Rockford Fosgate FM reception issues
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Joined: Dec 2013
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From: Minnesota
Rockford Fosgate FM reception issues
I just finished up my install of the RF system front and rears. I had the bike flashed to the flat EQ the problem I am having is I loose stations when the amp has power going to it. If there is no power I am able to pick up 15 stations. Is this normal or what could be the problem?
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Joined: Sep 2017
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From: Southern Virginia
What RF amp do you have, the TM400x4ad? If so I have had someone tell me they lost FM with that amp when it was mounted on top of their head unit.
In a nutshell welcome to the world of class D amps. I have heard though that with the newer Rushmore head units the problem is not as bad. There is a possibility that your antenna cable may have been damaged during all the work. I had that happen to me one time. The cable looked fine but must have had a break inside it somewhere from when I was pulling wires around.
Take an ohm meter and check continuity on the center pin from your antenna mast screw back to the center pin of your antenna cable going into your head unit. If you do not get continuity maybe get a universal antenna cable from an auto parts store and hook it up temporarily and see if your problem gets better. When I tried this my reception improved so I then just replaced the factory cable with the one I bought.
If none of that helps and you still get interference you could try putting copper tape between the head unit and amp. I would double check the antenna cable first though. I had an old truck antenna laying around in the basement and when I plugged it in I got better reception so that gave me the gumption to keep digging.
Also I just happened to think the shorter the antenna mast the worse your reception will be. If you have a hidden antenna in the fairing that will not usually work well with an amp in there as well. Likewise if you have a short stubby antenna you are not getting much signal reception at all so just a little bit of interference from an amp may wipe that out. I live in a rural area and have tried three different antenna lengths while experimenting and found the longest mast gave the best reception.
In a nutshell welcome to the world of class D amps. I have heard though that with the newer Rushmore head units the problem is not as bad. There is a possibility that your antenna cable may have been damaged during all the work. I had that happen to me one time. The cable looked fine but must have had a break inside it somewhere from when I was pulling wires around.
Take an ohm meter and check continuity on the center pin from your antenna mast screw back to the center pin of your antenna cable going into your head unit. If you do not get continuity maybe get a universal antenna cable from an auto parts store and hook it up temporarily and see if your problem gets better. When I tried this my reception improved so I then just replaced the factory cable with the one I bought.
If none of that helps and you still get interference you could try putting copper tape between the head unit and amp. I would double check the antenna cable first though. I had an old truck antenna laying around in the basement and when I plugged it in I got better reception so that gave me the gumption to keep digging.
Also I just happened to think the shorter the antenna mast the worse your reception will be. If you have a hidden antenna in the fairing that will not usually work well with an amp in there as well. Likewise if you have a short stubby antenna you are not getting much signal reception at all so just a little bit of interference from an amp may wipe that out. I live in a rural area and have tried three different antenna lengths while experimenting and found the longest mast gave the best reception.
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From: indiana
My guess is, you have a hidden antenna under the fairing. If that is the case, fm reception will be hampered regardless of what amp you run. Relocate the antenna to away from the amp and that should help or just get a memory stick and download the music you want and forget fm.
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Joined: Dec 2013
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From: Minnesota
My guess is, you have a hidden antenna under the fairing. If that is the case, fm reception will be hampered regardless of what amp you run. Relocate the antenna to away from the amp and that should help or just get a memory stick and download the music you want and forget fm.
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