• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

2225 with poor FM reception

ocdecio

ocdecio

The proof of the restoring is in the listening.
Subscriber
This is my first attempt at troubleshooting a receiver. FM has weak reception, and it is unable to activate stereo.

Would a recap of P200 help or would this be an issue with the transistor(s) on that board? What should I attempt to look at first?
 
Register to hide this ad
As a fellow owner of a 2225, let me say that it too gets poor FM stereo reception. I use a Beambox and it helps a little but compared to what I can receive with my NAD 7144 with just a dipole, its almost pathetic. What are you using Antenna wise? Note I live in the NY Metro area so there are stations aplenty.
 
marcthisdate said:
As a fellow owner of a 2225, let me say that it too gets poor FM stereo reception. I use a Beambox and it helps a little but compared to what I can receive with my NAD 7144 with just a dipole, its almost pathetic. What are you using Antenna wise? Note I live in the NY Metro area so there are stations aplenty.
Click to expand...
I am using a cheapo one:

https://www.amazon.com/Bingfu-Antenna-Bluetooth-Receiver-Amplifier/dp/B07PNKKH97

Well if reception on the 2225 is normally bad maybe there isn't much to do?
 
I would be curious to see what others report. My 2225 is all stock and plays wonderfully. When I get a strong enough station, its fine but there are like 2 or 3 in my area that I can actually get in Stereo where as the NAD gets almost all of them in Stereo.
 
Let me get a better antenna. My 125 has no issues getting lots of stereo stations here in Orlando
 
ocdecio said:
This is my first attempt at troubleshooting a receiver. FM has weak reception, and it is unable to activate stereo.

Would a recap of P200 help or would this be an issue with the transistor(s) on that board? What should I attempt to look at first?
Click to expand...

It is VERY unlikely that blindly replacing the electrolytic capacitors on the tuner board would have any effect on your FM reception. It is much more likely that the tuning capacitor rotor to stator contacts are "tarnished" causing poor performance, or that the alignment has drifted over the last 35 or so years. I would clean the rotor / stator contacts, tune in a station near the top of the tuning dial, and carefully tweak the RF trimmer capacitors on the top of the tuning capacitor, and see if you can make any improvement (don't mess with the local oscillator trimmer unless the dial calibration is way off). If you get some improvement at the top of the dial, check at the lower end. It likely will be satisfactory also, as it doesn't seem as though the coils drift as much as the trimmer capacitors.
 
Thank you so much, @AE Bob ! I will look up the proper way of cleaning it I remember there are certain products that should not be used.
 
First, clean the tuning cap per the instructions in the above thread.
If you adjust the trim caps, use an alignment tool, either non metallic or plastic with a tiny metal blade. This will prevent you from detuning the rf circuits. If it has adjustable coils for the lower frequencies use plastic alignment tools, not allen wrenches, metal tools will break the ferrite cores. If it has no adjustable coils in the tuner, tune to a station about 98.5MHz and tune the trim caps for the best reception there.
If you look at the tuning capacitor, there are clusters of vanes on it. The clusters with fewer vanes are for FM and the trim caps are right above the clusters. One trim cap is for adjusting the local oscillator to calibrate the dial. It will be on one end of the tuning cap, or in some cases next to it. You can identify it by touching it with your finger. If it drastically detunes the station, that's the oscillator cap. Tweak it so the correct station comes in on the correct place on the dial. If there is a tunable coil next to it, that is for the low end and the cap is for the high end of the dial. If there is only a cap, tune for a station near 98.5.
If adjusting it doesn't fix it, you need to take it to a tech with RF experience. Specialized test equipment is needed to find out where the gain is being lost.
 
Thank you @dr*audio . I see there are many options when it comes to the proper product to use, after blowing and vacuuming I am inclined to use MG Chemicals 8463-7G Silver Conductive Grease and apply it with a fine blunt tip needle since the shafts seem to be hard to reach (under the tuning caps at the top?)

20210724_142851.jpg .
 
How are you connecting the antenna to the receiver? The dipole antenna in your link has a 75 ohm terminal, but that won't physically attach to the receiver without an adapter. You could probably cut off the terminal, strip the two wires and connect them to the 300 ohm and common terminals and have decent reception. I would at least try that before buying another antenna.
 
Steven Tate said:
How are you connecting the antenna to the receiver? The dipole antenna in your link has a 75 ohm terminal, but that won't physically attach to the receiver without an adapter. You could probably cut off the terminal, strip the two wires and connect them to the 300 ohm and common terminals and have decent reception.
Click to expand...
Yes, I cut the connector off and connected the two wires to the 300 ohm terminals. Without it I have barely any reception.
 
ocdecio said:
Thank you @dr*audio . I see there are many options when it comes to the proper product to use, after blowing and vacuuming I am inclined to use MG Chemicals 8463-7G Silver Conductive Grease and apply it with a fine blunt tip needle since the shafts seem to be hard to reach (under the tuning caps at the top?)

View attachment 2304439 .
Click to expand...
It may just be horribly misaligned, seen it happen before, though, I've also seen units hooked up in electrical storms with degraded FETs in the front end...
 
That could be quite possible. I'll go through the cleaning process, as you can see there is a lot of crud in there. If that doesn't do it.. then time to send to someone with some special set of skills
 
ocdecio said:
Thank you @dr*audio . I see there are many options when it comes to the proper product to use, after blowing and vacuuming I am inclined to use MG Chemicals 8463-7G Silver Conductive Grease and apply it with a fine blunt tip needle since the shafts seem to be hard to reach (under the tuning caps at the top?)

View attachment 2304439 .
Click to expand...
I NEVER said to use silver conductive grease! Use CAIG Faderlube ONLY. You want to prevent oxidation, not enhance conductivity. Besides you are introducing a metal which may be dissimilar to the metals used and could cause noise.
If you look at the tuning cap from the other side you may be able to see the shaft and the contacts. Look at the pictures in the thread so you know what you are looking for.
 
Understood, will proceed as you recommended. Thank you again.
 
Cleaned and lubed it, but the strength and tuning meters barely budge. I am able to pick up stations, not bad sound, but the strength is really lacking. That makes it not go into stereo no matter the station, and I can get stereo on these stations using another receiver.

I may have to take a serious look at the FM boards... could it be that I have failing/bad transistors in the FM amplifier?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom