FM Antenna Problems - Page 2 - Montana Owners Club

Parrothead · 04-18-2006, 06:06 AM

You are assuming this was done to save money. Maybe they thought it looked better to not have an antenna sticking up on the roof. You know like underground utilities so we don't have electric poles in our yard. Just a thought.
Happy trails..............................

rickfox · 04-18-2006, 08:04 AM

As I had mentioned earlier, I would like to mention this to Montana and feel that I was not just wasting my time. Perhaps they might even have some helpful suggestions, or even offer to develop a fix for the problem. Stranger things have happened.

For example, Rich you mentioned stringing up a 300 ohm T FM antenna, and this approach might not improve reception much. That might work except I don't believe there is sufficient room behind where the reciever sits (I'm talking 3400RL here). Putting it somewhere else would require drilling a hole through the cabinetry. And since this area is part of a slide there are problems with installing an antenna on the roof.

I have thought about putting an external antenna on the outside wall of the slide - perhaps in the area of where the cable TV connection is located. But I'm sure there must be aluminum studs in this wall somewhere that I shouldn't be drilling through. And of course, there are 110 VAC, TV coax, speaker wires and such also probably in that wall. I also have to consider the fact that my slides have awnings so any outside mounted antenna location needs to consider that.

My point is there are probably a lot of mistakes I could make before I figured out the best way to fix this problem. It sure would help to have some guidance from Montana - assuming they should know how they build their trailers - and I don't end up talking to the person that approved this fupa in the first place.

richfaa · 04-18-2006, 12:06 PM

Since we do not have the camper yet I am in the dark.As you know the actual amplifier is in the antenna itself and I have no idea if we can even get to the wireing to make some changes.I understand what you are saying. I am going over to the dealer next week to take a look at our unit(3400) and I will ask them about our little problem.perhaps they can get some information from Montana.

rickfox · 04-18-2006, 04:04 PM

I just checked out Best Buy and Frys on the Internet. A hi-gain (supposedly better than the T dipole often used) non amplified antennaa is available for about $10 from Frys. It is a lot more compact than the dipole. They also have an amplified version for $25.

It seems like it will simplier to mount one of these guys rather than fight with Montana - it will probably work better than something they would come up with anyway.

Oh how I love redesigning my new 3400.

richfaa · 04-18-2006, 04:19 PM

Making the camper fit your needs is part of the fun and challenge of Rv'ing.

jrjones · 04-18-2006, 09:42 PM

How about AM? Tried to listen to Mariners game in my Montana No luck at all. Got in my perfect Ford F350 25 feet away and had apefect signal. I don't want to set in my perfect Ford when I have a recliner and cold beer in my Montana and have no reception. My previous vaction home on wheels or mobile cabin was an Arctic fox tt great reception on AM and FM with a AM FM cd player. Heck I could listen to it in bed and flick a switch and put it on standby from the bed. In the morning flick switch and it was on again. Geat set up worked great but to small for my Lab and I. It was a 25R big Lab but is a great hunter.

jrjones · 04-18-2006, 09:52 PM

They might say that but that does not meen nothing if you can get in your truck 30' awy and hear the game fine.
Justmy opinion. Love my Montana but come on get it right.Just a little bit of follow through and it would be perfect.
Charge a few hundred more if you have to and make it right. When out flyfishing I will take a break (if fish permit) and have a few beers and listen to a game. Can't do that in Monty but then I just fish. AM is horible.

campbud · 04-19-2006, 01:35 AM

I was not getting good reception either but I didnt have the amp on either...I will have to try it with it on. That isnt right that one cannot listen to the radio and the other watch tv...poor design.

rickfox · 04-20-2006, 09:53 AM

With respect to AM,

The radio utilizes the TV antenna for the FM, but uses a "wire" connected to the AM input. On the 3400 this wire goes through a hole down into a lower compartment where our fireplace is installed. According to the trailer schematic I saw, its just a wire, nothing special. Basically, its an indoor antenna whereas a vehicle often has an outside antenna.

I agree that we should expect a simple thing like AM and/or FM reception to work. Perhaps my Radio Shack "amplified antenna" ($24.99) will get the job done. I'll let you know next week.

rickfox · 04-23-2006, 04:43 PM

Good evening All,

Friday I called my dealer about the FM antenna problem. The service manager said I was not the only one who has discovered the problem. But, according to him, Montana has not been willing to address the issue since FM reception works fine as long no external equipment - such as cable or SAT - is connected.

