graemepd Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Hi I have a 2007 Autocruise StarSpirit on a Peugeot Boxer base and have poor radio reception. I've been on to Swift (who took over manufacturing rights in 2008) to ask them where the ariel is located. They tell me it's in the passenger side door mirror! Has anyone had any experience of installing a proper ariel or better still - getting the one fitted to work properly please? Any help and advice appreciated - thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tugga Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 We have this problem with our 06 Ducato Graeme. We have looked for the ariel in the wing mirror and it is not there. We only get music via our ipod but that is not any good for traffic jams etc. I too will be interested in any advice given here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Tuckley Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Hi, I am in the same situation. I have decided that one of those winter jobs has got to be fitting a new radio aerial (2008 Ducato). On the odd occasion that it does pick up a signal it is still poor. The bit I am worried about is trying to run the aerial wire to wherever the aerial will go on the van. Problem is that the van is a high top so all of the area up top is fibreglass which will not earth. I have heard about an aerial which consists of a wire which you fasten around the windscreen. Will look forward to any suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whisturx Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 I have an A class and the aerial was tucked on top of the engine and was useless. Bought one of these http://www.blaupunktdirect.co.uk/antennas-aerials/am-fm/funline-am-fm-disc-antenna.html Works well. But you need to solder an extra length of earth wire and make sure you get a good connection to the chassis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 There are numerous threads regarding the ariels on the Sevel vans of all ages. Just a thought - has anyone linkedtheir coax cable into their Status (or other) TV ariel using the power booster.? Does it work on the move ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 If it makes you feel any better our ford trannie radio reception is not good either. Short ariel mounted on passeneger side mirror housing waste of time. Have looked at replacing it with longer better un but not found the right product yet. I might bite the bullet and fit a complete new DAB setup while I am at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graemepd Posted October 27, 2011 Author Share Posted October 27, 2011 Thanks to all for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Many threads on the Swift Talk forum regarding poor reception. First we had aeriel fixes/resitings which led to much better reception whilst stationary but still poor on the move. Another issue reported was that many units reverted to 'demo' mode (continual flashing scrolling words..............) after switching off and lost all user inputted parameters re balance etc. Swift have now agreed with JVC that it is the fault of the unit (although the JVC helpdesk originally said it 'must' be the install! Either way, I now have a letter from JVC inviting me to get the unit changed for a new, different, model. I'll let you know......................... ;-) Rgds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopesy Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 ips - 2011-10-26 2:38 PM If it makes you feel any better our ford trannie radio reception is not good either. Short ariel mounted on passeneger side mirror housing waste of time. Have looked at replacing it with longer better un but not found the right product yet. I might bite the bullet and fit a complete new DAB setup while I am at it. A bit off topic but not totally. I was dissatisfied with the reception. I swapped the unit for a £40 unit form aldi which plays MP3 disc, has a phono input for i-pod and also memory card and usb slots for recorded music on all sorts of mediums. And then i bought a PURE Highway portable system with seperate aerial but the DAB reception is not good. It seems excellent around towns and busy areas but quickly loses strength out in the countryside, not everywhere granted but enough to be frustrating. The government were supposed to be increasing coverage and strength by 2015 but this to have put on the back burner. Just some observations about DAB. I persevere because my favouite channel is only available on DAB. Rog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 "It's in the left hand door mirror". How many times has this been said? Unfortunately you cannot see it to accept what the manufacturer or dealer says, you have to believe it even though you doubt it because the radio reception is very poor. I think that there is a strong possibility that a large number of standard X250's haven't got one fitted at all. Some time ago I had to have a new near side mirror fitted, it was done by Northern Commercials at Brighouse, until then I had extremely good radio reception but with the new mirror fitted it was very poor. I have since changed my motorhome for a new one and the radio reception is very good once again so I can only assume that the new mirror that was fitted didn't have an ariel in it. The new owner of my previous motorhome must be wondering why the reception is poor. It's a pity that the plastic cover is hard to remove otherwise you would be able to see it if you knew what it looked like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Hopesey I looked at the seperate DAB systems but not sure how to tackle the job yet, I listen to DAB all day in the car and I dont have many areas were I lose the signal and I travel all over the north of england, some black spots in the lakes and some in wales but thats it really. Have radio 4 on mostly with some jazz fm and the occasionall absolute 80s. ooh off topic but my favourite when were away and can get it is BBC cumbria rock night on sat 9-12 they play some propper good rock not just the mainstream stuff role on tommorow night cos were away in an area we can get it :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tugga Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 rolandrat - 2011-10-27 7:48 PM "It's in the left hand door mirror". How many times has this been said? Unfortunately you cannot see it to accept what the manufacturer or dealer says, you have to believe it even though you doubt it because the radio reception is