Fitcamx FM Radio Interference

[pswired]

Well, since it was mine that they scanned, I guess it makes sense that it would fit my car . But I'm willing to bet that Ford hasn't changed those posts or clips.

Agreed, I'm not sure why that part would have been changed from 2021 to 2022. At any rate, if I can manage to heat this thing up and remove that gap without melting the thing, I should be good to go as far as the surround goes. If I destroy it in that process, maybe I'll ask them to send a new one.

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[JohnnyForensic]

Out of curiosity, mine only flashes blue, not red. Is the red flash signifying the rear camera is online, or does it mean something else?

 

[pswired]

Out of curiosity, mine only flashes blue, not red. Is the red flash signifying the rear camera is online, or does it mean something else?

I'm not sure what the red flash means, and the manual doesn't really shed much light on that either:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0...3e8338db10cd359c8946b4e54bf6.pdf?v=1630662188

 

[Mach-Lee]

Does anyone know where the FM antenna is located in these cars? I ran my rear camera cable from the rear glass through the right side rubber duct that connects the liftgate to the car body, then to the right side C pillar and along the headliner up to the windshield, then across to the overhead console. Wonder if this cable is running in parallel with an antenna trace somewhere and it's not a power supply issue.

The FM antenna is in the shark fin and traces on the rear window glass. There is probably a coax cable running through the flexible harness duct to the rear hatch. So I think you’re on the right track, the interference is likely from the rear camera.

 

[pswired]

Speaking of flashing lights, does that blue flash drive anyone else crazy at night? It makes a blue flashing pattern on the center console. Might need a piece of electrical tape over the light holes.

 

[pswired]

The FM antenna is in the shark fin and traces on the rear window glass. There is probably a coax cable running through the flexible harness duct to the rear hatch. So I think you’re on the right track, the interference is likely from the rear camera.

The fitcamx rear camera cable appears to be a multi-conductor cable, not a coax cable like other dashcam rear cameras I've encountered. So if there are FM antenna traces in the rear glass , it definitely seems like this rear camera cable could be to blame. I'll add some ferrite beads to that also and see what happens.

 

[Mach-Lee]

The fitcamx rear camera cable appears to be a multi-conductor cable, not a coax cable like other dashcam rear cameras I've encountered. So if there are FM antenna traces in the rear glass , it definitely seems like this rear camera cable could be to blame. I'll add some ferrite beads to that also and see what happens.

Or just unplug the rear camera only for testing. Rerouting the camera cable away from the radio coax in the boot might be wise too.

 

[generaltso]

Speaking of flashing lights, does that blue flash drive anyone else crazy at night? It makes a blue flashing pattern on the center console. Might need a piece of electrical tape over the light holes.

There's a firmware update that changes the light to stay on solid instead of flashing. I like it much better. Fitcamx should be able to send it to you.

 

[pswired]

Ok, here are some updates. First, someone asked for pictures of my OE surround. Here they are:

On a side note, does anyone know what the sensor is that passes through the hole in that surround and faces the driver side seat? Looks like a photoelectric or IR sensor of some sort. Sunload sensor for driver?

 

[pswired]

Second update: I unplugged the rear camera and the problem went away completely. I then added some ferrite beads to various places: 1 on the power supply line to the front camera, two on the cable connecting the front camera to the rear camera at the front camera end, and one at the rear camera at the cable. That actually improved the situation a bit, but did not resolve it completely. The interference pattern is very strange. When the rear camera is plugged in, the radio will be completely fine for a while, then cut out for some random period of time, then start working again.

At this point I think my options are to request a new rear camera from fitcamx in case there's some issue with the one I have (seems unlikely), reroute the cable from front cam to rear cam (pain in the ass), get rid of the rear camera entirely (not great), or try to hack some filtering caps into the cable connecting the two cameras. Anyone have some other great ideas?

