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Cruiser
Posts: 273
| So, other than a HogWired system that costs a ton of money has anyone come up with a reliable alternate antenna (or radio system) that will get stations more than 20 miles away?
Someone's got to come up with an exterior antenna that works on this bike. |
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Tourer
Posts: 432
Gettysburg, 2008 Tour Premium | Someone here or on the VMC forum indicated what it takes the radio to recieve and lock on to a station and I believe the talk was it was a considerable signal that was nesessary. Now in just looking at the stock antenna I would guess that it is a powered unit. That means it uses a powered amplifier to boost the signal. I am guessing and it is only a guess that going with a 12 volt powered antenna amp (a powerfull one) and one of the better stick antenna's should get the job done. If I really cared that much about the radio that is the approach I would take. Why this radio requires such a signal anybody knows, seems just poor design. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 725
Reno County, KS | wroman - 2009-10-15 10:33 PM
12 volt powered antenna amp (a powerfull one)
There used to be an inexpensive one dist. through Radio Shack (Tandy). I had a Tech Reference posted on it but it is no longer made. It made a lot of difference when installed but the reliability was short lived. I killed 1 and couldn't buy another so I deleted the Tech Reference. I was PM'd twice that it wasn't working for 2 people. I suspect that theirs was DOA. Mine died internally and the power light still came on. To be honest, it was a supposed to be a temporary solution to the hardware problem that Victory will NEVER recall because it would necessitate replacing the receiver. Basically the antenna is not the problem, it's the receiver. The stock antenna is already boosted. The only real fix were going to find is for Polaris to find another receiver or have the OEM re-engineer the current one. If we had a standard receiver (think DIN, like a car), we could just chunk the OEM in the trash and replace it. I'm more disappointed than anyone else about this because the FM radio was a BIG deal to me when I bought her. So I go buy an iPod to because I can't stand fidgeting with the radio when I should be driving and the damn thing acts retarded when plugged in. Got the bike flashed again and it kinda works with quirks that I've figured out how to deal with. What a PITA!!! LOL |
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Cruiser
Posts: 266
Hartland, , WI | My Radio, CB, Weather radio all work fine...AM sucks with static that comes and goes...but I am 99% IPOD with an intercom set up...Love it. Radio is just low on range when I compare it to my BMW LT with a seperate antenna.
Anyway...some on this site talk with a Victory Region Rep, etc. I see in threads...what do they say is going to happen with us 08'ers? I know...I know....it's Polaris don't hold your breath. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 721
| I believe the powered antenna that some have mounted under the dash panel (the panel above the gauges, NOT the access panel where the oem antenna is mounted) is available still on ebay, here is the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Hidden-AMPLIFIED-Antenna-Radio-Motor... |
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Tourer
Posts: 562
SC, Bluffton | Travelin' Man - 2009-10-16 1:49 PM
I believe the powered antenna that some have mounted under the dash panel (the panel above the gauges, NOT the access panel where the oem antenna is mounted) is available still on ebay, here is the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Hidden-AMPLIFIED-Antenna-Radio-Motor...
Looks simple. Does the radio on the Vision have that kind of plug in for the antenna?
Why dont we have a little airplane wing looking antenna mounted above, outside the windshield garnish area? A little Gargoyle head might work too. Not as big as the Dragon head the one gentleman has on his Dragon Vision.
Herb |
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Tourer
Posts: 423
northwest florida | anyone notice how much static you get on the AM band when your HID light is on? |
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Tourer
Posts: 548
Mount Vernon, WA United States | Ahhhh Radiowave Propagation... Something I know something about...
One comment on "antenna amplifiers" is that they ONLY amplify what the antenna already hears. Better ones help accentuate the signal vs noise factor as part of amplification so that signal that was really weak, now sounds louder and stronger. The cheaper ones, and frankly most amplifiers, just amplify what the antenna is hearing. So if the signal is weal and in the noise, amplifying it makes it louder and in the noise.
The BEST cure for better reception is a better antenna and mount it high. Not very practical, but that is the solution. For CB radio, the best antenna I know of is the Firestick. They are inexpensive and very very good and tunable.
I did notice on the new Cross Bikes, they went to rear mounted radio and CB antenna's.
I'd say for the most part, that if someone is getting better radio reception than someone else on a vision, it has more to do with the radio station, than the bike. If two people were side by side and one the station came in great, the other not... well that would be worth looking into... But trying to get "good" am reception from an antenna with almost NO ground plane (metal) mounted less than 6 feet off the ground.... good luck with that.
The problem is physics, not a quality issue. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 721
| I have the CB so this idea would only apply to those that have the CB. How about using a signal splitter to split the signal coming from the CB antenna so that it could be used also as the radio antenna? Years ago on the the GL1100 and GL1200 Goldwings, Yamaha Venture Royale ('83-'91) and the old Suzuki Calvalcade they used a single mid load antenna for both CB and radio, I know from owning a '86 Venture Royale that the single antenna system does work quite well so why not use it on the Vision. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 721
| I just looked this up and here is something to think about:
http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/am-fm-cb.htm |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 721
| Here is the actual splitter:
http://www.firestik.com/CatalogFrame.htm |
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Cruiser
Posts: 212
Tavares, Fl | When I bought the Vision a year ago I installed the factory CB and antenna with a splitter from Sierra Electronics. It doesn't help that much.. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| Someone made a post where they installed a powered antenna between the dash panels that "improved" reception some. Not sure how well that means it worked. Maybe whoever it was will sound off. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | a99miata - 2009-10-20 10:41 AM
anyone notice how much static you get on the AM band when your HID light is on?
If it's a choice between the AM band and the HID, the choice is simple for me.
Is there actually a real reason to even have an AM radio? I not sure that I've actually listened to an AM station since I was a kid trying to catch the Red Sox games on the crystal radio set in my bedroom.
For sound quality and content the AM spectrum seems to be full of nothing but static (even without the HID on).
Am I missing something?
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Tourer
Posts: 423
northwest florida | There are a few talk radio shows I like and they are on the AM. Of course AM is out the window when the HID is on. I would love to go with satellite radio but I refuse to spend a grand for the stock unit. I thought of just using the aux input and mount it on the handlebars. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 935
Rockford, IL | I pretty damn sure I have the whole antenna reception issue whooped. Involves using an inline antenna amplifier that is normally used in a VW Beetle when the stock radio is replaced. Its a unit from Metra. Gotta do a bit more "testing" before I post results. But in meantime I'll give ya folks a small teaser....30+ miles  |
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Okay, lots of discussion here about the radio and antenna