very poor. I think that there is a strong possibility that a large number of standard X250's haven't got one fitted at all. Some time ago I had to have a new near side mirror fitted, it was done by Northern Commercials at Brighouse, until then I had extremely good radio reception but with the new mirror fitted it was very poor. I have since changed my motorhome for a new one and the radio reception is very good once again so I can only assume that the new mirror that was fitted didn't have an ariel in it. The new owner of my previous motorhome must be wondering why the reception is poor. It's a pity that the plastic cover is hard to remove otherwise you would be able to see it if you knew what it looked like. Unfortunately Rolandrat we have an A Class and the ariel is definitely not in the wing mirror as they are not standard Ducato wing mirrors, they are Hymer ones. Not sure where we go from here with this problem. Would a standard car ariel fitted to the wing work do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Cheryl, you could try one of the internal stick on ones first, they fit along the top of the windscreen and don't look out of place. The other way is as you mentioned is an independent one mounted externally so make sure you can earth it for the best reception and put it somewhere that you know the co-ax cable won't spoil the interior panelling. Roland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elamessa Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 tugga - 2011-10-28 12:14 PM rolandrat - 2011-10-27 7:48 PM "It's in the left hand door mirror". How many times has this been said? Unfortunately you cannot see it to accept what the manufacturer or dealer says, you have to believe it even though you doubt it because the radio reception is very poor. I think that there is a strong possibility that a large number of standard X250's haven't got one fitted at all. Some time ago I had to have a new near side mirror fitted, it was done by Northern Commercials at Brighouse, until then I had extremely good radio reception but with the new mirror fitted it was very poor. I have since changed my motorhome for a new one and the radio reception is very good once again so I can only assume that the new mirror that was fitted didn't have an ariel in it. The new owner of my previous motorhome must be wondering why the reception is poor. It's a pity that the plastic cover is hard to remove otherwise you would be able to see it if you knew what it looked like. Would a standard car ariel fitted to the wing work do you think? I have a standard car ariel fitted to the A pillar on my coachbuilt and reception is perfect. I must add that it was already fitted when I purchased the van. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 We get very good reception on the radio that comes with the entertainment package on our AutoTrail which I assume uses the standard arial in the wing mirror. Having said that if we leave it on the setting where it is supposed to find the strongest signal it drives us mad switching off for a few seconds every ten minuets or so whilst looking for a stronger signal. We solved the problem by switching it off and my wife doing an auto search if the reception becomes poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 ips - 2011-10-26 2:38 PM If it makes you feel any better our ford trannie radio reception is not good either. Short ariel mounted on passeneger side mirror housing waste of time. Have looked at replacing it with longer better un but not found the right product yet. I might bite the bullet and fit a complete new DAB setup while I am at it. Strange. We don't generally drive with the radio on, but use it when static. On the whole, though, I'm quite impressed with the reception. The radio is a standard "Ford" 6000 CD, with the standard Ford fit aerial. The aerial appears very similar to one on our previous van, that a specialist pronounced to be a high quality unit. I therefore just wonder if Chausson order the chassis minus the Ford radio, and then fit an alternative? I think all these OEM aerials are boosted via a supply from the set. If different sets are fitted by the converter, or by the dealer, it must be possible that the connection to the booster, or maybe to earth from the aerial, has been omitted. I also wonder if this may also explain poor reception with the Fiat mirror aerials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjmike Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 A little while ago after a overhanging branch killed our external aerial I rang the dealer to inquire the cost of replacement, £120 + fitting was the reply. The reception on the old aerial was not that brilliant so thought this rather steep. Looked on Ebay and found one like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/INTERNAL-GLASS-WINDSCREEN-MOUNT-AMPLIFIED-CAR-AERIAL-/250778988287?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3a6397aeff The relative low cost meant that if it was no good then my financial loss would not be too great. I did a trial install with the aerial placed on the dash and the booster (the black and red cable) wired to the leisure battery and was gobsmacked at the cracking reception, far better than before. The permanent install involved extending the booster wires so that I could place the aerial in the top centre of the windscreen and run the wires around the outside of the windscreen via a switch and fuse to leisure battery. This has worked very well ever since and very rarely do I struggle for a signal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athiest Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Hi all, having wiped off the nearside door mirror on my first time out, I purchased a mirror off of a Fiat Panel van that looked the same and was a better price on Ebay. It turned out that my van did have an ariel in the mirror but the new mirror did not. I removed the ariel from the old and installed it behind the door panel between the electric window and the small front door window. Reception is about the same as before, great stopped just about alright on the move. There is also an extension cable for a Sat Nav in the same mirror, though where the other end is I have not found. The Fiat mirror will fit but needs one of the lining up prongs shortened. Hope this helps some one. "A" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Gosh! A certain washing powder brand has a lot to answer for. