GPS - How to filter out the FM radio static on the Garmin Nuvi 6xx

Author

How to filter out the FM radio static on the Garmin Nuvi 6xx

Sharon Ciccio

2007-09-05, 4:33 am

What am I doing wrong? How can I filter static out of the Nuvi 6xx FM
transmitter? Where is the static coming from anyway?

I find it hard to believe the Nuvi is transmitting the static so may I ask
where the static is coming from?

Since the Nuvi is only a few feet from the antenna (in my case, the antenna
is hidden somewhere in the car because there's nothing sticking up
anywhere) why is there so much static?

Is there a way to put a filter on the static? I tried every station I could
but to no avail.

What is the best way to get the Nuvi to play on the radio WITHOUT all that
annoying static?

Travel by GPS

2007-09-05, 10:37 am

On Sep 4, 11:46 pm, Sharon Ciccio <sharonchic...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> What am I doing wrong? How can I filter static out of the Nuvi 6xx FM
> transmitter? Where is the static coming from anyway?

Hi Sharon,
I had/have the same problem with my XM radio. I thought I it had a
weak transmitter. But I learned it was only a problem in big cities
where it seemed like all the radio frequencies are filled. For some
reason, I had better luck setting the transmitter to a higher
frequency (i.e. 107.1). My XM radio also has a transmitter power
setting. Check that if you have it.

I hope this helps!
- Doug
TravelByGPS.com
Travel By GPS (tm) Maps and Tour Guides

Hawkins

2007-09-05, 10:37 am

Jack Erbes

2007-09-05, 10:37 am

Sharon Ciccio wrote:
> What am I doing wrong? How can I filter static out of the Nuvi 6xx FM
> transmitter? Where is the static coming from anyway?
>
> I find it hard to believe the Nuvi is transmitting the static so may I ask
> where the static is coming from?
>
> Since the Nuvi is only a few feet from the antenna (in my case, the antenna
> is hidden somewhere in the car because there's nothing sticking up
> anywhere) why is there so much static?
>
> Is there a way to put a filter on the static? I tried every station I could
> but to no avail.
>
> What is the best way to get the Nuvi to play on the radio WITHOUT all that
> annoying static?

Park your car. Put the ignition in the ACC position and fire up the
nuvi and your FM radio. If the noise is there then, play with the "what
frequency the nuvi is transmitting on" option on the nuvi until you find
a frequency that is static free. You'll have to re tune your FM
receiver each time you change the transmit frequency on the nuvi.

If the nuvi does not allow you to change frequencies it is a poorly
designed unit. If it does it all by itself without any input from you,
it is a poor implementation.

Garmin may have presumed that nuvi buyers will be technically inept and
unable to work things like this out for themselves. If you don't fit
that model, you may have bought the wrong GPS receiver. You're not a
trouble maker are you?

Anyway, once you get it on a quite static free frequency you can start
the engine. If it remains static free, start driving. If the static
comes back intermittently as you drive, it may be caused by localized
changes in the radio frequency spectrum. You have to either live with
that or you can pull over and look for another quiet frequency.

Let us know how it work out.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

Michael Black

2007-09-06, 4:33 am

On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:19:34 -0400, Jack Erbes wrote:
[color=darkred]

I never read a gps review that told the truth. None. Nada. Zip.

They all lie because they are PAID by the gps manufacturers.

For example, read the gpsreview for the nuvi and it says the FM transmitter
is great. HA!!!!!! What a joke. Nobody has ever gotten the FM transmitter
on a nuvi to transmit anything but static. It's useless.

Worse than that, it's a marketing gimmick - like the "simulation mode" and
the hokey mp3 player. Sure, if you like listening to tinny mono music from
a point on your dashboard it's ok as a telephone speaker - but as a "music
device", it's useless.

But you'll never see a gpsreview that tells you like it is because they are
all in the pocket of the manufacturer, garmin in this case but the others
are no better.

My advice? Don't pay a cent for the nuvi "FM transmitter" and certainly
don't even try to use it. Then, you'll be happy.

SamSez

2007-09-06, 12:33 pm

Michael Black <et472@freenet.carleton.ca> wrote in
news:DQLDi.24088$eY.16146@newssvr13.news.prodigy.net:

snip

>
> My advice? Don't pay a cent for the nuvi "FM transmitter" and
> certainly don't even try to use it. Then, you'll be happy.
>

A little over the top perhaps, but the fm transmitter in the 660 is worse
than any of the aftermarket ones I have used in the past with generations
of mp3 players. But it makes for great marketing...

Steve Wolf

2007-09-06, 12:33 pm

Has anyone added an antenna to the Nuvi's FM transmitter? I did this on
a device for the same purpose and it solved the problem. Does anyone
know of a resource that would allow one to figure out how this can be
done? Warranty and such concerns are besides the question.

Here is how I modified the other unit:
http://www.wolfswords.com/motorhome...ayer/index.html

Steve
www.wolfswords.com under the motorhome link

SamSez wrote:
> Michael Black <et472@freenet.carleton.ca> wrote in
> news:DQLDi.24088$eY.16146@newssvr13.news.prodigy.net:
>
> snip
>
>
> A little over the top perhaps, but the fm transmitter in the 660 is worse
> than any of the aftermarket ones I have used in the past with generations
> of mp3 players. But it makes for great marketing...

