FM radio antenna

[JohnH]

I have an R21-EC, 2011 model. The FM radio seems to work properly, but its reception is poor. All signals are much weaker than (e.g.) on my car radio when the car is parked near the boat. I doubt that the Fusion radio has that much poorer sensitivity than my standard-issue car radio. I am not sure how the FM antenna is arranged on the boat. There is a wire plugged into the connector labeled "antenna" at the radio, and if I disconnect that wire, the reception gets marginally worse (one bar on the signal strength meter goes to zero bars). I don't know where the wire goes. I had hoped that it went to the antenna for the VHF marine radio, through a signal splitter. As best I can trace that antenna wire, I can't find such a splitter.

Has anyone experimented with this? Where does the "antenna wire" from the FM radio go? Has anyone tried to connect a separate FM radio antenna? Note that the radio uses an "RCA jack" type connector, not a proper VHF coaxial connector.

-- John H

 

[Stella Maris]

John,
The wire you are describing is basically a dead end wire. It is of about four feet in length and runs off into the deck somewhere. On Karma I can follow its entire length. Again, it goes nowhere.

You have three choices to improve your musical enjoyment:

1) Use the aux input for your I Pod
2) Install Sirius/XM radio (our choice)
3) Install a real AM/FM Antenna

There are AM/FM/VHF combinations. These have not been rated good for any real use.....

Good luck on your quest to greater musical pleasure!

 

[j&lgray]

You can improve the performance of the FM antenna by making sure that it is not in contact with any other wire or another electronic component because the electrical interference will affect the antenna's performance. The longer the antenna then better. Check those connections by making sure they are tight, they feel like the surfaces have a feel of tension when they are rubbed against each other, and they are dry and clean. An exterior mounted antenna FM antenna is great when the boat is made of metal or the radio's antenna is buried deep, but if you run that wire close to the hull and it is not near another wire, the reception will be as good as it gets.

 

[JamesTXSD]

I've never had a boat radio perform as good as a car radio... may have a lot to do with all that fiberglass instead of metal? That said, I have had good luck with a long flexible FM antenna in one of our sailboats; it looked more like the old TV antenna wire, but it worked well when stretched out and not near other wiring. I ran it the length of the storage inside a settee; worked fine, no additional holes to drill.

 

[Lobo]

I believe the R25 ariel is wired into the stanchions. My solution has been to buy a car antenna, install it into the back of the radio and I have stuffed it between the windshield wiper motors and the overhead. Friction fit, and seems to work reasonably well.

Dave

 

[K7MXE]

On my 2006 R21EC I had poor reception and did some checking and the antenna was just a wire in the wire loom and that was it. Well the radio was in a wood mount and glued to the side of the boat with auto body plastic (Bondo) and well it fell off and radio hit the sole rather hard and that was the end of that. I now use a portable radio in the boat and it seems to pick up a lot of noises from other electronics on the boat. So getting back to your problem I would consider a vhf/radio diplexer or a vhf marine antenna that has a lead that goes to the radio. I think Shakespeare brand has several choices to make things better. Bob Heselberg in Eatonville Wa

 

[harryrezz]

OR .... you could trot over to your local, friendly West Marine store and buy a proper external-mount marine FM antenna. Inexpensive, and a big improvement. 😉