, 2003
    #11
  12. My XG300L has about as good an AM radio as you can find BUT you
    wouldn't know it because the computer hash from this that and the
    other uP on board simply covers up the signals. I wonder if that
    might not be the real problem. You can turn the engine off and, with
    just the radio and accessory equipment on, the only complaint is that
    the AM bandwidth is too narrow for good fidelity. But nothing is
    wrong with the sensitivity of the receiver.

    Fred, W8OY
     
    Prefered Customer, Oct 2, 2003
    #12
  13. MR

    Nikoli Yetti Guest

    I have the 2002 elantra gt, and my AM reception is not the best either, but
    I discovered that when my cell phone is plugged in the lighter outlet; the
    reception is markedly worse.
     
    Nikoli Yetti, Oct 14, 2003
    #13
  14. MR

    markc60 Guest

    I am currently fighting with the dealership
    about the AM reception of my 2004 Sonata. Quite bad.
    They don't believe there even is a problem because the
    AM stations are near the dealership. Even there, there is some
    static. Go further away and majot statis. The 2005 Sonata Courtesy Car
    has crystal clear reception.

    The antenna is retractable...not rear window. Does the
    reverse connection issue affect this as well?
     
    markc60, Oct 28, 2004
    #14
  15. They know there is a problem. It's one of those things, however, that
    they have no solution available to install. The computer and ignition
    noise is just not well enough contained to allow AM reception. To
    make it better, the car would have to be subjected to thousands of
    dollars of noise suppression wiring changes and modifications. And we
    both know that isn't going to happen. I work in the broadcast
    industry and I own a XG300L. The fact that I still own it is an
    indicator of how much I like the car despite its poor AM reception.

    What you have to do now is decide whether the radio reception ability
    is the basis of the bargain. If it is or was, tell them you ain't
    gonna take it any more and give them back the car. And do it the
    right way so you're protected--with a lawyer's help.

    Ford, Crysler and GM make cars that are full of engineering hours to
    suppress noise in the AM band and, perhaps more importantly, to
    prevent noise from entering the system, i.e., a cell phone won't crash
    the ABS system. If you want superior AM performance, you need an
    American-made car.

    My solution to my daughter's inability to listen to Radio Disney while
    in my car was to put Sirius Satellite Radio in. I get bluegrass for
    myself so that's a neat trade since I get to keep my Hyundai. I love
    the way the XG's noisy electronics do traction control and the
    superior operation of the ABS system.

    I was in Lebanon on a job before the war started and in a year and a
    half in and out, my favorite vehicle was the Hyundai accent. We
    rented a couple from the local dealer and they were the toughest, most
    efficient vehicles we had. And the AM reception on those was just
    marginally better than on my XG.

    Cheers.


    Fred, W8OY
     
    J. Fred Riley, Oct 31, 2004
    #15
  16. MR

    GP Guest

     
    GP, Oct 31, 2004
    #16
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