# Fire Truck Horns and Car Radios **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [March 23, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210 "2009-03-23T22:01:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jimintheatl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Jimintheatl](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jimintheatl)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210/1 "2009-03-23T22:01:02Z")
I pulled to the side of the road to let a fire engine pass. As it did so, it blared its horn…and the sound on my radio went dead. The radio itself was still on (active display, can change stations), but no sound. Was this a weird coincidence? In any case, how do I get my sound back? ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210/2 "2009-03-23T22:18:45Z")
Make and model of car please. Does the radio have a self-adjusting volume feature? ---
**Author:** ![Jimintheatl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Jimintheatl](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jimintheatl)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 10:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210/3 "2009-03-23T22:54:54Z")
1999 Subaru Legacy. No. I had the Sony radio/cassette installed; the car came bare bones, no radio, no extras. ---
**Author:** ![GSN\_fan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@GSN\_fan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/GSN_fan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 11:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210/4 "2009-03-23T23:00:16Z")
Maybe you couldn’t hear the radio? Was the engine loud, the windows down, AC on, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210/5 "2009-03-23T23:07:26Z")
If there is a seperate amplifier installed along with the head unit I would check the power to it and make sure that is ok. If there isn’t an external amps then check the connector to the radio and make sure that is ok. If this good then it would seem there is a problem internally with the radio. ---
**Author:** ![racersteve](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/racersteve/32/1110_2.png) [@racersteve](https://community.cartalk.com/u/racersteve)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210/6 "2009-03-23T23:28:13Z")
I think Emergency Vehicles have some sort of onboard device that triggers traffic lights to change. I assume its radio controlled. Maybe it overpowered the radio signal as it went by? Just a guess. ---
**Author:** ![GSN\_fan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@GSN\_fan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/GSN_fan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 11:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210/7 "2009-03-23T23:48:48Z")
No, I believe they use strobe lights. ---
**Author:** ![racersteve](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/racersteve/32/1110_2.png) [@racersteve](https://community.cartalk.com/u/racersteve)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210/8 "2009-03-23T23:54:54Z")
Yup, I just did a quick search, strobe or infrared activated. So, I think it was aliens, or a flash from Men in Black. ---
**Author:** ![Jimintheatl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Jimintheatl](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jimintheatl)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210/9 "2009-03-23T23:57:19Z")
The weird thing is that I still have a radio signal (auto-tuner can find stations) but no sound. No sound with IPod connection either now. ---
**Author:** ![Jimintheatl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Jimintheatl](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jimintheatl)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 11:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210/10 "2009-03-23T23:58:51Z")
Thanks. Will I have to pull the radio out to check the connections? ---
**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 3:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210/11 "2009-03-24T03:52:26Z")
Something has happened to either the final power amp section of the unit or, if there is an external amp something has happened to that. One other possibility is there may be a seperate connector for the speakers on the back of the unit and it has come loose. ---
**Author:** ![racersteve](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/racersteve/32/1110_2.png) [@racersteve](https://community.cartalk.com/u/racersteve)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 12:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/fire-truck-horns-and-car-radios/28210/12 "2009-03-24T12:37:28Z")
Sorry, I thought you just lost your radio signal while the truck went by. As Cougar says check the connectors. Look for loose or corroded connectors. Are there in-line fuses, circuit breakers, or rest buttons to check. As far as the timing its probably a coincidence. Or could have been a loose connection the the vibration finally knocked off. Did you hit any bumps when you pulled over? Keep us up to date.