My Saturn's Radio has A.D.D.

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Bart Collins, Jun 22, 2010.

  1. Bart Collins

    Bart Collins Guest

    Help,

    The factory radio in my wife's 08 Saturn Sky has developed A D D. I
    will wander off the station preset frequency. Example - I listen to 98.
    FM and for no rhyme or reason, the radio will drift to 98.5 or 98.9 wit
    the loss of signal. Pressing the preset brings it back for a littl
    while but it will drift 0.2 off (up or down) again. The most time I'v
    seen it do this is 7 or 8, by which time, I am so angry that I just su
    it off.
    The kicker is that it will not do it all the time but problem does see
    to be heat affected - after car sits in the sun all day, it is mor
    likly to do it. Early in the AM or late in the PM - not so much.
    I just took it to the dealer this morning but of course, it only did i
    one time on the way out of their parking lot after they couldn'
    duplicate it and then when i was pulling into the garage at home.

    Bart Collins:
     
    Bart Collins, Jun 22, 2010
    #1
  2. Bart Collins

    hubops Guest



    ..... be verwy verwy caerwful, wabbit.

    If the radio starts to drift to a station that speaks only to you ...

    .... you just might be in a Twilight Zone ..

    .... or a Ray Bradbury story.

    :)

    .... there are worse places..

    John T.

    --- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---
     
    hubops, Jun 23, 2010
    #2
  3. Bart Collins

    marx404 Guest

    IIRC, there may be a setting for Local or RDS stations. Have you tried
    toggling these settings/buttons and see if the radio keeps the frequencies?
    Sounds like your radio is somehow "auto-tuning", even though I am unaware of
    any such feature.
     
    marx404, Jun 23, 2010
    #3
  4. Bart Collins

    Oppie Guest

    If the vehicle is still under warranty, have GM fix it. If not, probably
    best to get an aftermarket radio installed by an independent car audio shop.
    HD radios are coming down in price and you will find that there are more
    features now available in newer radios.
    Oppie
     
    Oppie, Jun 24, 2010
    #4
  5. Bart Collins

    Bart Collins Guest

    Thanks for the hints
    I took the car to my local GM dealer and because they could no
    duplicate the problem, pretty much blew me off. It is intermittent an
    will work for a couple of days and then wander 3 or 4 times in a 3
    minute commute
    I guess I'll go to the GM Zone manager:
     
    Bart Collins, Aug 5, 2010
    #5
  6. Bart Collins

    Oppie Guest

    Intermittent problems are a bear to track down.
     
    Oppie, Aug 6, 2010
    #6
  7. Bart Collins

    danielr Guest

    as an electronic engineer, let me explain to you the nature of your
    problem, the probable causes and the recommended corrective action.
    (in a VERY simplified way), the process of AM / FM radio receiving
    entails the generation of a frequency from what it is called a LOCAL
    OSCILLATOR [LO]. this frequency must keep a given difference with the
    one of the station you are trying to capture.
    the process is known as "tuning".
    the receiver has an internal reference oscillator, known as "the
    crystal oscillator" [XO], which frequency MUST BE rock stable within
    the specified temperature range of the receiver. the LO is synthesized
    from the XO.
    in your case, that is not happening.
    probable causes could be some impurity in the chemical composition of
    the crystal used for the XO, or probably some imperfection in the
    assembly process of your radio.
    when the car has been in the sun, in a very hot summer day, the
    temperature buildup will "shift" the XO, and therefore the LO.
    in production, radios are functionally tested at room temperature,
    that’s why the defect might not had been noticed.
    my recommendation is that you replace the radio.

    good luck,

    danielR
     
    danielr, Aug 6, 2010
    #7
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