Radio Station List Flickering

[Jo1510]

Hi, I have a 19 plate Fiesta and the radio stations are flickering on the Ensemble + and - pages. The one where you can go up and down all the radio station lists.

I’ve tried the radio reset but it hasn’t worked.

Can anyone help please?

 

[Handy Andy]

Did you check your "mast" antenna on the back by the rear hatch - might need to inspect it and see if it's broken.

 

[econoboxrocks]

Did you check your "mast" antenna on the back by the rear hatch - might need to inspect it and see if it's broken.

The antenna is at the front on Euro cars.

 

[Handy Andy]

Thanks, but in the ST's it's still in the front?

No idea on the year (if they changed) either...being '19 - and from what I get off the sites for the EU-side - they all appear to have the whips in the back.

But no matter what, the issue I'm trying to narrow down on, is from the Antenna and it's built in amplifier - the Cable that goes to it provides the power and the return for Ground in the cable and it's coax.

• Looking thru the tons of older YT-vids about the Fiesta radios, they all have non-powered whips and are mounted in the front with a single screw mount underneath - and just above, the front Console interior light.
• The later model rear-fin ones you can get at thru the rear back-passenger interior light to see how the amplified antenna is mounted. But you sill have to pop out the two rear plastic rivets that hold the headliner, and remove some plastic side-panel trim in the back towards the hatch to get room to work with the antenna..

IF it's been damaged; the case can crack letting in water and eventually that can destroy the amplifier leaving you with "static" and stations that used to come in clear can't get tuned in any more and you'll have to "direct-dial" that station on the keypad to even attempt to lock it.

So goes back to the "fin" or whip it uses and if the base is cracked or it's seal to the roof is damaged - from force or otherwise and it needs to be replaced. If it's just the whip, that you may still get, and have at a dealer. Yes thru a dealer - because of the amplifier in the base is "tuned" for a particular length of whip. And only takes a particular threaded base on whip - the thread is 4mm or 5mm and the Arial whip uses two wires one coiled and choked to another to a coil (a wrapping method) to tune AM and FM stations on one whip.

 

[Jo1510]

The antenna is at the front on Euro cars.

Hi, thanks for your reply. The antenna is at the back and isn’t broken.

My car recently went in for a repair on the driver’s side back wheel arch but don’t think that’s got anything to do with it.

I’ve checked for the updates and done the wi-fi but still flickering.

 

[econoboxrocks]

Hi, thanks for your reply. The antenna is at the back and isn’t broken.

My car recently went in for a repair on the driver’s side back wheel arch but don’t think that’s got anything to do with it.

I’ve checked for the updates and done the wi-fi but still flickering.

Have you tried a hard reset?

 

[Handy Andy]

Well, by suggestion, this isn't working.

So when you say "Flickering" I presumed you have a station Listening problem.

The Condition can also be a station "Viewing" problem, as in a flickering caused by the inability to view the APIM data on the screen due to a loose or faulty CAN-Bus link to the APIM from the Radio / Audio Module (your in-dash head unit for the radio and or CD/DVD an satellite presentation) that displays the data messages.

Are we getting close?

But, this may mean something else is the problem in a wiring harness and - if you can, take pictures so we can see your dashboard to help you further.

And, to help narrow this down - do you have the HD-unit?

Although from a Ford Focus, These are also available in Aftermarkets for Fiestas' - only seen one with one though...

We also have several Eco-sports in the fleet and they use similar setups...

​

The HD-units - The radio / APIM display is more like a tablet and about the size of one. IF that is what you have; the HD-unit decoder for the FM-stations - the rear antenna amplifier is still suspect. This is due to the level of sub-channel information that the HD units processes and displays on your cars' tablet-screen. If the system can't decode that information for the stations sub-channels - it flickers data in the display and it can even affect audio. It will - cut in and out leaving you with sometimes terrible sounding fuzzy audio-until the signal strength comes back to a point where it clears up from the noise and you have your "surround sound" audio back.

This may also indicate a loose ground or poor connection to a device (including the Fuel Pump or Rear-Brake light or even one of your SRS sensors) nearby or in the rear-(drivers side) passenger door that has come loose or it's connector is not fully seated.

The shop may have to go back in there and fix or re-dress the headers those connectors use and also fix any poor grounding issues in that area.

To test this... turn the Radio on to the AM-stations and listen for noise you'd find in-between stations and or weak signal ones and listen for noise to see if stronger stations also pick up this noise - if so - the car needs to get back to that shop for them to tighten down their work.