Just replaced Mopar OEM receiver with a Blaupunkt. The Mopar s*cked at FM
reception and the Blau is no better. (In all other regards, the Blau blows
the Mopar out of the water). As Crutchfield allows 30 days to return, how
do I find a HU with better FM reception? Does the FM sensitivity rating
reveal a receivers ability to capture distant stations, or is there some
other factor? I read that the Pioneer supertuners are good, but they have a
8dbf rating, where the Blau is rated 9dbf. What do I look for? Oh, yeah.
It's a Jeep. I want decent sound, but I am not spending $$$ on a high end
system.

islandjeepman wrote:
Just replaced Mopar OEM receiver with a Blaupunkt. The Mopar s*cked at FM
reception and the Blau is no better. (In all other regards, the Blau blows
the Mopar out of the water).

Make sure your antenna is good. If its loose, scoots around, or you have
rust around the base (no matter how light) you may need to replace the
antenna ($15 in most cases). If your car is more than about 5 years old,
it should be checked (though at this point you can usually just clean up
the rust and put it back).

As Crutchfield allows 30 days to return, how
do I find a HU with better FM reception? Does the FM sensitivity rating
reveal a receivers ability to capture distant stations, or is there some
other factor?

Sensitivity is its ability to receive distant stations (actually, weak
signals). Sensitivity is usually rated in either dBf (f-weighted
decibels) or in mV/ohm or mV/ohm. If rated in dBf, bigger numbers are
better. If rated in mV/ohm, smaller numbers are better (the mV will
change, the ohm part is pretty standard - 75 ohms).

Then you have Selectivity. Selectivity is the ability of a tuner to
listen to one frequency, and not others. Selectivity is given as dB

Lastly, you'll have the Signal to Noise ration (S/N).

These are the big three You also have IF rejection, multipath rejection,
stereo separation, and whatnot. Typically, the difference between all
these measurements is so small its hard to choose a leader.

I read that the Pioneer supertuners are good, but they have a
8dbf rating, where the Blau is rated 9dbf. What do I look for? Oh, yeah.
It's a Jeep. I want decent sound, but I am not spending $$$ on a high end
system.

Specs arent the only thing that goes into reception quality. Good tuners
analyze the signal and compensate for changes in the signal. Pioneer
probably makes the best in-dash tuner section out there for the money,
though I got better reception from my old 5302 Eclipse.

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