Apparently, just another example of how you spend your money and you get what you get - whether it works or not. If it doesn't, you have to fix it yourself.

There might be something in what was said eariler. Sometimes quality does cost more money. Designers of the more expensive trailers might actually care about making customers happy and doing things right.

I wonder what the future holds. Perhaps one day, Montana's response to electrical problems in general might be - things work fine as long as you don't plug that big black cable into an external source of power - and generators are off limits too!

Parrothead · 04-23-2006, 04:54 PM

I believe Keystone does care about their customers as evidenced by the many good reports on this forum. I did not see outside FM or AM antennas on many of the RVs we saw at the RV show today. So I guess Teton ($95,000) is doing the same as Keystone (45,000).
Happy trails...........................

Montana Sky · 04-23-2006, 05:26 PM

Does anyone else not have the FM radio antenna attached to the back of the dvd player cabinet? I have one mounted to the back wall to the left of the subwoofer and seems to do pretty good overall. Maybe I am the only one??

Sue,
What did you think of the new Teton Homes 5th wheels?

Parrothead · 04-24-2006, 04:55 AM

Lavish, pretty but I like my Montana better. The Teton does have some nice features but that price tag is not nice. Our FM antenna is a coaxial cable, it is hooked to the back of the DVD player and then to the cable system via a splitter. We rarely use the FM because I would rather play CD's if we are not watching TV. Jimmy is not played on most FM stations. We also take our Bose Wave radio/CD player with us. When we are hooked up via DirecTV, we have a lot of music stations available. Any type of music you want.
Happy trails......................

richfaa · 04-24-2006, 07:23 AM

The teton's are beautiful Rv's and you can not compaire them with a Montana/Cardinal/ Jayco completely different class of RV. The 36RL Liberty royal MSVRP 124,430..If we could afford the camper and the truck to pull it we would have one..

Montana Sky · 04-24-2006, 11:56 AM

Guess I got something nobody else did. The FM antenna is hooked into the splitter as everyone has stated, but it also has a 2nd antenna as previously I stated that is mounted to the rear of the cabinet. I do not have the turn the antenna power on to get FM stations unless I am down at the river during the summer. Due to the canyons and hills around that area I use the power antenna and get almost all of my stations back.

As far as the Teton Homes, I really like the materials used inside but do not see myself buying one. I must admit I looked at the Royal International, Teton Homes, Travel Supreme and Carriage 5th wheels. At the end of the day the Montana just did it for me. Now if the Cambridge had been out in 04 when I ordered my 3400RL things would have been a little different. =)

Parrothead · 04-24-2006, 12:07 PM

We were just out in the Monty putting some meat in the freezer (I ordered too much for the freezer in the stick house). I decided to play with the FM radio while there. Turned the antenna booster on and off and on and off and made no difference in the FM radio quality or volumme. So I guess they aren't all hooked up the same way.
Happy trails.........................

richfaa · 04-24-2006, 03:21 PM

Well Sue that is encouraging news about the FM antenna. That would make a difference with us. I can see Helen at the Computer desk doing her "stuff" on the PC listening to her ' Tunes" as she does now and me in the bedroom watching the ball game.I would have to re wire if that won't work.

You purchase what you can afford. If we could have afforded a bigger Truck and a better camper we would have one.The Montana is the best camper in its price range and it will serve us well but it is no Teton Liberty Royal.

rickfox · 04-24-2006, 04:40 PM

Good Evening All,

I got the final response (I'm guessing) from Montana CS today. They confirmed that "in the current design" the FM receiver antenna is connected via. a splitter to the TV antenna and that they were aware that FM reception would be significantly impaired (most likely would not work) if the TV amp. were turned off as would be required when viewing either cable TV or SAT. The CS agent, Tony, also agreed that one would think that cable TV and FM reception would work properly at the SAME TIME. But they don't. I was also told that there were not sufficient complaints/concerns to do anything about it. We briefly discussed the remote thermostat issue of the past, and the CS agent acknowledged that if they get "enough feedback" on issues they will look into fixing them. That sure gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling!

Like I mentioned earlier, I have purchased an amplified FM antenna from Radio Shack and will install it this coming weekend. I'm hoping it will solve the problem.

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