Dab radio reception, anyone tried this?

[Stitches]

http://www.dabonwheels.co.uk/Kinetic_DEGA-T4002_telescopic_glass_mount_DAB_car_aerial.html

 

Has anyone tried this type of aerial?

Have reception problems on Hymer exsis i578 dab radio after fit.

Tried stick on but no metal to earth to, now have a magnet one propped in windscreen/dash but that drops out when driving.

 

I wondered if then above might be a solution and thought I'd ask around before buying!

Thank you

 

[StuartO]

Not used the type of aerial you are now considering but I have got a successful DAB radio installation on my A Class Hymer.

 

I bought the radio from Halfords and took their advice to fit a £20 stick-on aerial above the top edge of the windscreen. I chose the LH side and when I got up there to stick it on, the MH's FM aerial was up there too. It was a bit fiddly running the cable down to the back of the dashboard but I managed to hide it behind the A Post lining cover eventually. Excellent reception and DAB is a definite improvement on FM, even en route in a relatively noisey MH. You connect the existing FM aerial to the DAB radio as well as its new digital one.

 

Not sure that Halfords still sell them but this one from Amazon looks similar:

[lennyhb]

I too only have the stick on type on by Hymer, the aerial came with the Clarion unit. I've stuck it down the right hand side of the screen and I have managed to completely conceal the cable. Reception is excellent in most areas even picked up UK channels around Calais.

 

It sounds like Stuart has mounted his one horizontally this is not recommended, all DAB transmitters are vertically polarised so it is important for good reception to mount the aerial to match the transmitters polarisation - vertical.

[euroserv]

I am glad that this subject has come up because it's going to be relevant to me very soon.

 

I have been using Kenwood DAB units in cars and vans with their excellent window mounted antennae and are getting some X290's tomorrow that have DAB radios and roof mounted antennae fitted at the factory. I have tested these and they work just fine.

 

In January we are getting some platform cabs which will be converted into low floor luton vehicles. The luton part (over the cab) is not dissimilar to a coachbuilt camper and the antenna would be laid flat on the roof; which is not good for FM or DAB so I have ordered them with DAB antennae in the nearside door mirrors. Has anyone had any experience with mirror aerials? Did they work on FM? I am pretty nervous that this will not work and that we will have to get 'shark fin' aerials fitted to the roofs!

 

Any real world experiences would be beneficial. Thanks

 

Nick

[lennyhb]

euroserv - 2014-12-01 12:19 PM

 

I am glad that this subject has come up because it's going to be relevant to me very soon.

 

I have been using Kenwood DAB units in cars and vans with their excellent window mounted antennae and are getting some X290's tomorrow that have DAB radios and roof mounted antennae fitted at the factory. I have tested these and they work just fine.

 

In January we are getting some platform cabs which will be converted into low floor luton vehicles. The luton part (over the cab) is not dissimilar to a coachbuilt camper and the antenna would be laid flat on the roof; which is not good for FM or DAB so I have ordered them with DAB antennae in the nearside door mirrors. Has anyone had any experience with mirror aerials? Did they work on FM? I am pretty nervous that this will not work and that we will have to get 'shark fin' aerials fitted to the roofs!

 

Any real world experiences would be beneficial. Thanks

 

Nick

 

The door mirror aerials on FM were very poor, our last van had one, the worst reception I've ever had in a modern vehicle.

[Robinhood]

lennyhb - 2014-12-01 1:15 PM

 

The door mirror aerials on FM were very poor, our last van had one, the worst reception I've ever had in a modern vehicle.

 

....where's your (FM) aerial in the current 'van, Lenny?

 

 

[lennyhb]

Robinhood - 2014-12-01 1:26 PM

 

lennyhb - 2014-12-01 1:15 PM

 

The door mirror aerials on FM were very poor, our last van had one, the worst reception I've ever had in a modern vehicle.

 

....where's your (FM) aerial in the current 'van, Lenny?

 

 

Don't actually know, Hymer usually fit them in the cab roof. Never use the stereo on FM so can't report on the performance.

[Stitches]

Hi Lenny

Is your aerial like the one displayed above? Do you receive a good signal on the move?

Thanks

[Robinhood]

....the reason I was asking was because the OP's vehicle is an Exsis-I.

 

I've had reasonable success in using a DAB/FM aerial splitter on an existing roof aerial on a previous Rapido.

