Car radio static: These tips can help

Car radio static: These tips can help

There may be very simple reasons why your car radio is crackling. You should also distinguish whether the crackling is intermittent or constant. Read on to find out which tips will help in both cases:

• Mobile phone: It’s often the mobile phone that causes the problems. If you place it too close to the radio or directly in the cupboard underneath it, the frequencies can interfere with one another, causing the static. You should therefore avoid placing your mobile phone near the radio in future. This also applies to other mobile devices that use certain frequencies.
• Position: You can also stop brief bursts of static by changing the position of your car. This is particularly useful if you are in rural areas and have parked your car. Even moving just a few metres can be enough to significantly improve your car radio’s reception.
• Amplifier: If reception remains consistently poor, you can improve it with a special amplifier for car radios. You can power the amplifier using the car’s standard 12-volt supply. Then connect the amplifier to the radio and reception will improve significantly.
• Antenna: A simple trick to improve reception is to check the antenna. Often, it is simply a loose connection between the antenna and the radio. Before buying any further parts or a new antenna, you should therefore check the connections between the antenna and the radio. If there is no fault there, you should replace the antenna with a new one.
• Tip: Older cars in particular tend to have long aerials that are clearly visible from the outside. If you have a shorter aerial, you can replace it with a longer one to improve reception. You simply need to ensure that you buy an aerial with the same thread as the existing one. Then screw the new aerial in place and check whether the reception has improved.