# Is there ANYTHING to improve AM/FM reception in an E39???



## DanB (Feb 20, 2002)

Anyone?

TIA,

-DanB


----------



## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

Are you using an aftermarket amp?


----------



## DanB (Feb 20, 2002)

Kaz said:


> Are you using an aftermarket amp?


Yeah, but it was crappy before I got the amp. Plus, the antenna/head unit are not changed. My aftermarket amp only processes output audio signal from the head unit.

-DanB


----------



## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

I asked because I had an aftermarket amp (blaupunkt) that totally shot radio reception. At first I though it had something to do with proximity to the antenna amp, but when I swapped it for another one the problem went away.


----------



## jvr826 (Apr 22, 2002)

There's a couple things you can check Dan. The antenna connection under the c-pillar, it may have come lose. I've read of this as a possible problem. 

Also, depending on year and equipment, you may qualify for a radio replacement from BMW. There was alot of discussion on this in another thread. Search on BM53 and you should find it. I had my tuner pack replaced recently under warranty as my car has Nav and had poor FM reception. It's now a joy to listen to FM in stereo for the first time since I've had the car.

I have an aftermarket amp in my car as well, it has not had any impact on reception. And was not an issue for the warranty work on the tuner pack. It didn't even come up.

Good luck!


----------



## DanB (Feb 20, 2002)

Thanks for the info. I actually replaced my in-dash tape player (which contains the "guts" of the radio) with the in-dash CD, so it's a newer unit. I will go out and check the C pillar right now!

Regards,

Dan



jvr530i said:


> There's a couple things you can check Dan. The antenna connection under the c-pillar, it may have come lose. I've read of this as a possible problem.
> 
> Also, depending on year and equipment, you may qualify for a radio replacement from BMW. There was alot of discussion on this in another thread. Search on BM53 and you should find it. I had my tuner pack replaced recently under warranty as my car has Nav and had poor FM reception. It's now a joy to listen to FM in stereo for the first time since I've had the car.
> 
> ...


----------



## DanB (Feb 20, 2002)

Update:

Ulf Arens from Ignition Solutions (founder) is going to look into possible problems/solutions with the E39 reception issue. This guy's a technical genius, and he's not opposed to (possibly) designing a solution to this problem if a cost effective one exists.

-DanB


----------



## Ågent99 (Jan 7, 2002)

Let us know how things turn out, Dan the Mystery Man!  How are you, Hoss? Thanks for the X-mas card...woulda reciprocated but, of course, we didn't have your address until after your card arrived.


----------



## DanB (Feb 20, 2002)

Ågent99 said:


> Let us know how things turn out, Dan the Mystery Man!  How are you, Hoss? Thanks for the X-mas card...woulda reciprocated but, of course, we didn't have your address until after your card arrived.


Hehe, will do. We've pushed taking electronic measurements till tomorrow afternoon...

Hope you had a great Christmas and New Years!

-DanB


----------



## johnlew (Dec 25, 2001)

My FM is OK in the '99 540iAT, but the AM sucks. Makes a whistling, whining noise that goes from low tone to high tone and then fades away for a bit. Then we start over. Just awful. Spent $400 at the dealer two years ago and the didn't fix it.


----------



## kc5 (Aug 9, 2004)

I have the exact same problem with AM as lohnlew. If anyone discovers a cure, please please let me know.


----------



## DanB (Feb 20, 2002)

kc5 said:


> I have the exact same problem with AM as lohnlew. If anyone discovers a cure, please please let me know.


I'll update with our findings from today... There may be a solution that would boost both FM and AM reception. :thumbup: It would cost under $250 (It may be $99, it may be $250... dunno yet).

-DanB


----------



## DanB (Feb 20, 2002)

Update:

The good news is that there is much room for improvement in both AM and FM reception. Ulf took out my AM/FM/Heater module, cracked it open, took some pictures and measurements, and determined that he can very likely come up with a solution within the price range I quoted.

Going under the assumption that this product will significantly improve AM/FM reception, and it is $250 or less, can I get a show of hands as to how many people would be interested? We have 2 catalog companies prospectively lined up, however we'd likely sell it for a period of time to you guys before it hit the catalogs.

Regards,

DanB
www.benferperformance.com


----------



## 1Dreamer (Oct 23, 2004)

DanB said:


> Going under the assumption that this product will significantly improve AM/FM reception, and it is $250 or less, can I get a show of hands as to how many people would be interested?


 My FM is OK, but at times I get the same AM whining noise that johnlew and kc5 mention. Really annoying. Not sure I listen to AM enough to make it worth $250 to get rid of, but maybe if it were in the $100 to $150 range. Also not sure what we're dealing with in terms of installing the fix. I'm one of those people that has to pay people to fix what I broke attempting "easy" DIY jobs.  LOL


----------



## DanB (Feb 20, 2002)

1Dreamer said:


> My FM is OK, but at times I get the same AM whining noise that johnlew and kc5 mention. Really annoying. Not sure I listen to AM enough to make it worth $250 to get rid of, but maybe if it were in the $100 to $150 range. Also not sure what we're dealing with in terms of installing the fix. I'm one of those people that has to pay people to fix what I broke attempting "easy" DIY jobs.  LOL


The fix would be to remove the panel which holds your driver's side rear reading lamp (which is simple... pop out the lamp w/a screwdriver and pull towards yourself until the clips let go). Then you would unplug the existing antenna leads, plug it into this box, and plug the box lead into the original module. Kind of like hooking a VCR up to a cable box. The box would then sit right next to the OEM module.

BTW, if the fix is extremely simple in terms of development and circuitry, it may very well be less than $250.

-DanB


----------



## 1Dreamer (Oct 23, 2004)

If it is, I'd be game. And it sounds like a simple enough fix that _even I could do it_. As long as I don't have to start taking apart the dashboard I think I can handle it. :thumbup:


----------



## kc5 (Aug 9, 2004)

DanB, yes I am interested. Would it come with a guarantee that it would fix the problem? Thanks!


----------



## DanB (Feb 20, 2002)

kc5 said:


> DanB, yes I am interested. Would it come with a guarantee that it would fix the problem? Thanks!


Not if you're in an area with crappy AM reception to begin with... If you've got another car with an exterior antenna, which gets much better reception in general than your BMW, then this product would fix the issue. When I get into my wife's car, I get all of my favorite AM channels clear as a bell. The same channels in the E39 barely come in!

Regards,

-Dan


----------



## kc5 (Aug 9, 2004)

My other car has no problem with AM reception. The problem is with the BMW only. When I change AM channels, the annoying whistling whining noise goes away, but when I return to the original problem station, the noise picks up right where it left off. Like johnlew explained, the noise goes from low tone to high tone and then fades away for awhile. I'm not sure that it's a reception issue. Could it be a grounding issue, a problem with the electrical system where it's picking up alternator noise, or just a design flaw in BMW's radios? My last E39 did the same thing.

I have not discussed this with the dealer because they will probably just blame the tinted windows or the aftermarket subwoofer (I doubt that they will believe me that the noise occurred prior to those being installed).


----------



## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

DanB said:


> Anyone?
> 
> TIA,
> 
> -DanB


Danny boy...
As a fellow E39 owner (granted mine is a much better version than yours  ) I know how you feel.

Here best thing I can come up for you as a solution

http://tinyurl.com/6628r

It worked for me .... so it should work for you....

cheers,

beewang :bigpimp:


----------

