Do Antenna's Go Bad???

[rskarvan]

I have a 98 Jeep Gr. Cherokee that I've had since new. Recently, the FM reception went very bad and I was only able to pickup one station. I thought... great... the factory head unit must be going out. So, I purchased a new JVC HD radio and the reception is much better than the head factory radio.... but, its still missing some stations that it should be picking up.

Question: Do factory antenna's (Chrysler) go bad?
If so, what brand/model is an improved (perhaps audiophile quality) replacement antenna?

The antenna looks fine. The mast is secured properly to the base. Etc. Nothing makes me suspicious of the antenna except that I'm suddenly getting poor reception with two receivers.

Any advice? Thanks.

[MacLeod]

Antennas dont go bad. Theyre just basically a piece of metal. Now if it has been cut or some length taken off then it will affect it but other than that its pretty much indestructible.

Sounds like the tuner in your radio is going bad.

You should pull the radio out and make sure the antenna jack is plugged securely into the radio. It is possible that it backed out some due to vibration albeit not likely.

[Airplay355]

maybe the wire from the antenna is rotting away or something inside the car? it's probably a 22ga piece of **** wire

[rskarvan]

My guess is that its some sort of corrosion issue. I like the fit of the Jeep factory antenna. I think I'll go to the dealer and price out an exact replacement.

Remember, I did replace the radio and the reception is still disappointing. Much worse than my other vehicles.

[Jstas]

Antennas are cheaply made with cheap materials. They wil corrode, especially the collar that mounts the antenna to the body of the car. If that rots away, or the metal body panel it is mounted to rusts, the ground can go bad and it will cause reception problems. I'd pull it apart and see what's up.

Also, check that your antenna lead to your head unit is not picnched, kinked or caught up somewhere. Sometimes, that can be enough to cause the problem.

[Custom Jim]

Check the AM band. If it works chances are you have bad back to back FM tuners (or poor ones). If AM doesn't work then it could be the antenna, the lead in cable, an antenna adaptor, or a connection on the antenna assebmly not allowing the signal in from the mast to the tuner in the radio.
AM relies on the antenna almost 100% while FM not as much. When I've bench checked radio's inside of a steel roofed building and nothing plugged into the antenna jack on a radio I can sometimes get some strong FM stations but no AM stations are heard.
Some lead in cables off of the antenna mast might have another connection under the hood or on the side of the cowl that made it easier to install on the assembly line.
You could also use an ohm meter to see if there is continuity between the mast and the male end plug at the radio opening. If it's infinite ohms or a high ohm reading there may be a break or a poor connection between the two test points.

Jim

[rskarvan]

Ok... infinite ohms from the antenna mast to the connection inside the vehicle. Crap. I think it may be time to order a new factory antenna cable - $28.00.

Good news is that I can just pop the factory head unit back in and the dash will still match nicely.