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotsbob Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I have an Elddis S/seeker on a Peugeot Boxer chassis, and the radio reception was poor. My pal fitted an extermal ariel on the nearside wing just in front of the luton overhang, and we now get good reception. The ariel was from Halfords not 2 expensive, and it was fitted within and hour & half. You have to get in behind the wheel arch skirting to connect up and get an earth for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athiest Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Hi again, If you go to "Door Mirror Replacement 2009 Ducato, 17th August 2010" On this Forum, I have laid out the complete steps for replacing the mirror. "A" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 flicka - 2011-10-26 2:15 PM There are numerous threads regarding the ariels on the Sevel vans of all ages. Just a thought - has anyone linked their coax cable into their Status (or other) TV ariel using the power booster.? Does it work on the move ? Yes it does....and you don't need the booster on either. And if manufacturers used just half a brain a little bit of the time, that's exactly what they'd use but for reasons best known to themselves they don't! I had this exact setup in my previous van though the dish was a Status directional as opposed to an omni-directional 'wok'. But the fitting of radio aerials on campervans m/h's is a real sore point with me. My current van is an Autosleeper Duetto on the Transit chassis. When I bought the van the radio never worked very well but I wasn't too bothered as it was the original Ford radio which was rubbish and I replaced it with a decent Pioneer. When that failed to locate signals I knew there had to be a problem with the aerial........and that was to prove a big job! *-) When Autosleeper do their super nice conversion, they slice the tin roof off and replace it with a fibreglass roof. Very nice........but then they go and drill a hole slap bang in the middle to stick a roof aerial in (usually the rubber duck type which rust and rot away at the base as mine had). Now to get at that aerial mount you have to completely remove two internal roof lining sections. To fit the aerial is a two man job. I tried doing it solo but it's impossible. So if like me you are on your own, you are looking either for a friendly neighbour or it's off down to a Garage. *-) Rather than go back to the rubbish 'rubber duck' aerial I scoured the local breakers until I found a car with suitable mount complete with mast. Usually the masts are the first thing to get taken off as they are easy to remove, but I was lucky and found one complete. Now for all you Duetto owners..........listen up as here is THE info you will need should you have to do the same as I did. I hope to God you never have to! The aerial base mount HAS to be bolted in from the outside of the roof. You cannot use a mount which bolts from the INSIDE such as a Focus. The reason being there simply isn't enough internal thread on the mount because there are two aerial couplings inside the van and one of these couplings is threaded. The base mount you need is off any of the Rover range (mine came off a Rover 200). The mast was a bit too long for my liking as I have a Heki 2 rooflight so found a shorter mast off a Citroen or Peugot which fitted the base mount. Mine came from a local scrapper and cost me two quid. You then need to cut or drill a hole in the top section of the base mount to get a socket on the bolt (approx 25mm length). You need somebody on the inside of the van to help locate that bolt into the aerial cable mounting piece which is threaded and it's that which will tighten up and hold the mount in place. On replacing make sure everything is firmly fixed as it is a job you don't ever want to be doing again! All this would have been totally unnecessary had some bright spark lit up at Autosleeper and said "hey why drill a hole in a nice new roof when we can fit an INTERNAL aerial?" Less labour intensive, lower costs, not to mention beneficial to the owner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I therefore just wonder if Chausson order the chassis minus the Ford radio, and then fit an alternative? I think all these OEM aerials are boosted via a supply from the set. If different sets are fitted by the converter, or by the dealer, it must be possible that the connection to the booster, or maybe to earth from the aerial, has been omitted. I also wonder if this may also explain poor reception with the Fiat mirror aerials. Brian Nope its a ford unit prob same as yours. I think I will have to investigate the ariel connection or something because if everyone else's seems to be ok it defo has a problem by the sounds of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 ips - 2011-11-02 8:19 AM Nope its a ford unit prob same as yours. I think I will have to investigate the ariel connection or something because if everyone else's seems to be ok it defo has a problem by the sounds of it. Ips As your m/h is on a Transit Chassis the radio would be standard Ford fitment whichever came with that year trannie. Chausson or for that matter any other manufacturer would not fit an after market alternative make unless specifically asked by the customer. Your reception problem could be one of two things.....either a bad earth or as in my case, a broken aerial base mount which only became obvious when I took the aerial off......it simply fell away in my hands due to rusting. If you are happy with the radio which is fitted, remove it from its mounting and plug another aerial in. Any old aerial will do just to experiment and you can screw it to a metal plate. If reception is improved then you need to replace the aerial. Personally I don't particularly like the Ford radios though it depends on what you use it for. I like lots of music whilst on the move, particularly long runs. I replaced my Ford radio with a Pioneer CD radio which has a USB facility so I can plug in mp4 player or a flash drive.......you can get a heck of a lot of music on even a little 8gb stick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Hi I have no probs with the ford radio fitted and we have a jack plug thing in the glove box to plug mrs ips netbook and dvd player into for more volume. It isnt as good as the sony DAB fitted to my Ford Kuga but it does the job ...... well it would if the reception was better. Will defo have a look at connection etc as advised. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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