Quote:
Originally Posted by jdm_atlanta
i am definately on the same page!
in the short term, i will definately be adding xm radio (planning to hide the aftermarket antenna in the rear spoiler thanks to one of the posts here at Xoutpost!) and a dice kit for the ipod.
however, there are a few local sportstalk shows that xm won't help. if there was anyway to improve that reception, it would be a big plus!
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Here is something I found on the web. I don't have my X5 any longer so I cannot verify any of this...
The am antenna is located in the rear deck lid spoiler. It consists of a length of wire tapped to the inside of the spoiler. They doubled the lenght of the wire and got the highest am antenna signal strength they have ever seen. The am radio has significantly improved.
In a previous life I worked as a Tech at a AM FM broadcast station so I know a bit about how this magic works.
AM signals are vertically polorized and to get the best reception the receiving antenna should be vertically polarized as well.
In the days when auto manufacturers put metal rods on the fender and then later buried wires in the windshield glass, reception was not bad.To be most efficient the AM receiving antenna would have to be as long as the transmitting stations tower but since that is not possible the engineers get creative with coils and amplifiers.
So you may be thinking...why is FM reception a lot better? FM signals are both vertically and horizontally polarized so the BMW antenna under the spoiler should work fine. And what about the ideal length? Ideally about 3ft.
To sum it up...if the radio design is poor to start with a lousy antenna location is not going to help matters.
If the wire is under the spoiler make it longer if you can and then post the results..
Rick