I'm hoping someone can help with my problem because I'm at the end of my tether !
I have a Coachman Amara 2002 which I bought nearly 2 years ago, and the Sony radio / CD player plays CD's but I can not get the radio to pick up any stations / channels on any frequency FM MW or LW ? I've tried an auto and manual search / seek but nothing but an interference type noise.
I asked my local camping and caravanning accessory store what it could be and they said it could be the aerial so I bought a new one that matched the original but this did not work ?
So I've got to try and get a refund ?
I don't want to and can not really afford to call out a mobile engineer /technician because they will charge a call out fee and might not fix the problem.
So any help would be most welcome ?
Just a suggestion
Most radios clip in and out so how about pulling it out and trying it in your car radio slot.
Typically they just have a 12v feed and an aerial connection
Is the radio connected to the small black aerial though?
Some people diverted the coaxial cable and connected it to the omni-directional roof aerial instead like mine is so replacing the original aerial will make no difference if it's not connected. Trace the coax back from the radio to see where it leads to.
Thanks for reply.
Can not try it in my car because like most modern cars the radio is built in. I will see if anyone I know can do this for me ?
I have removed the radio from its housing and traced where the black coaxial cable goes to and it is connected to the "Ring" aerial on the side of the 'van.
But I will double check later ?
If you are getting an interference noise it sounds like the copper brading may be making contact with the central core wire so I would suggest that you have a look at both connectors at each end and make sure that the nylon insulation core is completely dividing the two cables and screwed together properly.
Also, a common problem is if you have the coaxial cable running parallel with a 240 volt cable as this can cause interference so have a look and if there are any then try separating them and then re-check to see if the radio picks up any stations.
I don't know if this is relevant or not, but I never get a tv signal in my van when on the drive at my house. Not having a radio, I'm not sure if that would be the same, but have you tried it away from home and built-up areas - at a campsite. My tv always works on a campsite, and I often listen to the digital radio stations through that, but as we are in a dip at home, no signal for tv. I don't get much of a signal on the car radio at home either, but a noise similar to the one you describe.
I'm interested in what type of aerial you have fitted. Most of the telescopic caravan type have a pre-amp built into their base and need a 12v supply to operate. This is generally supplied by the radio which provides a 12v outlet when the radio is on. It's only a single wire as the ground is supplied by the outer coax connection to the aerial.
Maybe either this wire is disconnected or the 12v output isn't being supplied from the radio.
In most circumstances, you can cobble a signal by sticking a small length of wire into the aeial socket of the radio (just into the middle bit where the pin of the plug goes) and you should get something on the radio.
Thanks,
It is the telescopic type and I've fitted new spade connectors to the new aerial 12v supply cable but still not getting any stations. I will try using a piece of wire ? I'm going to double check that the aerial has not been connected to the TV aerial as suggested earlier ? I will also check for a power supply from the radio with a multimeter ?
Hello all,
Update on radio situation. . . . aaarrrrrrh !
I have now fitted the new aerial because I have been told that it uses the caravan as an earth ? But still no stations.
I have tried to get hold of a car stereo off friends / colleagues to see if that works but nobody has one. This would have shown whether my stereo is faulty, then I would have replaced it.
Is your caravan plastic or metal skinned? You need a ground plane for the aerial that conducts electricity, it's usually the car body. It should still work though because the negative power supply is on the radio case and you should still get the stronger signals. Do as Paul suggests and try a 1m long wire in the centre aerial hole.
Did you manage to prove that the radio was providing a switched 12v supply to power the aerials preamp? Also, any result at all on sticking a length of wire into the aerial socket?
I would expect some reception, but if you have absolutely no radio output at all, you could have a duff tuner front-end in the unit.
Ideally you need to check by substitution or rig the thing up on a bench with a supply and speaker.
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Topic: Caravan Radio
