QuestionI bought a new Hummer H3 last fall. AM radio reception on the stock unit was intermittent - sometimes it worked just fine, other times reception was very faint or non-existent. At those times, 'Seek' rolled through the entire AM band twice, then stopped and displayed 'None' (I'm in suburban Chicago, so it's unlikely that there are no AM signals to be found). Bumpy pavement caused it to come and go, leading me to speculate that the antenna cable was simply loose. I had it to two different dealers on four separate visits and they were never able to duplicate the problem (surprise!). I finally decided to open up the dash and inspect the cable. Nothing was loose, but I noticed that the cable was pinched between the head unit and a mounting bracket. I freed it and reassembled the dash. It's only been two days, but the problem has not returned - an unusually long stretch.
2 questions:
1. Can such a problem be caused by a crimped or pinched antenna cable?
2. Assuming that this was, indeed, the source of my problem, should I replace the cable, or can I reasonably expect this to be a 'permanent' fix?
AnswerMike,
That is a good one. You should be receiving at least one AM station around your area! Yes, it could, but not likely. If that was the problem, the cable probably has enough damage internally to cause problems in the future. Most antenna wire failures are internal breaks that cannot be seen until they are pulled apart. I would replace it. Hope this answers your questions, Scott
