FM Radio Antenna Question

[dadeo]

I have noticed that the FM radio on my bike fades fairly quickly as I leave town. I've tested it, its properly grounded and connected. I suspect its performance (lack thereof) is due to its short length. Does anyone know of a longer antenna rod that can be swapped out by simply removing the short rod (which unscrews) with a longer one?

[Kokomo Kevin]

Fixed mine last week! Put an XM Radio on her! Will never listen to terrestrial again!

[shortleg0521]

There are replacement kits out there that have adapters that will allow you to add a longer one if that is what you are looking for.
I thing the solution here maybe another source for your music. Our radios are really there for local entertainment only.
The draw back here is other that the thumb drive any other source will probably cost something.

[willtill]

XM Radio used to be a neat concept. No commercials and no talk. Now they have these irritating DJ's babbling between songs. Once again, a great media concept has been ruined.

Just as cable TV has been ruined.

No XM Radio for me. I'm not paying to listen to eff'in idiots ruin a set of songs being played...

[Kokomo Kevin]

I agree some of the different formats have more talk then others. I chose the mostly music option which is the cheapest way to go. The formats I listen too have very little DJ interaction.
I mostly chose XM as I got tired of wanting to occasionally listen to some music on longer rides and got tired of having to constantly try and find a station that would come in on our limited
radio reception systems. Thought about going to JimmyT direction , but end the end I had an old Sky Fy unit in the dust bin and went that direction. It has turned riding into a more pleasurable
experience for me!

[davep]

Xm used to be better. Now the music stations replay a 4 or 5 hour loop. If you are traveling on a trip you have to change channels to keep from hearing sand songs over and over. Costs have risen a lot too.

[Kokomo Kevin]

Well FM killed AM, MTV killed FM, XM killed MTV, Try and read a newspaper today after sorting out all the adds, Go back and try and listen to AM or FM today is a painful experience due to all the
advertising trying to sell you something. Don't get me started on Local or National TV and try and watch a TV show today. They have about 20 minutes of actual program and 40 minutes of advertising
for an hour show. To be honest, I did like the old day's better, guess I am just showing my age, but I digress, Looking at our beloved B's, what are we to do? Only other option is an I Pod, and guess
what they are getting ready to stop making these as well! Got any other options to suggest?

[dadeo]

So... now that we all agree that tv and radio sux....
Back to my original topic........ Does anyone have any decent advice about replacing the short black rubber duck antenna with a better one???

[nvmyf6]

So... now that we all agree that tv and radio sux....
Back to my original topic........ Does anyone have any decent advice about replacing the short black rubber duck antenna with a better one???

I replaced my radio antenna with a CB antenna. And for my music, I loaded my favorite songs on a USB thumb drive that I plugged into the USB connection in the left side bag.

https://s20.postimg.cc/r1mq3fawt/20161104_121153.jpg

[dadeo]

So a CB radio antenna improves FM reception? Interesting!

[Cali261]

Here is an option that may not be what you are looking for. I have the same reception issues in my area. I bought myself and my wife helmets with built in Bluetooth. I can listen to Waze, Iheart Radio, Amazon Music and Pandora. So far it has been great. I do have over 6 hours of music on my usb drive, but I enjoy the Mark Levin podcast, and now I don’t have to miss a single one. Basically, whatever I have on my phone, I can listen to in my helmet. I bought the “B” used and it came with a helmet, and of course I had to buy a replacement that same week. I do like the way the CB antenna looks though.

[dadeo]

I replaced my radio antenna with a CB antenna. And for my music, I loaded my favorite songs on a USB thumb drive that I plugged into the USB connection in the left side bag.

More details please...
How do you mount the cb antenna? Do you need a completely new mount, or can you use the same base? What brand/model did you use? How much does it improve FM reception -- does reception on the NOAA weather radio get better too? Improved Weather Radio reception is what I'd really like.

FM radio in upstate must be stuck in the 1970, we still have lots of locally owned small town stations. WXHC out of Cortland NY, for example.. Kind of amature, but local DJs, local ads, news, and not too much talking. Owned by 2 local guys who never grew up... They'll play anything as longs as its rock from before 2000, and they have local news and ads. And NPR is everywhere, thank god.

I've got a 128 Gig stick in the trunk, love it. Streaming thru the cell phone is iffy up here. Most of upstate NY is rural state owned parkland with 1X service at best. With the exception of Lake Placid and Lake George areas, in the Catskills and Adiroundacks there are no cell phone towers. Its all state parks. Meaning no service at all. In much of the rest of upstate, service is voice only once you get more than 20 miles away from an Interstate.

Has anyone figured out how the f6b's radio file management system works with a memory stick in the trunk? I swear every time I add any songs to mine, it changes the directory order, and I've got no idea what the logic is. What starts out as alphabetical on my Windows PC, turns into a pretty random list on the bike.

[nvmyf6]

Sure.
I replaced my "rubber duck" antenna with a more useful antenna for me. I don't use the FM radio. So I added a CB to my bike which requires a CB antenna.

Now, I do listen to music. I loaded my favorite songs on a USB thumb drive that I plugged in the USB connection in the left side bag.

