radio and sound qulity

[redking]

First, I love having a radio but wish it was better in several ways.

1. It seems to have a weak reception. Is there anything I can do to boost it power to receive a signal?

2. The speakers seem to be a little on the cheap side what are my options for improving the sound quality?

3. My WS looks to be about 12" (bought the bike used with it already on) I'm 6'2, will a tall WS help dampen the noise of the wind and improve sound quality?

4. Will louder pipes hurt sound quality?

5. and this has nothing to do with my radio or speakers, but chuckster and/or Joe's mods or parts? is there a link where i can read p on it.

[mrtelefoneman1]

Redking, not knowing what you ride, I can make a few vague suggestions.

1. A 12" shield at 6' 2" seems a little tall to eliminate buffiering which I assume is the cause of your wind noise. This, however has nothing to do with radio reception, as you know.

2. As for reception, you can try a signal booster which connects between your head unit and antenna. Understand that this unit is powered. The downside is that the longer you make your antenna cable, the more noise you may encounter and all it does is boost the signal, thereby making the noise louder.

3. Louder pipes will not hurt sound quality but will 'seem' to decrease the volume of your stereo. Turn it up and you get distortion.

4. Determine the size of your speakers and look for a quality set of marine grade speakers to replace them with. Crutchfiled.com, Amazon.com, etc

5. If you have the capability, consider an MP3 player. Load the music you want to listen to and never worry about reception.

[jestephens]

For me and my Vaquero, the windscreen height was the single most effective thing to reduce noise.

I'm 6'1" and swapped the stock 5.5" screen for a 9". Now, even with louder pipes, I can hear the radio perfectly at highway speeds. - For reception . . . I haven't noticed a problem. ???

[bouson]

I agree with jestephens swapped the stock 5.5" screen for a 16". Now, even at 90 mph, I can hear the radio perfectly with the AVC set at 5 and volume at 16 all the time.
For reception I have noticed a small problem at times. There is a post on here about a washer at the bottom of the antenna that may be installed wrong causing static problems. I also found that I could move the antenna around on the swivel that it has. I angled mine back at a 45 degree angle and it improved the reception.
There is a trouble shooting section in the shop service manual starting on 16-97 that might be some help.

[redking]

Originally Posted by bouson

I agree with jestephens swapped the stock 5.5" screen for a 16". Now, even at 90 mph, I can hear the radio perfectly with the AVC set at 5 and volume at 16 all the time.
For reception I have noticed a small problem at times. There is a post on here about a washer at the bottom of the antenna that may be installed wrong causing static problems. I also found that I could move the antenna around on the swivel that it has. I angled mine back at a 45 degree angle and it improved the reception.
There is a trouble shooting section in the shop service manual starting on 16-97 that might be some help.

What is AVC? I am drawing a total blank?

[cactusjack]

AVC = Automatic Volume Control. This is the circuit that magically increases stereo volume the faster you go and decreases it as you slow down.

[redking]

ok stupid question time, how d I set the AVC?

[redking]

sorry, I ride a vaq

[Old Bear]

OK, I'll be the newbie that will bite.

What is a "vaq" if it isn't the Vaquero?

[redking]

it is the vaquero

[ringadingh]

Try wearing earplugs, I find that the radio sounds better because the earplugs eliminate most of the wind noise.

[Monkeyman]

Louder pipes WILL affect the sound quality. This is more than just drowning out the sound. The sound waves of the exhaust don't always play well with the sound waves of the speakers. Sometimes, a louder exhaust (with a different tone) actually make some music sound better. Generally, with the loud, rumbling exhausts most put on their big bikes, it makes the music worse. You can see this if you have access to an oscilloscope. Bass has big sound waves which make the music sound fuller which is also why a big, open exhaust sounds so nice and rumbly. If those waves aren't in line with each other, you can hear the difference. All that doesn't necessarily mean you won't like the music with a fat exhaust but it's something to consider.

[Monkeyman]

You know, they make windshields you can raise/lower without having to buy a new windshield. They're a bit expensive but well worth it. Just push a button....like magic.

[crazygene49]

Originally Posted by Monkeyman

You know, they make windshields you can raise/lower without having to buy a new windshield. They're a bit expensive but well worth it. Just push a button....like magic.

About $20,000?

[raw6464]

Loud pipes saves lives... what a shame.