General information about your radio
Your vehicle’s radio receives both AM and FM stations. The quality of your reception is affected by distance, obstacles, and signal interference. Signal transmission
FM signals do not follow the earth surface nor are they reflected by the upper atmosphere. For this reason, FM broad- casts cannot be received over long distances. AM signals fol- low the earth’s surface and are reflected by the upper atmosphere. For this reason, AM broadcasts can be received over longer distances.
Weak reception (fading)
Because of the limited range of FM signals and the way FM waves transmit, you may experience weak or fading FM recep- tion. When the broadcast is blocked by mountains or similar obstructions, reception can be disturbed. Reflection
The reason why one can hear FM but not AM in parking garages, under bridges etc., is that FM signals, unlike AM sig- nals, are reflected by solid objects such as buildings, etc. Because FM signals are easily reflected by buildings, this can also cause reception disturbances. The direct signal from the broadcast station reaches the antenna slightly before the reflected signal. This time difference may cause some reception disturbance or flutter. This problem occurs primarily in urban areas.
FM AM
25 to 40 mile radius (40 to 64 km)
100 mile radius (160 km)
Cross modulation
If one listens to a weak station and is in the vicinity of another strong station, both stations might be received simultaneously.
FM stereo reception
Stereo reception requires a high quality broadcast signal. This means that types of disturbances mentioned previously become more marked and the reception range is somewhat diminished during stereo reception.
Causes of disturbances
FM reception is affected by the electrical systems of vehicles in the vicinity, especially those without an electronic noise sup- pression device. The disturbance is even greater if the station is weak or poorly tuned. FM reception is not as sensitive to electrical disturbances as AM. AM reception is sensitive to electrical disturbances such as power lines, lightning and other types of similar electrical phenomena.
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