Mazda ZOOM-ZOOM BT-50, Owner'S Manual

Page: 209 / 234

11-5
REFERENCE
Media
Radio
Adjust the length of your antenna for best reception. Usually, a short antenna length is
best in large cities, and a fully extended antenna is best for distant reception.
To prevent damage to the antenna, make sure it is retracted before running your
vehicle through an automatic car wash.
• FM reception tips : Sometimes the radio may appear to have a problem with FM
reception when there is none. This is because the reception constantly changes if
the vehicle is moving. Buildings, terrain, radio signal distance and noise from other
vehicles are all work against good reception. The following reception characteristics
are commonly seen in some areas, and do not indicate any problem with the radio
itself.
• Fading and Drifting : FM range is limited to about 40 km, except for some high
power stations.
If a vehicle is moving away from the station transmitter, the radio signal will tend
to fade and drift. This is a common condition with FM and is accompanied by
distortion.
Fading and drifting can be minimized to a certain degree by fine tuning or tuning
your radio to a stronger radio signal.
• Static and Fluttering : When the line-of-sight link between the transmitter and the
vehicle is blocked by large buildings or the like, you may hear static or fluttering due
to the characteristics of FM. Similarly, a fluttering noise is sometimes heard when
driving along a tree-lined road.
This static and fluttering can be reduced by adjusting the tone control or turning off
treble response until the disturbance has passed.
• Multipath : Due to the reflecting characteristics of FM, direct and reflected radio
signals may reach the antenna simultaneously (multipath), and cancel each other
out.
As the vehicle moves through these dead spots, a momentary flutter or loss of
reception may occur.