Hi there,

I have rubbish radio reception on my Mk2 Focus. I've replaced the aerial and the aerial base and still not much change. I know the radio reception is fine in the area that I'm in, my girlfriend has an old mk1 Focus and thats perfectly fine. I don't know what else to try!

Anyone got any ideas? Its a Ford 6000CD radio.

It may be worth checking the wire from the base to the radio socket for continuity.

Is the cable plugged firmly into the radio?

TBH, i have always though these standard radios are a bit poor with reception. I upgraded mine to the more oval version, and its still the same. When i get time will probably upgrade to one of the sony units, or do a single DIN conversion and put a standard stereo in.

TBH, i have always though these standard radios are a bit poor with reception. I upgraded mine to the more oval version, and its still the same. When i get time will probably upgrade to one of the sony units, or do a single DIN conversion and put a standard stereo in.

save your money mate,

ive got the oval sony fitted and reception can be poor at times but cd's sound better on the sony compared to the 6000cd

my next thought on this is to unscrew the aerial and clean the threads on the joint between the base and the aerial

it may increase contact and boost reception. their are also 12v signal reception amplifiers on ebay that fit behind the stereo and filter the aerial may be worth a try and bound to help things.

I have posted this before, but the problem is usually with poor earth to aerial base. It relies on a serrated washer to cut into the paint and make contact with the body, but the washer usually just flattens. I had same problem, and just took the earth from the center light cluster. Problem solved.

I could only get local radio and Radio 1, 2 when in open country. Did fix I mentioned and now I get local radio even when 15 miles outside of town, along with a shed load of others.

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/31803-radio-aerial-help/#entry181167

i replaced the base on mine cant say i have any issues just when im in a poor reception area

Running non standard aerials usually results in terrible signal or corrosion on the aerial screw thread.

Running non standard aerials usually results in terrible signal or corrosion on the aerial screw thread.

is that why you guys have 3 or 4 on the roof ;)

Gotta listen to something on long patrols.

:D

Gotta listen to something on long patrols.

:D

The best aerials are the directional ones that cannot be seen, the entertainment is more interesting. ;)

Hi there,

I have rubbish radio reception on my Mk2 Focus. I've replaced the aerial and the aerial base and still not much change. I know the radio reception is fine in the area that I'm in, my girlfriend has an old mk1 Focus and thats perfectly fine. I don't know what else to try!

Anyone got any ideas? Its a Ford 6000CD radio.

Did you ever get this fixed? What was the problem?

Any ideas folks getting great reception on FM crap on AM . 6000cd 57 plate

my reception is sometimes naff, more so when ive got my usb charger plugged in, i know this is the cause but could anyone tell me why?

Any ideas folks getting great reception on FM crap on AM . 6000cd 57 plate

Hi mate, my MW is useless as well, has interference/static on every station. I try to listen to 5 Live and TalkSport, both MW, and can hardly hear a thing through all the static.

There is so much interference from cell towers, wi-fi, 3g, 4g etc I'm surprised you get mw or am at all.

Hi mate, my MW is useless as well, has interference/static on every station. I try to listen to 5 Live and TalkSport, both MW, and can hardly hear a thing through all the static.

I have found if I switch off the engine the reception on AM is as good as ( my FM while I'm driving ) just wondering if it's a suppression fault or is that a memory from my past ?

I have found if I switch off the engine the reception on AM is as good as ( my FM while I'm driving ) just wondering if it's a suppression fault or is that a memory from my past ?

There may be some truth to that as the static sometimes gets worse/louder as I accelerate?

After having a read through my owners manual ( only had it 4yrs ) regarding radio reception can any body tell me in basic English what is ADFA ( Advanced Digital Filter Adjustment ) and how do I check to see if mine is switched on , just a thought in case this might have something to do with my AM poor reception quality when the engine is running . Just replaced my aerial but only a small improvement ,

A simple solution that worked for me : I unscrewed the aerial from the base and found that the screw thread of the base and aerial had oxidised with that grey powder coating all over it. I used a wire brush and cloth to remove that back to clean shiny metal. Especially the ring of both ends that makes contact. Replaced it and noticed a massive improvement. Worth a try before you replace the whole lot.

I've posted before about "mediocre" radio reception and have just looked at the connectors sited behind the main interior light fitting. Both the aerial and earth connections are clean and tight but reception still garbage and I'm not convinced the aerial connection into the rear of the radio is going to be at fault. This leaves me with the firm belief the unit is crap, especially after talking to a taxi driver who owns a Mondeo with the same unit and he's less than impressed with his unit not pulling in stations properly.

I guess this means the unit has been "built down to a price", given that most mass market cars these days are cost restricted by the bean counters!

I'm late to the party here. However, I've only had my mark 2.5 Focus for a couple of months. I was having the issue with Medium Wave. With the ignition off and they key out, MW was noisy, with what sounded like a police siren in the background. With the ignition on, it wiped it out altogether. I tried messing about with the aerial threads, checked the base, ran an extra earth to the head unit. Nothing.

Here's what fixed it: I took the trim panel off the driver's side A post: pull the door seal down a bit, get your fingers behind the trim panel and pull it towards the middle of the car.

There's a M/F connector on the blue wire. I just separated (pull it apart with your fingers)it and clicked back together again. MW all sorted.

 

 

Edited August 20, 20169 yr by ashmicro
Spelling mistake.

The wiring joint on the pillar is often overlooked when diagnosing reception errors.

Good find there.

Sent from my SM-G930F

Well my radio reception was ok for the first 5 minutes - this after years of great reception - then it went off piste and varied from good to aweful. I have read through the thread and tried all the suggestions, nothing improved it. Then I thought - with aerial in hand - I would get a rag and some WD40 and give the aerial a good wipe - this should me that the aerial had attracted metal filings (somehow), I knew because quite a few went through the cloth and into my fingers - so be aware. Anyhow I clean the aerial and refitted it and would you believe it , my radio reception was back to its normal great self. Only minutes before it was all over the place in the strengh of signal, now it was perfect. So give it a try - clean the aerial itself - mind your fingers though for splinters - I dont know why it should attract metal filings - static maybe - but this appears to have worked for me. :)

I am getting poor reception and when I plug a usb connector into the cigarette lighter port it gets even worse. Where is the radio earth connection to check?

Some after market led lamps interfere with radio,  but the biggest one for me in focus and my transit is phone charger,  knocks signal right out