Rubbish radio reception on S2; any cheap fix?

[ColonelKurtz]

This may have been asked before (so apologies) but I am finding the radio reception on my '56 Elise S to be awful! It is driving me crazy on the way to work. It has a standard Alpine cd stereo set-up. Anyone found an effective way to boost radio reception?

[Loudman]

There is a section on this on the SELOC techwiki, it involves some metallic shielding material and some other tweeks i think. I just use my ipod (fed through the stereo), don't bother with the radio.

[GKP]

I've not tried this, but a few owners seem to get good result with one of these: Ebay clicky

[bordseye]

My car is the same year as yours and radio reception is good. My installation is bog standard which makes me think there is a fault with yours. The fault is most likely to be in the aerial connections if the radio is working at all. The other possibility is interference from the elctrics which would tend to be engine speed related. Suggest you start by getting behind the radio, making sure the connections are good and then following up the coax to the radio aerial.

Personally I wouldnt bother. Even with a standard exhaust my radio is useless except in a traffic jam - too much engine noise.

[LotusEater666]

First check if the radio reception is better with the dash turned off. If not then there may be a problem with the stereo unit or the aerial cabling. If it is better then interference is the problem. The only solution I have found to work is to ground the multi function relay unit (in the engine bay) by stuffing some scrunged up kitchen foil between it and the chassis. It's cheap and easy so give it a go!

[Mr E]

GKP said:

I've not tried this, but a few owners seem to get good result with one of these: Ebay clicky

I have one of these but have not fitted it yet.


To be honest, I usually just stream music from the phone over bluetooth.

[MadProf]

Yeah,just seen your thread,totally agree,the radio reception is stE!!!......just play CD's in my S2,but this is a joke really on a car costing the money that it does.So I'd be very interested on any advice that can improve this.

[Chimjunkie]

I've just removed the wiring to my aerial on the S1

[wacattack]

Chimjunkie said:

I've just removed the wiring to my aerial on the S1

Why?

[saaby93]

In the 2006 is the antenna no longer on the boot lid?
Otherwise the aerial cable centre core has been cost reduced thinner than thin cotton, check it one end to the other , and the shield
If you need it try one of these from the above place too
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

[tertius]

I just took it out ... head unit and 4 speakers saved me a net 3.5kg ... now I don't have a radio I don't worry about the reception ... this was a very cheap fix

[Chimjunkie]

wacattack said:

Chimjunkie said:

I've just removed the wiring to my aerial on the S1

Why?

Engine out at moment and the engine bay is being tidied. The wires are still there, but tucked back up into the main loom. Never used a radio in the car and the wiring to the aerial is tatty.

[Neal H]

Some information here: http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Radio_reception

Basically radio reception is rubbish - a lot to do with the fact it's a plastic car I think.

Neal.

[ColonelKurtz]

Thanks all for the replies. Am going to give some of your suggestions a go this weekend. Bordseye's reply is making me think my connections may be loose. As a boring git, I love listening to Radio 4 so CD's are a poor substitute for me :-). And, where I live, I get stuck in A LOT of jams so the radio is a good companion.

PS: Saaby93, you are indeed correct that there is no visible antenna on the post-06 cars.

PPS: got my first wave from a fellow Elise owner yesterday; it put a smile on my face. Another good reason to have bought an Elise; a better class of owner.

[Gooby]

I have an 04/05 car with the digital radio +normal radio.

I improved the radio reception by a good order of magnetude by cleaning up the routing of both antennas. On my car they are routed around the front clam. This was tidied and routed away from other looms and stuck to the underside of the clam.

It was done as part of other work so not a quick easy fix.

[NickNJ]

Neal H said:

Some information here: http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Radio_reception

Basically radio reception is rubbish - a lot to do with the fact it's a plastic car I think.

Neal.

I followed most of the seloc write up and the reception is vastly improved, i changed for the larger aerial from another rover and covered the underside of the boot lid with alluminium tape. Job done.

[CooperS]

i've not been lucky at all with most of the quality of parts of my car. But tbh the DAB reception around Edinburgh is great?