DougSlug

2007-09-06, 10:33 pm

"Sharon Ciccio" < sharonchiccio@hotmai
l.com> wrote in message
news:IwqDi.48912$Um6.35535@newssvr12.news.prodigy.net...
> What am I doing wrong? How can I filter static out of the Nuvi 6xx FM
> transmitter? Where is the static coming from anyway?
>
> I find it hard to believe the Nuvi is transmitting the static so may I ask
> where the static is coming from?
>
> Since the Nuvi is only a few feet from the antenna (in my case, the
> antenna
> is hidden somewhere in the car because there's nothing sticking up
> anywhere) why is there so much static?
>
> Is there a way to put a filter on the static? I tried every station I
> could
> but to no avail.
>
> What is the best way to get the Nuvi to play on the radio WITHOUT all that
> annoying static?

Most likely the static is present because the frequency you have chosen to
transmit on is in use by a station in which you are on the fringe of its
effective broadcast area. This can vary from atmospheric conditions from
day to day, so it's possible that the day you first chose the frequency, the
signal from the interfering station was a little weaker than the day you
started noticing the static.

FM receivers will demodulate the strongest signal on the carrier frequency
your receiver is tuned to (called the "capture effect"). This can be seen
when you pull up next to a person with an FM transmitter in their car using
the same frequency as you if their signal is a little stronger or their
antenna is a bit closer to your car antenna. It goes away as soon as you
drive away. What may be happening is that the signal from the interfering
broadcast station is just strong enough for your receiver to capture such
that it cuts in and out intermittently, resulting in static. Your car radio
may normally squelch these weak signals, so when you are tuning around
trying to find an empty channel, a weak channel will appear to be empty when
it's not completely empty.

The solution? Keep looking for a different frequency. Depending on your
daily travel route, you may actually enter or leave areas that have varying
coverage from that distant interfering station, which means that you either
need to change frequencies when that occurs, or find one that is empty for
your whole trip. In urban areas, that could be challenging. A filter would
not solve this problem.

- Doug

SamSez

2007-09-07, 10:33 am

"DougSlug" <twinular@optonline.net> wrote in
news:zY1Ei.298$Yb4.277@newsfe12.lga:

>
> FM receivers will demodulate the strongest signal on the carrier
> frequency your receiver is tuned to (called the "capture effect").
>

Exactly -- and if Garmin's transmitter was half as strong as the majority
of the $15-$25 FM modulator add-ons sold for mp3 players, there wouldn't be
so many complaints about how bad it is. Let's stop making excuses for bad
hardware...

Jim Townsend

2007-09-07, 10:33 am

SamSez wrote:

> "DougSlug" <twinular@optonline.net> wrote in
> news:zY1Ei.298$Yb4.277@newsfe12.lga:
>
>
> Exactly -- and if Garmin's transmitter was half as strong as the majority
> of the $15-$25 FM modulator add-ons sold for mp3 players, there wouldn't be
> so many complaints about how bad it is. Let's stop making excuses for bad
> hardware...

It's not that easy. In North America, there are power limits placed
on unlicenced FM transmitters. The legal limits are very low.

There are two satellite radio companies (Sirius and XM) that were
selling plug and play tuners that used FM transmitters to 'connect'
to existing car stereos. The transmitters worked very well, but they
were overpowered. The Federal Communications Commission stepped in
and ordered them to halt sales of their units.

http://www.betanews.com/article/ Si..._FCC/1153410877

The cheapie add-on modulators with excessive power levels are slipping
through the cracks. It's hard to enforce regulations on goods manufactured
in China by companies that change names overnight.

It's not the same for large established companies. I'm sure Garmin doesn't
want to run afoul of the law and be forced to stop selling any of their
units... Because of this we can expect their FM transmitters to be legal.

Just_a_fan@home.net

2007-12-19, 10:33 pm

The Garmin nuvi I have has a very weak FM transmitter and won't transmit
on all freqs. I have several where there is no signal but it won't tune
there -- it just skips over many frequencies while being tuned. I
thought it was me but when I went back, it truly skipped the ones I most
wanted to use. I have to make do with some noisy ones and keep shifting
as I move around. It is very irritating!

Mike

On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 05:55:38 -0700, in sci.geo.satellite-nav Travel by
GPS <DougAdomatis@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Sep 4, 11:46 pm, Sharon Ciccio <sharonchic...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>Hi Sharon,
>I had/have the same problem with my XM radio. I thought I it had a
>weak transmitter. But I learned it was only a problem in big cities
>where it seemed like all the radio frequencies are filled. For some
>reason, I had better luck setting the transmitter to a higher
>frequency (i.e. 107.1). My XM radio also has a transmitter power
>setting. Check that if you have it.
>
>I hope this helps!
>- Doug
> TravelByGPS.com
> Travel By GPS (tm) Maps and Tour Guides

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