 

It is, however, powered/amplified, and won't work in conjunction with an (already) amplified aerial, only a passive one.

 

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/dab/autoleads-pc6-536-dab-aerial-splitter

 

...and it is supplied with power from the aerial relay feed normally found on the back of most radios.

 

The Fiat mirror aerials are, I believe, amplified, so it would not provide a solution for those.

 

 

 

 

 

[Archiesgrandad]

I have a shark fin type aerial on my car, and I have to say that I get superb reception on DAB, fm, am and long wave pretty well everywhere. I even pick up TMS on long wave in Les Gets in the Alps and not quite .so well at the house in the Lot valley.

AGD

AGD

[Rayjsj]

I fitted the standard supplied 'stick on aerial' that came with my JVC Dab+ radio, and reception is very good (a suprise !) My problem is one of the Auto-frequency set up, when travelling radio changes from Transmitter to transmitter, presumably when no dab signal is available it swaps to an FM one ? anyway this produces 'disjointed' speech, with the same phrase repeated twice. very annoying. Is this Normal with Dab radios 'on the move' ? I have tried turning off the FM AF, but re-enabling it for Dab seems to re-enable it for FM also.

Can anyone who knows what I am talking about (not me) explain please

ps I was able to earth my aerial to the 'A-Pillar' VERY important for good reception (evidently).

Ray

[StuartO]

lennyhb - 2014-12-01 10:06 AM

 

.....It sounds like Stuart has mounted his one horizontally this is not recommended, all DAB transmitters are vertically polarised so it is important for good reception to mount the aerial to match the transmitters polarisation - vertical.

 

Oh dear. If only I'd read the instructions! (I think I did but they didn't mention vertical polarity.) Do I need to move it or, since it works, can I leave it where it is?

 

Thanks Lenny

 

:-D

[Colin Leake]

Rayjsj - 2014-12-01 3:41 PM

 

I fitted the standard supplied 'stick on aerial' that came with my JVC Dab+ radio, and reception is very good (a suprise !) My problem is one of the Auto-frequency set up, when travelling radio changes from Transmitter to transmitter, presumably when no dab signal is available it swaps to an FM one ? anyway this produces 'disjointed' speech, with the same phrase repeated twice. very annoying. Is this Normal with Dab radios 'on the move' ? I have tried turning off the FM AF, but re-enabling it for Dab seems to re-enable it for FM also.

Can anyone who knows what I am talking about (not me) explain please

ps I was able to earth my aerial to the 'A-Pillar' VERY important for good reception (evidently).

Ray

 

Yes. The Dab+ radio fitted to our Honda CRv does just that. I was a little surprised to find it came from the factory with a shark fin on the roof and a stick on DAB one on the window. Does give a very good reception. Our new Autosleeper van conversion has a single antenna mounted above the cab at the front. This also seems to work very well.

[lennyhb]

StuartO - 2014-12-01 3:44 PM

 

lennyhb - 2014-12-01 10:06 AM

 

.....It sounds like Stuart has mounted his one horizontally this is not recommended, all DAB transmitters are vertically polarised so it is important for good reception to mount the aerial to match the transmitters polarisation - vertical.

 

Oh dear. If only I'd read the instructions! (I think I did but they didn't mention vertical polarity.) Do I need to move it or, since it works, can I leave it where it is?

 

Thanks Lenny

 

:-D

 

If it works I wouldn't worry about it, if you regularly visit weak signal areas and find the signal drops out a lot then maybe consider moving it.

 

FYI:

When they first started broadcasting FM some transmitters were vertical some were horizontal, when they realised that most listeners were mobile using vertical aerials they changed all the transmitters to vertical (I think it was early 80's).

[lennyhb]

Stitches - 2014-12-01 2:01 PM

 

Hi Lenny

Is your aerial like the one displayed above? Do you receive a good signal on the move?

Thanks

 

Yes same as photo, yes signal very good on the move with DAB it either works or nothing. I did notice yesterday when I came back from Ashford (Kent) via M20, M26 & M23, on the M20 for about 5 miles north of Maidstone the signal dropped out for a split second a few times, that is the only time I experienced any problems.

[Brian Kirby]

Ours has a Kenwood KDC-BT73DAB with KCA-RC406 remote. The DAB aerial is as supplied with the radio, and it fixed to the driver's side front fixed side window. Reception is fine, ditto the VHF which uses the Hymer installed aerial. No DAB that I have been able to find in France or Spain, so used VHF. DAB seemed fine in Germany, ditto UK. Speakers were pre-installed by Hymer.