This USB thumb drive idea, is a great way to listen to music without having to listen FM radio or AM radio.

Some F6B riders may not know about the USB Connection in the left side bag.

CB antennas are not used for AM/FM radio. I thought that was common knowledge. I apologize for any confusion.

I simply replaced the Rubber Duck antenna with a better/useful antenna for me.

Glad I could help, have fun and ride safe.

[dadeo]

ok that makes more sense! I was wondering how an antena designed for the lower frequences of the CB band would drive an FM radio.

Re CB radio... how/who is using it these days. Heck I am old enough to remember when everbody had one in the 1970s in cars. Heck I can remember when they only had 23 channels, and how much of an improvement the 40 channel single side band radio was.

[F6Bster]

ok that makes more sense! I was wondering how an antena designed for the lower frequences of the CB band would drive an FM radio.

Re CB radio... how/who is using it these days. Heck I am old enough to remember when everbody had one in the 1970s in cars. Heck I can remember when they only had 23 channels, and how much of an improvement the 40 channel single side band radio was.
The guys that I ride with all the time have CBs, so I installed one on my F6B. Good and reliable, but Honda stuff is always expensive, and the B is not set up for a CB. I installed the CB antenna in place of the shorty FM and am using a Midland 75-822 portable in the left cubby and to my BT Sena 20S EVO via a SENA SR10. More money than I wanted to spend, but less than Honda stuff, it is a clean installation, and it works really well.

[terryboyle]

F6Bster sounds like you have a great setup there for the CB. I ride with some guys with full Wings and they, of course, use their CBs all the time. I am like "Tommy" (deaf/dumb/blind boy from The Who) when they are chattering. Can you provide some directions and photos if your setup.

Many thanks,

[F6Bster]

F6Bster sounds like you have a great setup there for the CB. I ride with some guys with full Wings and they, of course, use their CBs all the time. I am like "Tommy" (deaf/dumb/blind boy from The Who) when they are chattering. Can you provide some directions and photos if your setup.

Many thanks,

Here is the link to the thread with my original post:

http://hondaf6b.com/showthread.php?11797-CB-radio&p=163383#post163383

[terryboyle]

Thanks, I have saved this so I can check into getting parts. Parts departments around here are all closed Mondays. sigh

[Kokomo Kevin]

OK so I have with held any commentary since went off track yesterday BUT The ORIGINAL Question is I believe, And Dadeo you asked it so correct me if I am wrong, How does one improve FM
reception on our B's? Looks like everyone has worked around it it seems.......

[grendl]

I live and ride mostly in the mountains and decided quickly that radio wasnt going to work. With that I tried the thumb drive which had limited control on what song is next eventually went to an IPOD with 4 days of music from my library.My GW buddies have CB but I'm not sure I want to listen to them chatter while I'm riding. I do like the single antenna setup though so not ruling it out completely. Just me but sometimes I just want to hear the engine and the wind...
I have no idea if an antenna will fix the reception problem..

[Kokomo Kevin]

I love the NO sound option as well, that is why My B has a stablemate, a 98 Valkyrie Tour with Viking Exhaust and a Dyna Ignition controller set to 7 degrees, But on occasion I
do Like to hear some nice music when I pull out the 13 B. Just got tired of poor radio reception here in Flat Indiana. Do the Goldwings have better Radio reception? Still waiting
to see if anyone on this forum has solved radio reception problems, or has everyone just settled for a work around/alternative.....

[shortleg0521]

It is strange sometimes going from music to the sound of the engine.5169

[Kokomo Kevin]

Nice looking Scoot! MY son has a 98 Valkyrie with Cobra exhaust, so we ride quite often. First rule of thumb is NEVER sell your toys! Just upgrade and add! My bikes will be
with me till the day, then they will go to a new home.

[P.Sutton]

I noticed whenever I have something charging in the usb plug in the left cubby I get a significant drop in reception. If you have the 12v plug or usb plug try unplugging it to see if it gets better. Otherwise I can get most stations about as close as I would in any of my other vehicles.

[DMAGOLDRDR]

FM reception is a big issue with the Wings also. I had better reception with my F6B than I do with my 2015 Wing and the Wing has that long antenna. I believe it all has to do with the fact that a Motorcycle has a very small ground plane compared to a car or truck.
I chased this issue for a while and finally gave up. I hope you find a better answer than I did.

[PapaJT]

Sierra Electronics has a few options. I saw a 30" (which I think is spozedta be best for FM) in there and one with a 90 degree hinge for folding when you want to put a cover over it https://www.sierra-mc.com/proddetail.asp?prod=SIE-GL18%2F15-ANT-AMFM
And there is a 16" shorty... https://www.sierra-mc.com/proddetail.asp?prod=AO-GL18-FM%2FSAT

UNFORTUNATELY.... Diana from sales says these kits do not have the same thread that the FCB has. They apparently fit the standard 'wings. GRRRRR.
For $20 Advance Auto sells a universal stubby with 9 different thread adapters
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/metra-electronics-antenna-cf-rmsr/11376887-P?navigationPath=L1*14919%7CL2*14990%7CL3*15435
But I think we want longer than another 7" stubby.
Somewhere out there will be one.