 

[Stimulant]

Second update: I unplugged the rear camera and the problem went away completely. I then added some ferrite beads to various places: 1 on the power supply line to the front camera, two on the cable connecting the front camera to the rear camera at the front camera end, and one at the rear camera at the cable. That actually improved the situation a bit, but did not resolve it completely. The interference pattern is very strange. When the rear camera is plugged in, the radio will be completely fine for a while, then cut out for some random period of time, then start working again.

At this point I think my options are to request a new rear camera from fitcamx in case there's some issue with the one I have (seems unlikely), reroute the cable from front cam to rear cam (pain in the ass), get rid of the rear camera entirely (not great), or try to hack some filtering caps into the cable connecting the two cameras. Anyone have some other great ideas?

I just tested mine. I have the 4k front and rear. I also tap into the windshield sensor. I also have the solid red and blinking blue lights. I listened to a couple different different stations for a couple minutes each (and one that was just static). I didn't notice any interference like you did.

I routed my camera under the front headliner to the passenger side and around the fabric/plastic trim on the passenger side of the car (top part of the doors) around to the back. Had some difficulty around the middle panel next to the front passenger seat belt but otherwise was easy going.

I wonder if the power splitter itself is faulty/crimped when you replaced the panel? Or maybe a poor connection? I'd probably request a new splitter and/or rear camera/cable and test before you install it.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Ok, here are some updates. First, someone asked for pictures of my OE surround. Here they are:

On a side note, does anyone know what the sensor is that passes through the hole in that surround and faces the driver side seat? Looks like a photoelectric or IR sensor of some sort. Sunload sensor for driver?

That is the interior temp sensor. Humidity sensor is also under that cover. Sunload sensor is the pyramid bump between the defrost vents.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Second update: I unplugged the rear camera and the problem went away completely. I then added some ferrite beads to various places: 1 on the power supply line to the front camera, two on the cable connecting the front camera to the rear camera at the front camera end, and one at the rear camera at the cable. That actually improved the situation a bit, but did not resolve it completely. The interference pattern is very strange. When the rear camera is plugged in, the radio will be completely fine for a while, then cut out for some random period of time, then start working again.

At this point I think my options are to request a new rear camera from fitcamx in case there's some issue with the one I have (seems unlikely), reroute the cable from front cam to rear cam (pain in the ass), get rid of the rear camera entirely (not great), or try to hack some filtering caps into the cable connecting the two cameras. Anyone have some other great ideas?

Don’t mount the rear camera on top of the FM aerial like you did there, move it to the other side. Also route the cable through the other boot so it’s not in the same proximity as the FM radio coax which also runs through that boot.

 

[pswired]

I just tested mine. I have the 4k front and rear. I also tap into the windshield sensor. I also have the solid red and blinking blue lights. I listened to a couple different different stations for a couple minutes each (and one that was just static). I didn't notice any interference like you did.

I routed my camera under the front headliner to the passenger side and around the fabric/plastic trim on the passenger side of the car (top part of the doors) around to the back. Had some difficulty around the middle panel next to the front passenger seat belt but otherwise was easy going.

I wonder if the power splitter itself is faulty/crimped when you replaced the panel? Or maybe a poor connection? I'd probably request a new splitter and/or rear camera/cable and test before you install it.

Thanks for that feedback, very helpful. Sounds like our cable routing is very similar. Did you go through one of the rubber ducts that connects the liftgate to the body?

Don’t mount the rear camera on top of the FM aerial like you did there, move it to the other side. Also route the cable through the other boot so it’s not in the same proximity as the FM radio coax which also runs through that boot.

I'll take a closer look at the traces in the rear glass to try to figure out which are heat and which are antenna traces, then move the camera and see if that helps. Thanks.

The other boot is pretty full so my hopes of getting the camera cable jammed through there are low, but I'll do some more experimentation with camera/cable placement and try that if needed.

 

[HuntingPudel]

Hmmm, your rear camera looks totally different from mine (I have 2K rear camera and a 4K front). I routed my cable through the boot on the right (passenger) side. I also mounted my camera to the plastic work around the window since I have a tint film on my rear window. No interference issues that I can discern.

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