Madmaggott Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I am wondering if one or more of you 'techie' types have any suggestion that may help us? We have a new Pilote G600LA which we collected in early May and which we are thrilled with; except: we have never had decent radio reception! The radio is a Blaupunkt and I do not believe that the problem lies with that. The dealer informed us that: a. It was because the aerial was in the mirror (our previous van had the aerial in the mirror with no problems) - they fitted a boosted aerial on the side of the cab. b. It was the running lights creating interference - they changed the running lights. In addition, as they were fitting a reversing camera, they moved the aerial to the rear/roof of the vehicle, above the camera. We still have interference (slightly worse than before) where the sound fades in and out and the 'noise' level increases with the volume control. Consequently, our enjoyment of our beautiful new van is marred disproportionately by this irritating issue. We know that this is the same on at least one other similar van that was collected the same day as ours but are told that it is a 'British' problem! Any ideas? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Don't know much about the effects of modern electronics on car radios but does it work OK stationary with the engine off, and then stationary with the engine running at tickover, and what happens when you rev the engine when stationary? It does sound like an aerial issue but if other vans suffer from the same fault maybe not and maybe it is an installation issue but if it works OK on vans in other countries someone will need to discover what, if anything, they do differently for the UK market? When they moved the aerial did they run a complete new coaxial cable from aerial to radio in one continuous length as any joins can cause interference - or used to in years gone by? Does the radio have a proper earth cable from chassis to radio casing or does it rely on the outer braid of the aerial cable as this too can cause interference - well it used to sometimes! Can you temporarily get your hands on a different make of radio to see how that compares? Sorry it's not techy but it might be basic enough to get you started? In any case I would politely but firmly pursue the supplying dealer as the radio you have is certainly not fit for purpose and it should not be beyond the wit of a decent auto electrician to sort this out once and for all - at their expense of course. Good luck, and do please let us know what it was when the problem is found and sorted. Having lived in West Wales we found radio reception to be patchy at best and poor at times - not that it should be an excuse - but does it work OK in other parts of the UK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmaggott Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 Yes, I forgot to mention that it's ok when stationary, brilliant sound. Only occurs when in motion and we've done over 3k miles throughout mid and southern england and south and west wales. Yes we're used to the bad reception in wales and know the patches on our usual route where it happens. We spent 6 weeks in france in June/July but didn't put the radio on (wish we had, if only to see what the reception was like). Before the running lights were changed we could switch them off (by putting headlights on) and the sound was better but not perfect. Now it makes no difference. I will put your suggestions to the dealer as I am pushing for a definite solution to be found before mid Sept when we will be in their area again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I don't know if LED lights interfere with a radio or not but are the running lights led? On the other hand presumably the running lights are on when the van is stationary with the engine running so maybe it is something that only works when the van is moving - like the speedo or something else driven off the transmission or drive shafts like ABS or stability or traction control . But that all sounds a bit far fetched to me and I still would suspect something simple like the aerial. Have you considered a windscreen mounted aerial - something like this - and if it does not make any difference you will at least know it isn't the aerial? Whilst fitting the aerial it may be as well to ensure the radio has a proper earth return fitted from chassis to casing as it is probably mounted in plastic not steel attached to the main body? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carpoint-2010007-Electronic-windscreen-antenna/dp/B001AIPF06 Mind you I'm delving in the dark a bit with these ideas as whilst I have used a windscreen mounted aerial to good effect in the past not on a modern all gizmoed up vehicle! Pilote seem to have a UK owners club which might be worth an ask? http://www.piloteowners.co.uk/ Or ask the factory directly for help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmaggott Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 I have posted the same query on the Pilote owners club site, thanks. My OH is going to call the dealer on Monday and will put forward some of the possible causes to see what their response is. We have no idea at all about vehicle electrical systems so even if we looked wouldn't be any wiser. Thanks for the response and yes, I'll let you know if/when we get this issue resolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 We had broadly similar radio recption problems and could never really get rid of them. Then our litle grandsons were left to play in the MH and we suspect attacked the CD slot with something, so I decided to replace the radio. Digital radio has arrived and wasn't going to me much more expensive so I decided to try that - which meant installing a new, special aerial. Result! We get excellent, very clear reception. I can't understand all the buttons on this new radio's controls but we have set it up for Radio 2 successfully and it stays with that across the Country without missing a beat. Presumaby it was an aerial problem on the old radio. Our new aerial is a small bipole which sticks on to the top of the windscreen, out of sight behind the pull down bed. Running the lead neatly was a bit ofa fiddle and required some dismantling but it was achievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmaggott Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 Thanks Stuart but according to the dealer it is because it's a digital radio that's why they've had to put the external aerial. To be frank, it's my feeling that in the workshop they are vehicle technicians not electrical specialists which is what's needed here; I'm fed up with being told that they have a 'fix' then when it's done it doesn't work. I will probably have a talk with a specialist near to home and see what they suggest. I have rarely given way to road rage but this radio fires emotions in me that are just totally out of proportion to the problem, my only answer at present is to switch the damned thing off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 ....I suspect because of your location the following will be of limited interest, but it might just happen that your travels take you that way, or the info will be useful to others. I've seen reasonable things