Poor Radio Reception

[GBKid]

I have a 1989 GL1500 equipped with a AM/FM Cassette Stereo. I have very poor FM reception and I suspect a contributing factor are the 2 DC Power outlets I recently installed in my fairing pockets. I wired them directly to the battery terminals. Can that contribute to the poor radio reception/noise? If so, what would be the best way or location to connect the wires for power? Thanks for any and all help on this subject.

[WingAdmin]

I have a 1989 GL1500 equipped with a AM/FM Cassette Stereo. I have very poor FM reception and I suspect a contributing factor are the 2 DC Power outlets I recently installed in my fairing pockets. I wired them directly to the battery terminals. Can that contribute to the poor radio reception/noise? If so, what would be the best way or location to connect the wires for power? Thanks for any and all help on this subject.

Very unlikely that's the cause of your reception issues - particularly if there is nothing plugged into them. Is both AM and FM affected, or is it just FM?

Pull the seat off and check the antenna connections underneath the seat to make sure they are clean and fully seated.

[GBKid]

Thank you for the reply. Both AM and FM are affected, more so with the FM band. Reception is poor with nothing plugged in also. I will clean and inspect the antenna connections as you recommended and get back to you and everyone on the results. Thanks again, I really appreciate your site.

[GBKid]

Okay, I cleaned the antenna connections for both the AM/FM and CB radios underneath the seat and that improved the reception a bit. Then I discovered a curious thing. While reconnecting the AM/FM connector, I noticed a dramatic improvement in the reception when I moved the antenna cables for both radios further apart from each other. They had been essentially right on top of one another, but I completely separated them to their respective sides and voila, crystal clear reception.

[Bluewaterhooker0]

Those should both be shielded cables, and thus not be effected by proximity to each other. Rather than move both "away from each other", I would move one, and then the other and see if reception is affected by the movement of either one of the cables. It sounds like maybe one of them, the AM/FM antenna cable, is chafed or broken somewhere, or you are making a good connection from a loose one, and your movement of them both is causing it to appear that proximity is the problem.

[wing rider 2012]

I agree with Bluewaterhooker, from what you describe is does sound like a broken conductor somewhere in the antenna lead and I think you may find your fix will be temporary.

[GBKid]

As it turns out, there was no problem with the antenna cables. After spending some time on the problem, I determined there was a bad ground on one of the negative wires from the DC power outlets I installed in my fairing pockets that I had connected directly to the battery. Thanks for all of your input.