Poor radio reception from Sony 6CD unit

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Sun 1 Oct 2006 22:47
Poor radio reception from Sony 6CD unit - jmhchemist
Many thanks for all those comments on dirty diesel oil. I have another query. I have a Ford Mondeo Estate 2.0 TDCi (Oct 2003) fitted with Sony 6CD audio unit. The radio reception (Radio 4, ClassicFM) has been consistently poor whilst I have had the car (from 1 year old). Much complaining obtained a new unit which was slightly better but not much. Further complaining produced a new aerial to little effect. Contacts have been cleaned (they said) and adjustments made and it is still hopeless. This problem is apparent both locally (Salisbury) and nationally. The unit is correctly setup. The CD side of things is OK and all works well. The warranty runs out in a couple of weeks and I have run out of ideas. The Ford dealer simply reports no fault found which is clearly rubbish. Help?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 1 Oct 2006 23:06
Poor radio reception from Sony 6CD unit - PaulFromMelton
Could be a short in the aerial cable? Check by connecting a multimeter and checking for continuity....I think!

Try connecting another radio of a different make and seeing if that makes a difference.

Aerial connect to car body somewhere?

Maybe it's just the radio stations. I don't often listen to R4 or CFM but I'm never able to get a good signal. Local stations and R1/R2 always seem clear.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 2 Oct 2006 08:34
Poor radio reception from Sony 6CD unit - Collos25
Have you allowed the set to roam for the best signal,where I stay in the UK I can get R4 on four frequencies and on a 15 mile trip it switches between three but always perfect recection ,I have the same Sony unit.
Just a thought.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 2 Oct 2006 11:05
Poor radio reception from Sony 6CD unit - SpamCan61 {P}
Just wondering if this unit has a sperate booster between the aerial and the CD unit, many do. ?

If so this booster may have either blown a fuse or just plain broken. Without knowing the specifics of your set-up I can't think of a way of proving this, unless you happen to have a seperate portable antenna on a mag-mount or similar which could be plugged directky into the back of the CD unit; to check that the CD unit is actually OK.

The fact that two units give unsatisfactory performance make me think it's either the booster ( if fitted) or the aerial itself.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 2 Oct 2006 11:18
Poor radio reception from Sony 6CD unit - Collos25
Have you allowed the set to roam for the best signal,where
I stay in the UK I can get R4 on four
frequencies and on a 15 mile trip it switches between three
but always perfect recection ,I have the same Sony unit.
Just a thought.

I think I meant "reception"
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

10 warranty myths exposed

Here’s how to sort the fact from the fiction when it comes to car warranties.

Cheap Car Warranties

From which small car to buy at which price point to the best UK-built cars, our Top 10s have the lot. Click now for your shortlist.

Unsure of what to buy? Our Top 10s are here to help you....