Radio problem - FM works, AM doesn't

[Wayne and Karen]

My bike's tucked away till it stops snowing in Buffalo NY but I thought I'd kick off the technical question season with this one. Last year, I clipped about a foot off the length of the antenna and then slipped the little red plastic cap onto the new, lower, end. I don't have a CB radio so I didn't think this would matter.

The radio worked fine after this for quite a while. One day, rather suddenly, the AM radio stopped working although the FM radio still works.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Wayne

[Timmer]

I'm with you on the snow business. I'm just around the corner and up the hiway north of Toronto.
Radio, who listens to AM anyway? I don't even listen to FM. I rum my 60 gig iPod through the cassette deck with remote on handle bars. You can't even tell I have it there. The iPod is in the right glove box.

[Neal]

If somehow the antenna coax was to get to ground before the antenna base the radio wouldn't have the 'mast' of the antenna to work with. As AM works with a verticle plane, and FM works with a horizontal plane, that could show the results you're seeing. That's why we used to get cars with windshield antennas that didn't work very well with AM, but were great for FM. I'd look for either a short on the outside ,ground, side of you coax, or an 'open' non-connection of the inner wire. Possibly at or near the antenna base.

[flip18436572]

Wow, there are still stations broadcasting in AM???? I haven't listened to an AM station for at least 15 years.

[David (N. Alabama)]

Hey PAL, I was thinking the same thing, but didn't want to be the first one to post without offering some help for his problem.

I think the last time I listened to AM was when I built a transistor radio from a kit. I think I was 12 or 13 at the time. :-)

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

You guys are cruel, cruel I say.
There are some folks that like to listen to talk radio, just didn't think any could still operate a bike at that age though!
Just joking!

[flip18436572]

Oh yeah, I was supposed to offer help. My help would be to listen to Neal as he knows what he is talking about when it comes to these new fangled things like AM radidio!!!

[Wayne and Karen]

I'll have you know that the only place I can listen to Jimmy Sturr and his Polka Band is on AM radio. Life without AM radio? You've got to be kidding me. No talk radio? No Polkas? No sports? Around these parts, the sports talk radio shows are all on AM.

Oh yea, one more show I can't miss is the "Financial Hour" for stock market investing. I'd never be able to lose so much money so fast out of my 401K account if I didn't take the advise from the guys on this talk show.

Neal, thanks for the advise, I'll check for ground when I unwrap the bike. Actually, now that you mention it, I think there may be a loose connection or possible wire issue where the antenna swivels at the base. That's probably a good place to start looking.

Thanks for the laughs, guys.

Wayne

[flip18436572]

I really wasn't trying to be mean or anything, but I seriously don't remember listening to anything on AM for at least 15 years and that was a basketball game when I was headed to a show that my band was playing and we wanted to watch the game but had to drive two hours to play our music, so we listened to very bad quality radio and I swore I would never do it again.

[Wayne and Karen]

Don't apologize. I was just kidding around with my reply but honestly, I do listen to talk radio on AM.

I think I probably want to figure out why it's not working mostly because I can't stand it if anything on the bike is broken or not working correctly. I'll bet you're the same way, right?

And don't worry about joking around. Remember, I'm the guy that cropped a photo of our Voyager on the end of the tow line flying through the air behind the ski boat that I took a picture of at the St. Ignace rally.

Wayne

[flip18436572]

The only thing I use the Voyager radio for is communication with the wife, and use of my MP3 player through an FM converter. No tapes and usually no radio stations.

I don't know that I have ever tried to find the AM switch on the radio. Yes, I want everything working as good as factory or better, but honestly didn't think anyone used AM radio for anything anymore.

I hope you find the problem and get it fixed, and then remember to take some pictures and get it in the tech tips section here and on teh abbikeboard.com website.

[flip18436572]

You can tell your a Euclid Boy

????? Care to elaborate

[The Count]

I think he may be refering to Wayne being from Euclid Ohio....The Count

[MTN99]

I don't know that I have ever tried to find the AM switch on the radio. Yes, I want everything working as good as factory or better, but honestly didn't think anyone used AM radio for anything anymore.

Flip,
Don't know 'bout in your state, but here in Calif. most of the CalTrans road alert messages are on AM. :-)
As a frequent rider on the I-80 slab I have found those messages have saved me from sitting in traffic :-x more than a couple of times ...
But other than that not much else out there on AM now. 30 -40 years ago was a different story... (especially for folks out west.... radio station XERB & Wolfman Jack ring a bell? 8-) )

[flip18436572]

When I think of Wolfkman Jack, I think of a bright yellow 32 coupe and a black 57 chevy. Other than that, even though I am 44, I never listened to him on the radio.

I don't travel much on the interstates, especially on the Voyager, so AM radio is not needed. When I am travelling to Tennessee or Kentucky for family, I am on I-70 and have never used AM to find out the problems with the traffic.

I doubt I will change my mind to even try it on my Voyager.

[Wayne and Karen]

Ok, I admit it. I like polka music once in a while but the only way I added Jimmy Sturr to the message I posted was that I typed polish polka into Google and his name came up.

I don't really know any polka musicians.

I still have to say, there are a lot of things I listen to on AM radio. I'm really surprised no one else listens to it.

[flip18436572]

I still have to say, there are a lot of things I listen to on AM radio. I'm really surprised no one else listens to it.

My reason of not listening, very poor quality of sound. It almost hurts my ears. That is another reason I don't like listening to music on the Voyager, because the quality of sound is not that good. It is much better with the helmet headsets that I bought from Neal, but still could be much better quality.

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

I still have to say, there are a lot of things I listen to on AM radio. I'm really surprised no one else listens to it.

Wayne, I too enjoy listening to AM. As a matter of fact my wife and kids get tired of me when traveling because I will and DO listen to all kinds of music from classical, easy listening, rock, instrumental, to talk radio. Variety IS the spice of life, and at times I like it spicey!
:mrgreen:

[Bill O]

I, too, listen to AM. Where else are you to find a decent political talk show.

Bill

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

Where else can you get your blood pressure up so quickly without having to say "If I have to pull this car over..... :twisted:", for me it's pretty much the same affect. Only I'm in the truck alone!

I, too, listen to AM. Where else are you to find a decent political talk show. -Bill