Continuing Radio Problem

[BWhitmore]

The stock AM radio in my Ranchero continues to give me static only.  The radio has been rebuilt by a very good radio professional and has a new Dennis Carpenter radio antenna with new cable.  The radio comes on, the light comes on, and it tunes fine but I receive static only.  I thought I had a poor ground on the antenna so I installed a separate ground wire on the antenna base.  The antenna cable has a plastic button on the end of the cable (antenna end).  I called Dennis Carpenter and was told that this plastic button should not be removed.  I sent the radio back to the radio shop and it works fine in the shop.  The speaker is new also -I can hear the static fine.

Any suggestions?  Thanks

[RICH MUISE]

Hard to tell what the plastic button is DC said to leave on..sounds suspicious to me. You mentioned antenae ground...I'm honestly not sure if they are suppose to have one, but you did not mention anything about the radio ground...what are you grounding it to? I've been told poor or intermitent radio reception is usually due to a faulty ground.

[BWhitmore]

Rich - the radio itself is grounded through the two mounting straps (one on the side and one on the rear of the radio).  Both of these straps mount the radio to the dash.  I am assuming that the radio is properly grounded as it actually turns on and the light turns on.

I think I will remove the plastic button from the cable and see what happens.  Thanks

[RICH MUISE]

I'd still persue the grounding a bit further. You've established it works at the repairman's shop, and that you have power, seems like it's got to be a ground or a faulty antenae. It wouldn't take much to make a temp grounding wire to double check.
Since almost everything on my car was stripped and repainted (yup, even under the dash, dash mounting brackets, etc.), when I started rewiring my car I didn't want to get into grounding problems, and not knowing where to look to correct a bad ground, so I  am wiring it like it was a fiberglass car...so far, nothing I've wired has depended on a bare metal contact for the ground..I've got grounding terminal strips in several locations that all my ground wires are run to...even tailight bulbs. I'm not saying rewire your car, just pointing out that everything we do to a car to protect it from corrosion fights a good ground.

[57 Ford Kustom]

Could it be the capacitor on your distributor? Tim

[hiball3985]

Bill,
I would start by trying another antenna if you have an extra from any car. It doesn't have to be mounted, just plug it in and run a ground wire to it. I've also seen them do nothing but static if the plug going into the radio isn't completely seated, sometimes it feels like it's all the way in but it isn't. Unfortunately I had two 57 antennas I threw away just before I bought my car  and now I need one.

[RICH MUISE]

Did you ever get this figured out?

[RICH MUISE]

Bill..while looking for something else, I found these Ford service bulletins dealing with radio noise
336, pg 2
342, pgs 1-4 (almost the entire bulletin on radio noise)
343 pg 4
I assume you know where the bulletins are posted
Rich
P.S. I'd be willing to bet you never thought of tying a knot in your coil wire. LOL

[BWhitmore]

Rich - thanks I found them.  Trouble with the radio continues.  Works fine off the car.  When installed in the car with a dedicated ground wire for the radio and even a 12v powered hidden radio antenna (Mr. Gasket) mounted under the dash, I still only get static.  I get static only also when I use the fender mounted antenna (a repro from a Dennis Carpenter).  Both the powered antenna and the fender mounted antenna are well grounded also.  I know the speaker is working fine because I can hear the static fine and the speaker worked fine when testing off the car.  This may be one of those things I need to let rest for a while.  It is probably something real simple that will come to me in the middle of the night.

[BWhitmore]

I should add, I get no real radio sound at all, static only when tuning the radio while installed in the car.  When the radio is tested outside the car I get clear music and sound just like a new radio. 

[SkylinerRon]

It could be the antenna isn't making connection when you plug it in.  AM radios act like what you have discribed when they don't have enough antenna.
Unlike FM's  AM's need all the antenna they can get. In the old days of home console radios people strang many feet of copper wire for reception.
You can pop the top off and see if there is a good connection. Also there is a little knob near the antenna conection called the radio trimmer that you can adjust for best reception.
Goodluck,
Ron.

[Ford Blue blood]

As Ron says....sounds like (forgive the pun) no antenna.  Do not do a thing with the "trimmer" adjuster until you have good audio and the radio should be tuned on (I think) the low end of the dial to do the "fine tuning"  That trimmer is to fine tune the radio to the antenna it is hooked up to, "trimming" on the bench will result in less then optimum performance when installed in the car.

[SkylinerRon]

Seems like I remember if the trimmer is turned all the way in or out it can effect reception. Been 40 years since I adjusted one though....
Adjustment instructions are in the 57 Shop Manual.
Goodluck,
Ron.

[flatbedfred]

I know this is an old thread but I need to add something here. Anytime one suspects the problem is the radio antenna, there is a simple test that will give the answer. Just take a piece of hookup wire, maybe 6 ft or more long, bare about 1/4 " and insert the bare conductor into the center hole of the antenna socket. This will give a quick substitute antenna for testing.