Antenna issues after replacing COMMAND unit
Asked by bobkat Apr 04, 2013 at 10:42 AM about the 2007 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class SL 550
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I recently replaced the stock COMMAND unit in my 2007 SL with a new Kenwood with HD radio, satellite, Navigation, etc. Since then my FM/HD radio seem to pick up very few stations compared to before. The SEEK button will scan thru most of the FM spectrum without finding any stations. Is the stock MB antennae not suitable for newer radios with HD? The Satellite and Navigation - which use a different antenna, seem to be working OK except that the satellite reception seems to skip quite a bit. Appreciate your thought and/or assistance. Thanks
6 Answers
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
Assure good battery ground, and good component grounds...this way we can run strong and confident in our power~
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
You know bobkat there's going to be a little wrenching involved here, you cannot simply wave you hand like a friggin' genie, no. Follow the black wire (the one that comes off the battery) yes, the other end looks like a lolipop with a hole for the ground stud/bolt...in Florida ain't so tough, you've just got the mould-air where everything gets mouldy, but any corrosion will slow down the available power...what we want is to be able to pull 300 cold-cranking-amps through the 1/0 battery cable, this power goes to the car body/chassis and to the engine, (cause that's where the starter is) your equipment is also on this chassis ground...good ground, solid 12 volt power...and that's the best we can do.....keep bein' a funny man...you ALWAYS entertain me~
Thanks guys, glad I can help with the entertainment. I don't meant to ask dumb questions - sometimes it just happens. The installer has checked everything - all is ok. Best guess at this time is when they disconnected the factory antenna wire from the tuner and hooked it into the Kenwood - they bypassed MB factory antenna amplifier built in to the tuner. Don't know if this is the case - but it is the next thing on the checklist. Anyway, thanks for the input
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
Yeah what was wrong with the MBZ antenna? gonna leave the dead skeleton on board to add to the weight of the car. There are sports car manufacturers who don't have a spare and features are skeletonized for no extra weight, so having this antenna wire that goes nowhere would piss me off, personally~ I know this ain't helping with the analytical tenancies here, but a laugh~~~
No, you missed the point. They disconnected the MB antenna cable from the tuner - which is located behind the drivers seat, and hooked it straight to the Kenwood antenna cable. The factory MD AM/FM and GPS antennas are still in place and hooked up.
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
ya. okay there, then~ just trying to tease you. the new internet capabilities have layed waste to most other forms of communication...I'll take the old push factory button AM radio, thank you~
