Radio Antenna Problem
I just picked up a 2011 Jay Flight 26RSL that is MINT. Not even a rock chip on the bottom.
HOWEVER, the Jensen radio had nearly zero reception.
I found the following issues when I dug in.
1. The radio had a mediocre ground. Rather than pull wires and tear into the walls looking for it, I connected into the power, chassis, DC ground system.
2. The radio worked very well if another antenna was plugged in and simply laid on the table next to the radio. This indicated the problem was in the factory antenna.
I went to the roof and sliced away enough of the rubber sealant on the antenna mount to get to the mounting screws. Take your time and work in small nibbles.
The antenna cable has a connector at the bottom of the antenna that was not tight. Tightening it didn't help. The antenna base is grounded to something inside the roof. This is a good practice.
I removed the antenna and disassembled it. Sorry I didn't take pictures, but I'll try to describe the situation as best as I can.
A mounting stud on the bottom that also goes to the grounded base of the antenna is screwed onto the antenna "power" lead. It has a plastic, threaded core so it doesn't ground out the RF signal. What I found was that this stud was supposed to be insulated from the lead by a small O'ring. The O'ring was crushed and not doing the job. I removed it and made a new insulator out of a small piece of plastic like the removable top to a storage container.
The radio works VERY WELL now.
I reinstalled the antenna and re-sealed it.
I was about ready to replace the Jensen unit and I'm sure glad I didn't.
Total cost was for the sealant on the roof and a few hours diagnostic time.
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