[ShrimpBurrito]

I don't really understand how these "boosters" can be effective. You can't "pull in" any additional signal with any sort of electrical device compared to using the antenna alone. Pre-amps, which I'm guessing is what these are, are typically mounted near the antenna and simply amplify the signal, but they only make a difference if there is a long wire run (like 50+ feet) from the antenna to the receiver. Why? Because it simply compensates for the signal loss in the cable, but if the cable is short, there's little loss to begin with, so it doesn't add anything.

If you can receive a much better signal on your car radio while parked next to the TM, I think something is wrong with the installation. As Wayne suggested, a loose or no connection between the radio and antenna would be my guess....I wouldn't even be surprised if someone at the factory forgot to plug the antenna into the radio. If you can get access to the rear of the unit, it would be easy to check. I doubt the unit has an external AM antenna, so only FM performance would improve if you found something.

Dave