If you notice your car radio won't pick up any radio station, then you will need to troubleshoot your car stereo and radio antenna that is attached onto it. The antenna is usually placed on the top of your vehicle and feeds through your car using a coax style cable with an antenna jack that connects to the back of the radio. If it’s a new car you will be using an farakka radio adapter or plug from the factory. If your factory or aftermarket radio won't pick up stations then this guide will help you get tuned in again.
You will need to establish if you are getting no FM signal or no DAB signal. The DAB antenna is separate to the FM antenna. With an aftermarket radio, generally the DAB antenna is stuck on directly onto the highest point of windshield of the vehicle. This ensures that it gets the best signal. So, if your antenna is stuck right at the bottom near the dashboard you are not going to get any reception at all. This is why maybe your car radio won't pick up stations. Also, to note the DAB aerial needs to be grounded and the sticky part with the foil found on the antenna needs to be pressed against any metal on the car. The metal surface that this sticks onto needs to be scraped down to a point were bear metal is exposed. Most people that have installed their aftermarket car stereo for the first time in their vehicle often don't know about how important this is. If the DAB antenna is not grounded properly your car radio will not be picking up stations. This is because from the factory there will be paint on the metal behind the A pillar which the ground strip found on the DAB antenna needs to contact.
Sometimes, also DAB aerials need to be powered as sometimes they require 12 volts to provide power to the internal amplifier circuit. If this wire is not connected then your radio antenna will not work to its full potential. Connect this wire to a 12-volt ignition source that goes off and on with the key. Usually on most aftermarket radios it will be marked as a red wire. You may also need to factory reset your car stereo to help in sync and pick up the radio antenna sometimes, as the software on it can be corrupted due to an error.
If you’re not getting any FM signal at all, the first thing to check is the metal plug looking thing that goes back into the radio. It looks like a bullet with a prong attached onto the middle of it. It can sometimes get loose from the usual bumps and knocks occurred when driving. Remove the radio antenna give it a quick clean and refit it back into the unit. If this doesn't work, then cut off the connector and attach a new one onto the coax wire.
When stripping the radio wire for FM radio, you will notice silver fuzzy wire on the outside, followed by a foil shield and then a small insulated jacket with a really thin wire found in the middle of it. The thin wire should go into the middle part of the connector and the foil should be removed and the fuzzy outer part, the earth of the antenna should contact the outer of the antenna. Make sure your connections are soldered up to ensure reliability. If this doesn't work your best bet is to replace the FM radio attached onto the top of your car. If your car is fairly old, climate conditions such as rain and wind can cause damage to the antenna, corrosion and rust is common which can interfere with your car stereo picking up FM radio stations.
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