mogmartin Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 We have a new VW T5 (Bilbo Celex) with high top which came fitted with VDO CD 5305 MP3X radio - I gather VW no longer fit their cassette radios in the factory - maybe they've run out at last - and now the radios are dealer fitted in the UK. Anyway, while this radio is absolutely brilliant in several ways with good sound, playing all forms of CD MP3 that I've thrown at it and not requiring the ignition key to work etc. etc. It does, for us, have one serious failing. Reception on FM is okay where there is a strong signal but there are several places where it cannot receive or you get hissy reception. Long wave is absolutely hopeless ... Radio 4 having all but disappeared 100 miles into France. Our previous vehicle (Panasonic radio) received Radio 4 almost down to the south coast of France. I suspect this is all down to the aerial? There is no visible aerial anywhere on the T5 and the aerial feed to the radio just disappears somewhere behind the instruments. Does anybody have any knowledge of this problem and any suggestions of how to fix it? I'd like to know before I rush off to the dealer to complain! Does anybody know where the aerial actually is ... maybe having a hightop screws things up? All suggestions gratefully received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 You sure you got R4 on FM that far down France? I'm not a radio buff (though some here are), but I thought FM was a bit like the telly, in that you have to be able to "see" the transmitter to get the signal. The only exception, I had understood, was caused by unusual atmospheric conditions.Our present set is Panasonic, and we certainly can't get UK FM stations far into France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Brian, I do beleive mogmartin said "Long wave is absolutely hopeless ... Radio 4 having all but disappeared 100 miles into France. Our previous vehicle (Panasonic radio) received Radio 4 almost down to the south coast of France." which I read as he was receiving R4 on long wave not FM down into Southern France. Mogmartin, Many vehicles come from the factory now with the aerial built into the roof structure, maybe Bilbo have inadvertently cut it out when they fitted their rising roof? D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogmartin Posted July 31, 2006 Author Share Posted July 31, 2006 Brian, No ... LONG wave ... 198 kilobicycles! (!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 on our VW it's in the front windscreen hidden just up behind the mirror..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 [QUOTE]Dave Newell - 2006-07-31 6:38 PM Brian, I do beleive mogmartin said "Long wave is absolutely hopeless ... Radio 4 having all but disappeared 100 miles into France. Our previous vehicle (Panasonic radio) received Radio 4 almost down to the south coast of France." which I read as he was receiving R4 on long wave not FM down into Southern France. Mogmartin, Many vehicles come from the factory now with the aerial built into the roof structure, maybe Bilbo have inadvertently cut it out when they fitted their rising roof? D.[/QUOTE] DvaeCorrect. My fault. Must learn to read sometime, it'd be so useful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 It's ok Brian, i actually did the same thing but on reading your comment went back and spotted it :-) . D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 we have Bilbo T4!!! like the looks of the T5s, just don't have that sort of money yet, maybe in a couple of years time. We generally get brilliant reception on LW R4 well into France even as far as N Germany, UNTIL, some vast vehicle with proportionately vast satellite dish moors up near us, then all we get is white noise. Don't know if this is automatic but suspect it's because the owners haven't bothered to get their kit set up for anyone but themselves - can't they fit some kind of supressors?? B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogmartin Posted August 4, 2006 Author Share Posted August 4, 2006 Yeah but! Doesn't a T4 have a 'proper' aerial ... i.e. some chromed metal thing or suchlike sticking out somewhere? Aren't there any T5 owners out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 [QUOTE]mogmartin - 2006-08-04 8:14 AM Yeah but! Doesn't a T4 have a 'proper' aerial ... i.e. some chromed metal thing or suchlike sticking out somewhere? Aren't there any T5 owners out there?[/QUOTE] T4 has a plastic 'thing' similar to that on the VW cars, doesn't appear to serve any useful purpose to be honest, just gets in the way of the silver screens and any attempt to clean the windscreen :-> looks like T5ers are keeping their heads down. >:-) B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogmartin Posted May 11, 2007 Author Share Posted May 11, 2007 I thought, for the sake of completeness, I’d update this thread. My letter on the subject (very similar to the original post in this thread) was printed in MMM in December 2006. In May 2007’s MMM two replies appeared. The first (from Roy Freeman) shows that I’m not alone. Independently we have discovered that the aerial is the black line running vertically in the centre of the windscreen, and Clive Mott-Gotobed makes the sensible suggestion that the ultimate solution may be to fit an alternative aerial. Incidentally RF’s worry about the cost of a replacement windscreen probably shouldn’t worry him as its cost (less a reasonable excess) would be met by his insurance without loss of no-claims. I recently had a chip repaired for free by a mobile AutoGlass fitter in a different vehicle and he showed me a windscreen out of a BMW 5 Series which had radio, phone, sat-nav aerials built in as well as heating elements and sensor for rain-sensing wipers plus, probably, some other things I’ve forgotten about! The 2nd (from Sandra & Ron Hields) had solved the problem by having a an aerial pre-amplifier fitted by Halfords (though they have a Pioneer set which I suspect is a better animal than the VDO). They also had suppression fitted to remove interference from fluorescent lights. Anyway, in the interim, we had had to take our van to the VW dealer for an altogether different reason and I asked them, while they were at it, to have a look at the radio. Without hesitation the ordered and fitted an in-line pre-amplifier which is a standard VW part and supplied under warranty. This is a small aluminium tube (sheathed in anti-rattle sponge) in a fly lead which plugs between the existing aerial feed and the radio aerial connection. It is powered from Pin 4 on the ISO power connector. This was only done a week ago and I’d like to say that there is an obvious and dramatic improvement but I’m a sorry to say it has made no discernable difference! Hopefully, when we get to France in a few weeks, an improvement will manifest itself. As with most faults, one eventually decides to either go mad or to live with them and the latter is what I think we will do. Particularly as Ofcom or Ofrad or Oftelly or whatever they are, are now actively investigating the removal of Radio 4 long wave which means it will probably disappear soon (and anyway real programmes are often interrupted by endless cricket). I’m attempting to put photos on with this post with 'attach a file after postin'– haven’t tried this before so not sure if it will work. The pre-amp has ‘E3 10 R – 027056’ printed on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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