[steve18]

imported post

Hi all,

Any electronic wizards out there? My GL18 is a US spec machine and the radio freqs are in odd numbers only. Example...98.1mhz or 102.7 etc...I can only tune into a station with a .1 .3 .5 .7 .9 in the frequency. So I cannot get FM104.4 or Spin103.8 etc. Can this be fixed easily? Any help would be great...

:?Steve18

 

[wexy]

imported post

Hi Steve we are in the same boat ,my 1500 is Canadian spec and all imports from the states have the same problem ,I seem to remember this subject being dealt with on the old message board and if I remember correctly ..there is no cure unless you change the works inside the radio ,,I know if it is a jap import you can get a radio expander for about 30euro and this fits on the antenna cable and to a 12volt positive feed ,maybe this might work on the us imports as well ,Maybe someone has tried this ,,no doubt before the day is out Jasonthe whizz kid will let you know ..see ya sunday ..CIARAN

 

[Shooter]

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Had to pull myself out of a brain-cramp. Might be a F.C.C. thing with state-side radios. As far back as I remember, every FM station I've ever listened to the frequency ended in an odd digit.

You know we colonists always have to be different.

 

[Heffo]

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You can get a frequency modulator (like the ones found in the Japanese import cars), but I think it only allows the low channel Jap radios to access the higher channels over 90.0. Probably useless on a Goldwing.

 

[Guest]

imported post

steve18 wrote:

Hi all,

Any electronic wizards out there? My GL18 is a US spec machine and the radio freqs are in odd numbers only. Example...98.1mhz or 102.7 etc...I can only tune into a station with a .1 .3 .5 .7 .9 in the frequency. So I cannot get FM104.4 or Spin103.8 etc. Can this be fixed easily? Any help would be great...

:?Steve18

Steve 18 The wingnuts 1800 is also a U.S. import. You should email him im sure he has the cure for this prob. He does'nt check this board frequently.

 

[steve18]

imported post

Hello Redwing,

I spoke to Wingnut myself today. He advised me that there is no easy fix that he knows of. The frequency expanders that others on the board have mentioned don't help with this problem.Apart from finding a "broken" Euro spec 1800, I guess I am stuck with my few stations. Anyway, it will give me the incentive to save for a CD player...or hook up a mini disc or mp3 player to the aux socket...Anyway thanks folks for all the replies

Steve18

ps.... EVERYONE GET THEIR WINGS OUT SUNDAY COMING.....

 

[wingdo]

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Hello Steve,

I had the same problem and got it sorted at the UK treffen two years ago by a winger that does this for a long no. of years. I have forgotten his name right now but it may come to me later. What is required is an EPROM that he programs to give you frequency steps of 0.05Mhz that is 98.10, 98.15, 98.20 etc. He normally has a pocket full of these with him. He fitted mine in about 10 minutes when I took off the radio and brought it to him and he charged £40.00 (well worth it).Steve ifyou do not get the time off to go to the treffin, talk to someone who is going and I think this guy will sell the eprom and you can fit it youself or get some electronic wizard to do it for you as he will give instructions. If anyone is looking for to get the modification done at the treffenI would advise them to go (Taz will direct you to him) looking for thewizard early as he can be busy as I think he may be doing alarms also. I also assume the 1800 is the same as the 1500. If I remember correcty he keeps your eprom and reprograms it.

PS. IMAY SEE YOU ON SUNDAYON THE RUN

 

[Skooter]

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Wingdo, I don't think the Eprom works on the 1800 radio, only on the older bikes.

 

[exavid]

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Shooter wrote:

Had to pull myself out of a brain-cramp. Might be a F.C.C. thing with state-side radios. As far back as I remember, every FM station I've ever listened to the frequency ended in an odd digit.

Yep they do end in the 100kHz increment odd. In the US. If I remember right and I'm not sure the old brain isn't leaking but the total bandwidth of one US FM station was center frequency plus and minus 75kHz which leaves 25kHz guard band, (empty space) between adjacent stations to avoid interference. In Europe I believe they use a narrower bandwidth on their stations. They can get more stations in the same bandwidth as we do but they have to sacrifice some audio quality to do it. When you think about it, it makes sense. We have one country spanning a rather large continent whereas there they have many countries that want their own FM stations so it's a good idea to squeeze more into the same spectrum. At least that's my shot at it.

At the heart of the FM receiver is a phase locked loop based oscillator that's stepped in increments to tune the receiver. To change from US to Euro specs I'd imagine that would have to be changed. I'm sure it could be done unless that function is on a chip with a lot of other circuits which might make the cost prohibitive.

 

[zonk3939]

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Wow..mine must be strange as my Panasonic has all numbers on it..maybe because its an older one (85). I use an XM modulator to get XM radio and I set it to 88.1,but constantly have to readjust because I`m clumsy and hit the channel changing button on the handlebars.

 

[exavid]

imported post

zonk3939 wrote:

Wow..mine must be strange as my Panasonic has all numbers on it..maybe because its an older one (85). I use an XM modulator to get XM radio and I set it to 88.1,but constantly have to readjust because I`m clumsy and hit the channel changing button on the handlebars.

You must have a strange one, most digital US FM receivers I've seen tune to only to odd 100kHz settings such as 88.1, 88.3, 88.5, you can't tune to 88.2, 88.4, 88.6. If yours does it's most unusual. (No connection to Tom Jones)

 

[johnmac]

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I can tune to odd and even on my '85 Aspy too.

 

[exavid]

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I sure won't say you can't, but it is unusual. Have you found any stations on the even numbers? It might be that the radio was designed to be used in both the US and Europe. There's probably a little reduction in audio quality but that's not all that great of a concern on a system for a motorcycle. You'd probably not notice it unless you used headsets with the high ambient noise on a bike. I know on my 1500 you can't tune to the even numbers. I didn't think to look at the radio on my 1986 SEI for that but tend to think it wouldn't have since it had the upgraded audio system. Anyone with a LTD/SEI willing to check that out? I'd be interested to know. Just one of those little trivia items about the Wing!

 

[twisty]

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American (FM) radio stations transmit between (88 megahertz) and (108 megahertz).. That particular bandwas chosen by the FCC (I have no idea why that band), each station owns a 200-kilohertz slice.. All the slices start on odd number boundaries. So there could be a station at 100.1 megahertz, 100.3 megahertz, 100.5, 100.7, 100.9 megahertz, etc.

That 200-kilohertz spacing, and the fact that they all end on the odd boundaries was decided by the FCC (again I have no idea why)..

Now in Europe the FM stations are spaced 100 kilohertz apart instead of 200 kilohertz apart, and they can end in even or odd numbers.

The above came from a radio repair friend on mine..

Twisty

 

[exavid]

imported post

twisty wrote:

That 200-kilohertz spacing, and the fact that they all end on the odd boundaries was decided by the FCC (again I have no idea why)..
Now in Europe the FM stations are spaced 100 kilohertz apart instead of 200 kilohertz apart, and they can end in even or odd numbers.
Twisty

The upper end of the FM broadcast spectrum in the US is at the beginning of the aircraft communication and navigation band. The aviation band uses a variety of modulation types, AM for communications, FM andPhase Modulation for navigation. The bandwidth for the FM band was set at 200kHz to allow more frequency deviation from center frequency. Europeans squeezed their part of the FM spectrum to allow for more stations in a smaller area.