Thread: Visteon HD reception woes

Figured i would throw my experiences out there...

I've had interference issues for a while... to be honest i haven't even used it in a while.

I've taken everything out of the car, used it inside, bought ferrite split beads, isolated components, ... the works.

What I have found is that something from the carPC itself is causing the interference.

I powered the computer off an ATX bench supply I have, and there was definitely less noise... which points to the M2-ATX as the problem. But there was still some problems.

Something you should try to see this is to control your Visteon with the control brick... have your computer running, and then shut-off your computer. I almost guarantee you will see a signal boost or a quick lock-on to HD. It worked for me every time.

So that's where I'm at. I haven't really messed with it lately..... but darn that RFI!

Originally Posted by utd09bry

Figured i would throw my experiences out there...

I've had interference issues for a while... to be honest i haven't even used it in a while.

I've taken everything out of the car, used it inside, bought ferrite split beads, isolated components, ... the works.

What I have found is that something from the carPC itself is causing the interference.

I powered the computer off an ATX bench supply I have, and there was definitely less noise... which points to the M2-ATX as the problem. But there was still some problems.

Something you should try to see this is to control your Visteon with the control brick... have your computer running, and then shut-off your computer. I almost guarantee you will see a signal boost or a quick lock-on to HD. It worked for me every time.

So that's where I'm at. I haven't really messed with it lately..... but darn that RFI!

Interesting. I have an Opus PSU, and it's so nice and does exactly what it's supposed to do, I'd hate to think it's causing my problems, but it just might be! So what could we do if this were in fact the problem? Encase our PSU's in big ferrite boxes??

i'm running the visteon with a M2-ATX with no issues. Mine gets great reception pretty much anywhere.

I get the same results with centrafuse, the program from mitch or RR with DFX 3

The only thing I get that is strange is one HD station kinda switches from stereo to what sounds like 3d stereo.

Originally Posted by Nola111

Interesting. I have an Opus PSU, and it's so nice and does exactly what it's supposed to do, I'd hate to think it's causing my problems, but it just might be! So what could we do if this were in fact the problem? Encase our PSU's in big ferrite boxes??

hahahahaha, wonder how much a big ferrite box costs. Where do you guys have your PSU's. My OPUS 320 is right next to the MoBo, they are almost literally touching each other. Only interference i have is when i turn on and off the PC, I get this wierd high pitch sound only at start up and shut off. This is happeneing through the onboard audio port. Im hoping that with the USB card I wont have the issue since it is far from the PC.

I have mine (also Opus 320) in a plastic Radio Shack project box, and that box is on top of the pc. The Visteon unit is approx. 2-3 feet away from the pc. Too close maybe?

i have heard of others having success using the M2-atx... i almost have a feeling that its just my motherboard. computers generally put off a lot of high frequency noise.

the only way to shield RFI is through isolation and shielding (metal). plastic casing won't do anything..

don't forget that cables can produce noise in nearby cables... including antenna lines

FIXED!

It was the antenna. I picked up an Oem antenna from the dealer yesterday ($20 for the mast) The radio is now crystal clear. Although...

I believe i have some sotware issues that need working out, as it sounds like it might be overmodulating a little bit. Does the input from the HD radio pass through any EQ's in the software before being pumped out to the line out? Im using the DFX3 skin.

Also, on the "Music" side of things, the default for my winamp volume wont stay full-on from the previous usage. I have to turn it back up from +-25% every time. Any Ideas?

Thanks for all your help! Mitch was dead on in the first reply of this thread.

Great to hear rock99! Would you be able to post a pic of the antenna? I know that since you got it from the dealership it won't be the same as for my VW, but if I could see what it looks like, I'll look for something as similar as possible.

Anyone having problems... have you tried using the hd radio without your computer running to see if you get better signals? Just using the control module, whether you have speakers running or not, you should be able to see how quickly it locks onto stations. This was the test I used... and since I have my computer connected to a switch on my dash I could easily flip it on/off... and the radio would respond with a quick lock-on or an instant loss of signal. It was quite amazing... Now just to figure out which component or wire is causing that mess