Does 2011 Trail Runner come with an external FM antenna?

Mary_Don

Member
I recently bought a 2011 26FQB Trail Runner and on first use I found that the FM radio reception was extremely poor - only picke up one station where my truck's radio had a large selection.
I took it back to the dealer (for other problems, too) and asked about the antenna. I was told that there is no external antenna and that there is only a coax cable that runs up near the ceiling on the inside.
Since we often camp in places where there is no TV, I'd like to get better radio pick-up. Can i mount a sidewall antenna or put one up on the roof (like a rubber flex-mount aftermarket kit?)
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi Mary_Don,

I'd like to welcome you to the Heartland Owners Forum. You'll find tons of useful information here and a lot of people willing to share their knowledge and experience.

I don't know the particulars about your model, but I'm sure another owner will chime in shortly with an answer.
 

eddylives

Well-known member
Hey there , we have a 2012 26FQB and had the same problem with a touch audio system.
I pulled the radio out of the cabinet and found a ribbon type antenna all bundled up.
There was no room to stretch it out in the cabinet so I ended up running it outside the cabinet....looks ugly but works for now , a big improvement.
My advice is pull the unit out and see what it has for an antenna , go from there to improve it.
 

CliffP

Well-known member
Here's how I ran the antenna in our North Trail. //heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/31095-Mods-to-our-32BUDS?p=246248&highlight=#post246248
 

Mary_Don

Member
Touch panel quit working and that was another complaint though it worked OK with the remote. After complaining to the dealer they put on a roof-mounted whip and also replaced the radio. Reception is much better now.
 

CliffP

Well-known member
Touch panel quit working and that was another complaint though it worked OK with the remote. After complaining to the dealer they put on a roof-mounted whip and also replaced the radio. Reception is much better now.

Did they put in the same make and model radio that they took out?
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
I noticed that the FM reception on our Jensen in our 2013 Trail Runner is terrible.

I'll have to take the radio out of the wall and see if the antenna is as decribed above.

I am also very disapponted in the TV antenna on the roof of our new camper.

It barely pulls in 15 channels (and none of the local network channels) out in my side yard on the two HDTV's that I installed a few weeks back, yet my old camper parked in the same spot with a 35 year old TV antenna hooked up to a standard TV using an HD converter box pulled in over 70 local over the air channels.

Anyone have any ideas?

You can kinda see the antenna in this shot on the roof above the side window:

Campout2012-PC250007.jpg

Here is a shot of the Jenson AM/FM/CD/DVD player and the Vizio 26" TV in the livingroom:

Campout2012-PC260022.jpg

Took these on our recent Christmas Day campout - our first with the new trailer!
 

Silverado23

Iowa Chapter Leaders
As far as your TV reception goes, Make sure your antenna booster is on. Also, check for shorted or loose connectors on the coax cable. You may need to remove the wall plates and check those connections too. It may also be possible that the connections on the antenna booster are not connected to the correct locations and can be degrading the TV signal.
 
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