Radio reception

Does anyone else think that their radio reception sux? I can't get a lot of stations in places I used to be able to get them. Is it mt Ridgeline or all of them?

Thanks

Does anyone else think that their radio reception sux? I can't get a lot of stations in places I used to be able to get them. Is it mt Ridgeline or all of them?

Thanks
Hello Zaphod11, welcome to the ROC.

What model do you own and what area are you in? Not sure if makes a difference but there have been a few complaints here on the ROC and maybe we can help pinpoint a problem for you and the others.

Thanks.

Just another data point, I live in the Chicago area (southwest suburbs) and I get terrible reception on 105.9 (WCKG), and not so good on some AM stations. I didn't have the problem with an O5 Element. I have an RTL with moon+NAV.
(XM is good though :) )

Thanks I just found the other posts. I have a RTS and I live in the Metro Boston area

I live in Atlanta and there is no doubt that I negative issues with radio reception. I got Sirius and that helps a lot. I am a big AM talk radio listener and the standard AM signal is medicore at at best.

Sounds like I am the exception here but.... the radio reception on my RL is better than the last couple vehicles I have owned. I had an S-10 and a Pacifica and, when I pulled into my parking garage with either of those vehicles, I lost the AM signal on the radio. With my RL, doesn't seem to bother it one bit. Radio sounds as good as when I am driving down the road.

I mainly listen to AM, and AM reception in the RL is much better than it was in my last car; however, FM reception in the RL is worse (especially the 'capture ratio', on some frequencies the radio keeps jumping between 2 stations as I drive).

My reception is not too great either. Not as good as my old Chevy. I end up using the XM most of the time.

Well on both of my Ridgelines the reseption sucked at first but got a LOT better after about 2 weeks.

My radio reception in my RTL is very bad, especially in comparison to my wife's Ody and my older cars. I was left with little choice but to get XM. Next time I go in for service I am going to have them at least check the wiring to make sure everything is 'plugged' in. I had one incident months ago where I completely lost all radio (and didn't have XM at the time), so I only had my CD player. The radio 'mysteriously' came back on while I was driving and listening to a CD.....:confused: But that was some time ago....

I think the reception is fine for most stations in Houston but I am having trouble with reception of an FM transmitter (hooked up to my MP3 player). I have gone through 3 differents units and each is worthless (terrible sound). I am not sure if it is cheap electronics or something to do with the location of the RL's antennea. Maybe it just cannot pick up a good signal originating from inside the vehicle.

Anyway, I have given up on FM Transmitter and going the FM Modulation (directly wired into the antennea cable into the head unit) route instead.

The FM reception is fair at best. Many stations I can pick up on my wife's accord and on my previous autos are weak to no reception with the RL radio/antenna

I noticed the same problem with my 04 acura tl, first car without an exterior antena, my 88 accord will play the radio at my lake, the tl and the ridgeline fade out 15 minutes before we get there. No promlems in the city at all , just the range when traveling is what I have noticed.
XM radio installation in a couple weeks.

I also agree the radio reception is horrible i am not happy with my ridgeline at all

Yeah, should probably trade it in. No sense in keeping a truck you're not at all happy with.

Good luck!:)

I found the radio reception disappointing as well. But, once I get the iPod connector I guess it won't really matter anymore. :)

Does anyone else think that their radio reception sux? I can't get a lot of stations in places I used to be able to get them. Is it mt Ridgeline or all of them?

Thanks

AM reception on mine is as good as the factory stock AM/FM/CD in my Dodge Ram, better than the AM/FM in the Toyota, far superior to the AM on a "Lincoln" radio I installed aftermarket in SigOther's Explorer. I listen to talk AM and like to hear the clear channel AM's at night so I'm picky about this.

After dark, if there's no KNX, no KFI, no KSL, there is no Happy Buck!

That said, the FM function is sufficiently sensitive in the Las Vegas Valley, but shows a lot of distortion within 3-4 miles of the transmitters on Black Mountain when tuned in to the local NPR outlet; not so good as the MoPar radio or the Toyota. A pain in the fanny, because I live about 3 miles from Black Mountain, and must pass within 1200' of the tower farm when I get on the expressway.

And, to be fair, the same condition attaches to a moderately expensive Sony AM/FM/SW at my house.

As to the loss of radio signal hoodoo, my RTS did this while I was driving it home from Utah; all stations died for approx .1 seconds at each bridge/road joint or cattle guard. It cleared up the second day, and hasn't resurfaced. Just a little Honda hoodoo. Probably a loose connector.

From what I read in this thread and from personal experience, the good ol' fashioned whip antenna for Am/Fm is still king. Remember the GM "wire in the windshield" antenna of the '70s? They sucked. It would be cool to have an auto-extending whip antenna that raises when Am/Fm is being used. The radio in my '03 CR-V got better reception, but CD's sound MUCH better in my RTL Ridge :D

Does anyone else think that their radio reception sux? I can't get a lot of stations in places I used to be able to get them. Is it mt Ridgeline or all of them?

Thanks

Our radio reception goes to pot when we plug a DVD player in to the rear power outlet, for some unknown reason.

Our radio reception goes to pot when we plug a DVD player in to the rear power outlet, for some unknown reason.

I've noticed that too! Thank God for XM!!

I have the Navi radio and find the reception to be excellent, especially as compared to other vehicles that I have owned over the years. It sounds like the reception on the non-navi radios are substantially different than the Navi radios. There have been a few threads in the past that discussed the issue of reception. Some have mentioned the possibility of adding a mast type antenna but I don't know of anyone that has. It sure would be interesting to know what the results would be.
Here are a few other posts and threads that may provide some useful information:
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5024&postcount=12

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9429&postcount=17 (This one may provide a clue about the reason that a DVD player plugged into the rear power outlet causes the radio reception to suffer. These things can radiate a lot of electrical noise and interference, probably without a way to cure it.)

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12200&postcount=3 (mentions the possible reception difference between navi and non-Navi radios)

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15859&postcount=64 (experimenting with antennas)

I don't think the poor reception has anything to do with the antenna. As some of you may know, I took out the stock 6-disc changer and put two aftermarket head units in the Ridgeline.

Actually, at one time, I had the stock radio still in the RL with the Alpine IVA-D901 installed where the pocket used to be. I disconnected the stock radio and had the Alpine head unit working. I had an amplified window stick on type antenna lying around, so I used it as the antenna for the Alpine unit. The reception was OK. Later, I decided to get me an antenna adapter that allowed me to hook up the Alpine unit to the stock antenna. Reception was much better with the stock antenna compared to the aftermarket amplified antenna. I then purchased the Alpine F#1 head unit. I used it for listening to radio. The reception is great. I can now pull in stations I didn't know even existed.

I suspect the stock head units in the RL are the reason for poor reception.

I suspect the stock head units in the RL are the reason for poor reception.
I agree, except for the NAVI radios that have excellent reception. A mast type antenna may or may not help but still is not likely to overcome a poor quality receiver. Sadly, the best route to take in order to get better reception is to replace the non-NAVI head unit. If it is worth $200 ~ $300 to get better reception and possibly pick up some additional features, then go for it. It's a pretty easy job to swap them out. As an added benefit, some aftermarket head units will have aux and/or iPod inputs on them.