Radio Reception

goody · 06-22-2006, 07:45 PM

I have a 2006 package 6 and the radio reception is terrible. It is so bad that if I park close to a building I will lose the radio station. I was wondering if this is normal for the Prius or if something is wrong with mine. I live three hours away from my dealer, so I don’t want to take it that far just to have them to tell me nothing is wrong.
So is this normal reception for the Prius?

B Rad · 06-22-2006, 07:56 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(goody @ Jun 22 2006, 06:45 PM) [snapback]275531[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

I was wondering if this is normal for the Prius or if something is wrong with mine. So is this normal reception for the Prius?
[/b]

I can only tell you that I live way out in the boondocks and my Prius radio gets much much better reception than my previous Jetta.

Three60guy · 06-22-2006, 11:26 PM

Mine is quite sensitive.

You do realize you can take your Prius to ANY Toyota dealer don't you? You are not obligated to take your Prius back to the dealer you purchased it from. I personally have taken mine to two different ones depending on my schedule.

Have a close Toyota dealer check that radio out.

Cheers

bsd43 · 06-23-2006, 01:15 AM

It's probably your specific car. I get pretty good reception. I think our "fuba-style" antennas are amplified, since it's shorter than 1/2 wavelength.

tumbleweed · 06-23-2006, 01:28 AM

You may have some sort of radio or antenna problem. Why not find a place where reception is poor and then have a friend put their car in the same place and see what difference there is.

I have found the Prius radio is about the same as the one in my previous car and it may be a bit better than the one in my pickup truck.

richard schumacher · 06-23-2006, 11:30 AM

Is the external antenna installed? There should be 16" of black rubberoid-coated fat wire sticking up from a cone in the middle of the back of the roof. It can be removed by unscrewing it from the cone.

goody · 06-23-2006, 07:15 PM

The radio reception is worst than any car I have ever owned or own. I live in a rural area and only have two local stations one AM and one FM. They are the only stations that come in static free. As I leave the area I loose them a lot sooner that I do in my other vehicles. I wasn’t sure if something was wrong or not since the radio does work, and i do have my antenna.
And yes I know I can take it to any dealer but my closest dealer is an hour away and I really don’t want to go to them. My next closest dealer is about two hours away. It does sound like something isn’t right so I guess I can take a ride (good excuse to drive the Prius).

Alnilam · 07-09-2006, 02:06 AM

Not 100% applicable, but get a SAT radio and your reception will be perfect coast to coast (unless you park under a bridge.) XM has every type of programming you could hope for. (Sirius even has Howard Stern, but I never hoped for him!) You'll get NYC/LA quality programming in Butte, Montana. It's the future but available now for not all that much.

daniel · 07-09-2006, 10:50 AM

I get better reception in my Prius than on the radio in my house. Not surprising, since the Prius is out in the open. But still, it suggests that my Prius's radio is working fine.

MarinJohn · 07-09-2006, 11:34 AM

The AM on my radio sucks. If I cruise along and get static I can shift into neutral and the static goes away. I believe there is interferance coming from the electric engine. I have brought it in for replacement which worked perfectly for about a week before it got just as bad as the original. I gave up.

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06-22-2006, 07:45 PM	#1
goody Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: USA Posts: 10 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	I have a 2006 package 6 and the radio reception is terrible. It is so bad that if I park close to a building I will lose the radio station. I was wondering if this is normal for the Prius or if something is wrong with mine. I live three hours away from my dealer, so I don’t want to take it that far just to have them to tell me nothing is wrong. So is this normal reception for the Prius?

06-22-2006, 11:26 PM	#3
Three60guy Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Racine, Wisconsin Posts: 767 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #8 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 1	Mine is quite sensitive. You do realize you can take your Prius to ANY Toyota dealer don't you? You are not obligated to take your Prius back to the dealer you purchased it from. I personally have taken mine to two different ones depending on my schedule. Have a close Toyota dealer check that radio out. Cheers

06-23-2006, 01:15 AM	#4
bsd43 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 107 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	It's probably your specific car. I get pretty good reception. I think our "fuba-style" antennas are amplified, since it's shorter than 1/2 wavelength.

06-23-2006, 01:28 AM	#5
tumbleweed Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Eastern Oregon Posts: 1,692 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: V Package: Adv. Technology Thanks: 33 Thanked 104 Times in 84 Posts Friends: 0	You may have some sort of radio or antenna problem. Why not find a place where reception is poor and then have a friend put their car in the same place and see what difference there is. I have found the Prius radio is about the same as the one in my previous car and it may be a bit better than the one in my pickup truck.

06-23-2006, 11:30 AM	#6
richard schumacher Destination: Eschaton Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: United States Posts: 5,508 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #6 Thanks: 99 Thanked 93 Times in 66 Posts Friends: 0	Is the external antenna installed? There should be 16" of black rubberoid-coated fat wire sticking up from a cone in the middle of the back of the roof. It can be removed by unscrewing it from the cone.

06-23-2006, 07:15 PM	#7
goody Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: USA Posts: 10 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	The radio reception is worst than any car I have ever owned or own. I live in a rural area and only have two local stations one AM and one FM. They are the only stations that come in static free. As I leave the area I loose them a lot sooner that I do in my other vehicles. I wasn’t sure if something was wrong or not since the radio does work, and i do have my antenna. And yes I know I can take it to any dealer but my closest dealer is an hour away and I really don’t want to go to them. My next closest dealer is about two hours away. It does sound like something isn’t right so I guess I can take a ride (good excuse to drive the Prius).

07-09-2006, 02:06 AM	#8
Alnilam The One in the Middle Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Carlsbad, CA Posts: 760 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #8 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Not 100% applicable, but get a SAT radio and your reception will be perfect coast to coast (unless you park under a bridge.) XM has every type of programming you could hope for. (Sirius even has Howard Stern, but I never hoped for him!) You'll get NYC/LA quality programming in Butte, Montana. It's the future but available now for not all that much.

07-09-2006, 10:50 AM	#9
daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 11,278 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #6 Thanks: 59 Thanked 201 Times in 127 Posts Friends: 0	I get better reception in my Prius than on the radio in my house. Not surprising, since the Prius is out in the open. But still, it suggests that my Prius's radio is working fine.

07-09-2006, 11:34 AM	#10
MarinJohn Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 3,330 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 399 Thanked 77 Times in 44 Posts Friends: 7	The AM on my radio sucks. If I cruise along and get static I can shift into neutral and the static goes away. I believe there is interferance coming from the electric engine. I have brought it in for replacement which worked perfectly for about a week before it got just as bad as the original. I gave up.