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1999 1500 Radio Reception-- very poor!!

Rashiki

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Rashiki New Member

Rashiki

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1999 Silverado 1500 V6, 5 speed regular cab.

 

Bought this a year ago for a winter vehicle, and i'm not planning on doing anything major to it. I added a CB and my old head unit from my other system. I usually just blast my own MP3's in my Z28 since i've got one of those systems you can hear thumping and rattling the china off your shelf from a mile away, but I've been listening to a lot of FM in the truck, and the reception is horrible. My Z and my girlfriend's vehicle can pick up the local stations much farther away than my truck. I know the radio is good as i do custom installs on the side, so i'm assuming the antenna is garbage. Any replacement or fixes for this other than double checking connections for corrosion/tightness etc? Do these fail or are they just garbage due to GM's dumbass positioning?

 

Thanks!!

c4cruiser Enthusiast

c4cruiser

Posted
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My 99 has great FM reception with the stock radio. There are some stations that lose the FM Stereo signal but that is usually due to being too far away or dirving thru gulleys or in town with tall buildings.

 

There is no difference in the antennas in the truck line so you may have a bad connection or ground. The antenna location is a common one for many vehicles so that by itself should not be a problem.

 

Is the antenna cable tight in the head unit socket? Could be that the solder connection for the center lead may have come loose.

 

The GM factory antenna has a load coil built in to get the proper FM 31" antenna height and it could be possible that there is a brake in that wire. It's the wire under the sheath that snakes around the mast. These masts are fairly cheap so you might try a replacement mast.

 

Where is the CB antenna installed? Bleed-over to the FM radio side is common with CB radios if the two antennas are close together. My CB antenna is on the left fender and there is no problem there.

Rashiki New Member

Rashiki

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The CB antenna is mounted to the side of my toolbox, on the driver side. It's basically just behind the driver door.

 

There is no antenna mast on my truck. I've seen a few with the antenna either hidden under something or integrated into the glass, but i don't see it in any of my glass, so i'm assuming it's buried under the cowl on the passenger side. I'll tear it apart and see if i can find anything obvious, or maybe even move it somewhere else. I'll also check the connections for tightness and corrosion. Anything aftermarket for these?

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