Audio Systems: Honda - Poor FM Radio Reception, poor radio reception, fm radio reception

Question
Hi Tom,

I've got a 1992 Honda Prelude Si. The FM radio reception has always been lacking, comparing it to other vehicles. I've been told by more than one person that Hondas are known for having poor radio reception. Do you know if that's true, and why? I have an aftermarket cd player, but the problem existed before (when I had the factory radio). I've inspected the antenna connection on the back of the cd player, I've even replaced the motorized antenna, and I still have poor reception. I've replaced everything but the cable and its connectors. Could the cable be the problem? Or possibly a grounding problem? It seems consistently weak, like the antenna is down, however, it greatly improves when the antenna goes up, so I know that it is working, just not working well. I will run RG6 or RG59, which ever works best, if I have to. Thanks in advance for any input you may have on this matter.

Answer
Dan,
I don't know where the electric antenna is mounted on your vehicle, however if it is on the front fender you may want to replace the wire from the stereo to the antenna plug. On many vehicles that have the antenna on the front fender they will have an extension cable that has a high fault rate due to corrosion building up in the connection. I have worked on many vehicles and I haven't heard of Hondas being KNOWN for radio reception problems. I have replaced quite a few of defective antenna cables to front and rear mounted antennas.

TOM,
T&D ELECTRONICS
tdeser@zoominternet.net