Hi Everyone,

I just leased my first mini and am having a great time driving it. However, I'm having a serious problem with intermittent signal cut-out on my two favorite NPR stations in Boston, 89.7 and 90.9. I brought it in for service and the measured signal strength and signal quality were excellent. During this service session, they replaced the antenna and it did not help things. Here are the symptoms:

1. The interference isn't static, its an intermittent, frequent cut-out/cut-in.
2. It seems worse closer to the center of the city, where there is either increased signal strength or background electromagnetic interference.
3. Having the iPod cable attached vs. detached DOES NOT affect it.
4. Turning off cell phone DOES NOT affect it.
5. Seems worse when the car is moving, but often it is really bad when the car is sitting still and idling.
6. These two stations, 89.7 and 90.9, seem to be uniquely affected. For instance, 92.9 is not affected.
7. Turning on the rear de-froster DOES NOT affect it (I read somewhere that there's an auxiliary antenna in the rear window).
8. Replacing main antenna did not fix it.

Any ideas what the problem could be? I have a service appointment Wednesday this week and wanted to see if anyone here might have some advice I could pass along to the service guys. Thanks very much for your help!

--Patrick

2009 Mini Cooper
Premium Package
Cold Weather Package
Automatic Transmission
iPod/Bluetooth

 

Are those stations broadcasting in HD and does your Mini have the HD option? HD cuts out instead of getting static. Other than that, I haven't seen any other posts similar.

 

One solution is to stop listening to NPR. Listen to commercial radio instead of "listener supported". To each his own. But back to your problem, I've never heard of your problem so I wonder if your antenna is not connected properly at your radio. Also, I do have the problem with poor HD reception and it is really bad where there is a couple of second delay between the analog and HD station broadcasting the same content.

 

Sorry, I can't stop listening to NPR

I don't have HD radio as far as I know, just the standard radio.

 

patrickp,

I live out in Gardner some 50+ miles in a straight line from Boston and listen to both 89.7 and 90.9 regularly with out problem.

It sounds like a loose connection somewhere in the system. Unfortunately you said it does not seem to happen on other stations which seems strange.

Which dealer are you going to HC or Peabody? I have been to both and personally found HC to be more responsive but others here would tell you different.

Absolutely not possible in this area. Commercial radio around here only plays the same thirty songs and then only during the middle of the day. Morning drive time radio is nothing but OBNOXIOUS DJ's taking about thier latest conquests or who puked the most last night.

Not somthing i want to hear and somthing that know body should be hearing. Especially young children.

 

Well, after 10 days in the shop, they replaced everything and could not solve the problem. They then checked out several new MINI's and found they also had the reception problem. My loaner did too, in fact.

Like I said, I've never had problems picking up 89.7 or 90.9 on the Nissan Altimas I used to lease, there must be some systemic problem with the new MINIs. This is very disappointing. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who has had this trouble. Any suggestions on what to do next?

--Patrick

 

Have you checked to see if the stations still come in on another car(non mini) mabe something has changed with the stations.

 

Somewhere I read that any loose connection in the stereo system speaker wiring kills all the sound - just a possibility - maybe a loose connection?

 

I was just in and around Boston on Thursday and these stations are fine in my Mini. I listen to them all the time. In fact Zero Static form downtown Boston out to 70+ miles west

 

How close are you to the transmitter? I live about a mile away from an FM tower. Every now and then, the reception is dropped, no static, no noise, and then it comes back on. I've changed radios, same problem. Never a problem in my car further away from home. Strange

 

If it happens more often in the city nearer to the transmitter and large buildings, it might be "multipath distortion". That's where your antenna picks up multiple signals from the same station (one might be coming directly from the station's broadcasting antenna, while others are reaching your car after being reflected off of one or more buildings). These multiple signals hit your antennas at slightly different times, causing interference, signal loss, or even "drop-outs". That's also why it's worse when you're driving around - you're moving in and out of areas where the multipath distortion is particularly bad because of buildings and other terrain features.

Some cars address this problem by having "antenna diversity", which is basically a second antenna in the car. The idea is that if one antenna is receiving a garbled/distorted signal, the other antenna might be receiving a cleaner signal, and the stereo will switch back and forth between the two antennae "on the fly" looking for the best signal.

So, if the rear defroster grid is actually serving as a second antenna (or if there's a second antenna elsewhere in the car), have the dealer make sure they're all connected and working properly. You could even have the dealer disconnect one antenna at a time. If you disconnect the main antenna and you lose reception entirely, then the secondary antenna is probably bad. Likewise, if you disconnect the secondary antenna and your reception is exactly the same as it was before, the secondary antenna is probably bad.

EDIT - I just checked, and the MINI does have a diversity antenna setup. There's a "trap circuit" and a "diversity antenna amplifier" in the back of the car. Either of these being bad (as well as loose connections between the trap circuit, amplifier and secondary antenna) could cause the "dropping out" problem you're having in the city near the radio station's transmitter.

 

Patrick,

Which Boston area dealer? HC or Peabody

 

Well, the sad truth is that stereo manufacturers (home, auto, and portable) don't put nearly as much effort/expense into the FM tuner section of their products as they used to back before satellite radio, iPods, and CD players. FM radio is really an afterthought now when it comes to designing a stereo. In fact, most FM tuners have been reduced to a single chip that only costs a few cents in bulk. If the lot/loaner cars at your dealer are having the same problem, it sounds like the MINI just doesn't handle multipath distortion very well, even with the diversity antenna setup.

 

I have what might be a similar issue. My 07 will act like it's changing stations (will cut out for half a second), then come back on to the same station. What's interesting is if I'm on a preset, when it comes back on it doesn't know it's one of my presets. The check mark is gone. This happens once or twice a day. Mine usually happens on NPR, too, but I'm in Lexington, KY. Maybe MINIs just don't care for classy radio.

I haven't had it checked out yet. Does that sound similar?