A while back I purchase a Custom Autosound USA-5 radio for my mustang but its reception is really lousy. I think I had the same problem on another one on my last mustang and fixed it with a signal booster (more wires under the dash is not my preferred fix this time around.) Has anyone else had the same problem with these radios? I'm almost thinking about getting rid of it and buying another brand. I think Kenwood makes one that will fit, anyone used one of these? Yes, believe it or not, there are times when I'd rather listen to music than the sound of my tailpipes.
New radio
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Is there an antenna trimmer screw on the radio? It should be near the antenna plug receptacle. You could try adjusting that.
The basic idea is that each antenna is a bit different with respect to capacitance so the radio manufacturers created a way to compensate for that by adding a variable capacitor that's adjustable by the antenna trimmer screw.
There should be a sticker (near the screw) on the radio that says something like trim antenna above 1400 kHz or just gives explicit directions on what you need to do.
Anyway, here's what you need to do: Tune the radio to a weak station near 1400 AM (check the radio or owner's manual to verify correct frequency but 1400 AM is a good guess and correct for the stock radios) and adjust the screw to get the radio playing the loudest. Perhaps they didn't even try to get it in the ballpark before leaving the factory. I've gotten some radios to play 2-3 times louder by making the adjustment. Also, some people try to "fix" things by tightening the screw all the way and that makes things worse.
Make sure to use a weak station when adjusting the screw as radios use an automatic volume control circuit to try to keep the volume constant as the stations are changed. The strong stations are already maxed out and won't get any louder.
The basic idea is that each antenna is a bit different with respect to capacitance so the radio manufacturers created a way to compensate for that by adding a variable capacitor that's adjustable by the antenna trimmer screw.
There should be a sticker (near the screw) on the radio that says something like trim antenna above 1400 kHz or just gives explicit directions on what you need to do.
Anyway, here's what you need to do: Tune the radio to a weak station near 1400 AM (check the radio or owner's manual to verify correct frequency but 1400 AM is a good guess and correct for the stock radios) and adjust the screw to get the radio playing the loudest. Perhaps they didn't even try to get it in the ballpark before leaving the factory. I've gotten some radios to play 2-3 times louder by making the adjustment. Also, some people try to "fix" things by tightening the screw all the way and that makes things worse.
Make sure to use a weak station when adjusting the screw as radios use an automatic volume control circuit to try to keep the volume constant as the stations are changed. The strong stations are already maxed out and won't get any louder.
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