Audio Systems: Car radio becomes staticky, factory antenna, antenna connection

Question
Tom,

I have a '91 Dodge Stealth with an after-market Sony CD/Stereo (between two and five years old).  Recently, the radio reception has behaved strangely.  After the car has run for about 20 minutes, a great deal of static will suddenly pop on and the station reception becomes very poor across the spectrum.  The CD operation and sound quality is fine.

Is this something I can attempt to repair myself, or do I need a new unit?

Many thanks.
Keith

Answer
Keith,
One of two things may be happening. 1-a defective antenna connection occurs after the wire and connector warms up.  2-a defective solder connection inside the stereo that acts up after the circuit board warms up. You can try purchasing a cheapo antenna from Wal-mart and unplug the factory antenna and plug in the test antenna to see if the factory antenna is the cause of the static after the vehicle warms up. If you don't see a change in the reception after you plug in the test antenna, the tuner module inside the stereo may have defective connection/s.

TOM,
T&D ELECTRONICS
tdeser@zoominternet.net