written about: http://www.autosound.co.uk/ (In Bradford) ....with respect to resolving reception problems for motorhomes. It just so happens that they are also the official UK Blaupunkt agent. No personal experience of their services in this particular area, but when I had to contact them re: Blaupunkt warranty they replaced a faulty unit in reasonably quick time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Jacky, We changed our standard fit 'Autotrail' radio for a JVC dab+ digital, mainly because the original had such useless reception, our aerial turned out NOT to be in the wing mirror as we were led to believe, but up in the passenger side door pillar. The JVC came with a 'Stick on' windscreen aerial, which I didn't hold out much 'hope for' and bought an expensive 'Digital' aerial as well. I fitted the radio, as I wanted the power to come from the leisure battery, rather than the vehicle (with the 20min shutoff). I fitted the cheap looking stick on aerial, and it worked VERY well, (I live in West Wales too,so know all about poor reception areas !!) so, good in fact that i haven't bothered with the expensive aerial and got a refund. Does your Radio work from the Vehicle Battery ? I found less interferance after running the power from the leisure battery. The only thing I will say about DAB radio reception is that it is 'not quite' seamless when changing from one transmitter to another, on a motorway say, you often hear the same phrases one immediately after the previous, ?? or is it just me ? Otherwise very good reception from the windscreen aerial. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Rayjsj - 2014-08-23 3:20 PM The only thing I will say about DAB radio reception is that it is 'not quite' seamless when changing from one transmitter to another, on a motorway say, you often hear the same phrases one immediately after the previous, ?? or is it just me ? Otherwise very good reception from the windscreen aerial. Ray ....are you sure that this is on switching from one DAB transmitter to another? (as I'd expect that to be 'seamless'). What you're experiencing could be a switch from a DAB transmission to an FM one (and back again) as the DAB signal fades. A number of DAB car radios have this facility (i.e. fallback to FM if the DAB transmission cuts out), and the FM transmission is usually a fraction ahead of the DAB one. A previous (JVC) DAB radio I fitted to my Rapido had this facility, that could be enabled or disabled in the main settings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 The idea that you need a specialist radio techie rather than a motorhome mechanic makes a lot of sense. My new DAB radio stopped tuning and behaved very strangely (i.e. it sort of froze up) after a week or so of behaving well but the young man at Halfords (of hom I had only low expectations) knew his stuff and fixed it straight away simply by disconnecting and then reconnecting the "always on" power supply, to get it to reboot. I wouldn't have worked that out for myself. It's been fine ever since. Note that some radios these days do not have a facility for switching off, because they are intended for car installation and so rely on the ignition switch to power off when you stop the car. You can switch the radio off and lose the sound but the lighting of the panel stays on. The first replacement radio I got was like this(and also did a scary warm-up routime of multi-coloured lighting effects) but in a MH you do need to be able to switch off completely from the radio's panel, because you want them powered from the liesure battery so you can use them while parked up. So check that any radio you buy for your MH has proper "off" switch on the panel which can shut it down completely.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Yes those stick on digital jobs do work very well. I was a bit surprised when our new Honda CRv turned up with one but I must admit it works just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmaggott Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 Right, an update for you. We had to go to the dealer to have a reversing camera fitted and at the same time they moved the aerial to the rear roof of the MH. This didn't do the trick. They've just changed the radio head from Blaupunkt to Pioneer. We now have reception whilst travelling and although it is not of the superb sound quality that we have when stationary, it's reasonable. I think we have to now accept that as the best we're going to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
multiplamum Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 The reception on our Bessacarr is poor to non-existant. We can only get FM when not on the move because of interference, and there is no AM at all. We took the radio out and touched on the place where the aerial fits in with something metal and lo and behold Radio Five Live blared out in all its glory. No idea what this means. Going back to dealer next week to get it sorted (?) - I can't live without the radio in a vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenman14 Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I also have rubbish radio reception. It's a new Roller Team on a Fiat Ducato chassis and has a windscreen mounted aerial that I think must be amplified as it has a green LED on when the radio is on. The aerial is mounted vertically, is this the best orientation? Reading the various threads it seems the best solution is to get a man in, and have an expert fit a proper external aerial to the van wing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ham Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Check out these websites. I am a radio Ham and know only too well the Interference LEDS can cause, some of the interference comes from the leds and some from the transformers as they operate on the same frequency as my allotted legal bands and also on the DAB bands. Most are made in China. So it could be your day time lights or any Leds inside the van, moving the aerial may help , but the interference will not go away until you replace the LEds with ones that t are compliant with the current EMC regulations http://conversation.which.co.uk/energy-home/led-bulb-radio-interference-dab-test/ http://www.ephotozine.com/forums/topic/do-led-light-bulbs-cause-radio-interference--105570 This is copied from a radio magazine No two electrical installations are the same and it is entirely possible that lamps which are known to be good, to cause interference in one house and not in another, seemingly identical installation. There is of course no avoiding the occasional faulty product. We have read, only this week, an email from a supplier in exactly these circumstances and that LED lighting trade supplier has informed the electrician that 'the radios and the transformers seem to operate at the same frequencies and that this is unavoidable!!' Frankly we are shocked that this attitude exists and quite clearly there needs to be some urgent education of trade suppliers as to their responsibilities under the present EMC legal regime. See Also this website from the USA http://www.leapfroglighting.com/led-lamps-interfering-with-radio-transmissions/ Ham gw1pjp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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