Am Radio

[ric in md]

My "new" 2000s' AM radio has no reception. Any gues what I can do?

[mrmickeymouse]

Go to this part of the RENN Tech.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...nt&code=manuals

Check out the manual, exhaust all simple solutions.

Scott

[ric in md]

I'm sorry- I was not clear. The AM on my CD 220 radio is awful. So much continuous static that I just can't listen to it. Help with this static??

[HenryV]

Two problems are reported on the AM reception problems with the 986:

1. Noise surpression (radio picks up clicks from wheel sensor)

2. Bad grounding of AM antenna (in passenger side A pillar)

For 1) you need the Porsche part 000-043-204-30 - Surpression Cable. I thought that Porsche fixed this in the MY00 going forward. You may have an early build. Best is to check with your dealer.

[Testing for this is easy - tune in to a weak AM station, drive car slowly, going faster. If the ticking noise increases you need the fix]

For 2) you need to take the A pillar apart and check the assembly. Most likely your antenna ground is not properly connected. You should take the aluminum bracket off, sand off any paint on the inside pillar (bare metal) and re-attach the assembly. (If you don't like sanding, run a wire to a solid ground contact.) This should fix the poor ground problem.

[if not, the built-in antenna booster may have failed. You may have to replace this part]

With both fixes, AM radio should be as in any other car.

Some people, that live far from the station they wish to receive, have also successfully installed (external) antennas and antenna boosters. This gives the best reception. It's not a problem of the radio, rather the AM antenna mounting is non-optimal.

The FM antenna, mounted in the windshield, does not help.