Replacing original Jensen audio-nav unit ... recommendations?

[DaveJordan]

Originally Posted by namusmc

My main complaint with the Jensen head unit is very poor radio reception.

I haven't changed out the Jensen...but my radio reception seems reasonably good. Have you checked all the antenna connections?


Dave

[barnbnb]

Originally Posted by namusmc

For those of you who switched out the Jensen with a different brand, did your AM/FM reception improve?
My main complaint with the Jensen head unit is very poor radio reception.

Poor radio reception may be due to your back up monitor. It is a known issue. On my '14 model they replaced the monitor under warranty and I could finally get reception out on the road! On my '16 model with a Jensen the reception is as good as the old rig. They must have got the bugs out of the monitors by the time my current rig was built. Neither one as good as car reception, but I have XM.
Which brings up other points: I don't like the nav in the Jensen (or on the Magnadyne in my prior unit, for that matter), so I got a Garmin with the features I wanted. I don't full time in the RV, so I got a portable XM receiver with both car and home bases. I can move the device between my RV, my toad, my other vehicle, house, cabin, etc.
I bought a pre-2006 Delphi XM model because it has a strong FM transmitter built into it, so no wires needed to your head unit. They toned the transmitter down after 2005.
I keep both the GPS and XM in the tray area above the radio. To avoid unsightly power wires hanging down to the outlets, I put a piggyback fuse tap into slot 13 of the fuse block at the driver side kick panel and ran a wire through the dash up to tray area above the radio. I drilled a small hole to run the wire up into the tray and then soldered on a 4-port outlet-- 2 cigar type/2 USB.

[namusmc]

Thanks Dave and barnbnb for the tips. I listen to Sirius most of time but sometimes like to listen to small town radio in areas I visit.

[barnbnb]

Originally Posted by namusmc

Thanks Dave and barnbnb for the tips. I listen to Sirius most of time but sometimes like to listen to small town radio in areas I visit.

Same here. If you do want to check for monitor interference, remove the monitor fuse and see if reception improves. Sorry, but I don't remember which fuse it is. It made a vast improvement on my prior rig.
If the monitor is indeed interfering with reception, changing out your radio would be futile.
To be clear to all that might see this post, this is not the monitor in the radio. It is the stand alone screen mounted where the rear view mirror would be and radio interference was a known issue on models that used the Rear View Safety monitor at least through the 2014 production year.

[Loefflerh]

I had reception Problems in my Solera, it turned out to be the roof mounted antenna. My solution: bought a window antenna, took out the microwave and glued the window antenna ( about 9 $ at amazon) as high as possible to the inside sidewall behind the microwave. Vola....perfect reception!
Found the connector for the antenna extension cable down below the sink: take the drawer out completely and you should find it....
Hope that helps...