[Brian Kirby]

Rayjsj - 2014-12-01 3:41 PM..............My problem is one of the Auto-frequency set up, when travelling radio changes from Transmitter to transmitter, presumably when no dab signal is available it swaps to an FM one ? anyway this produces 'disjointed' speech, with the same phrase repeated twice. very annoying. Is this Normal with Dab radios 'on the move' ? ..................... Ray

No it is apparently normal for DAB to lag VHF. We have a DAB in the kitchen and if a VHF radio is playing elsewhere in the house and you can hear both, it is clear the DAB lags the VHF, so you get double speak. Ideal for political broadcasts! :-D

[Rayjsj]

Brian Kirby - 2014-12-01 6:57 PM

 

Rayjsj - 2014-12-01 3:41 PM..............My problem is one of the Auto-frequency set up, when travelling radio changes from Transmitter to transmitter, presumably when no dab signal is available it swaps to an FM one ? anyway this produces 'disjointed' speech, with the same phrase repeated twice. very annoying. Is this Normal with Dab radios 'on the move' ? ..................... Ray

No it is apparently normal for DAB to lag VHF. We have a DAB in the kitchen and if a VHF radio is playing elsewhere in the house and you can hear both, it is clear the DAB lags the VHF, so you get double speak. Ideal for political broadcasts! :-D

 

 

Thanks, sounds like thats 'Normal' then ? with political 'Doublespeak' (AKA 1984) does either version tell the truth ?

Ray

[StuartO]

lennyhb - 2014-12-01 4:41 PM

 

FYI: When they first started broadcasting FM some transmitters were vertical some were horizontal, when they realised that most listeners were mobile using vertical aerials they changed all the transmitters to vertical (I think it was early 80's).

 

TV signals also come, or maybe used to come, pre-digital, in either vertical or horizontal polarisation. Vertical polarisation seemed to be exceptional and the only time I came across it was on a campsite close to Berwick on Tweed. Our normal roof-top TV aerial would pick up nothing there and so I bought a small lightweight aerial from a caravan shop which you could stick to the outside of the van, fins in a vertical plane and pointed the same way as the aerials on local rooftops.

 

Only a litte thing but it worked well and so for a while I carried it with us on our travels, just in case. Never did use it again and it now lives at home in the garage. Presumably now that we have digital TV throughout UK, as with digital radio, all UK signals are horizontally polarised.

[Guest pelmetman]

In the olden days a bent metal coat hanger would do the business ;-) ............and then progress arrived *-) .........

 

Now instead of 5 channels of reasonable programs on the telly, I have 200 channels of cods wallop, some of which appear to be catering for gay rabbits 8-) .............

 

It wouldn't be so bad if the reception wasn't so rubbish *-) .........

 

 

[Robinhood]

StuartO - 2014-12-01 8:14 PM

 

Presumably now that we have digital TV throughout UK, as with digital radio, all UK signals are horizontally polarised.

 

....conventionally, all the "main" TV transmitters were horizontally polarised, whereas the "repeater" transmitters (generally considered to have a main transmitter as a parent - as they transmit the same regional programs) used to fill in "dead spots", were vertically polarised.

 

This arrangement has survived the move to digital, and the local effects can be observed by looking at the aerials on houses in any given area.

 

 

 

 

[Brian Kirby]

Rayjsj - 2014-12-01 7:37 PM............Thanks, sounds like thats 'Normal' then ? with political 'Doublespeak' (AKA 1984) does either version tell the truth ? Ray

Doubtful! :-D

[lennyhb]

Robinhood - 2014-12-01 8:47 PM

 

StuartO - 2014-12-01 8:14 PM

 

Presumably now that we have digital TV throughout UK, as with digital radio, all UK signals are horizontally polarised.

 

....conventionally, all the "main" TV transmitters were horizontally polarised, whereas the "repeater" transmitters (generally considered to have a main transmitter as a parent - as they transmit the same regional programs) used to fill in "dead spots", were vertically polarised.

 

This arrangement has survived the move to digital, and the local effects can be observed by looking at the aerials on houses in any given area.

 

 

Also to avoid cross interference different TV transmitters use different frequency bands, so for best reception you need an aerial tuned to the correct frequency band. That is why you will never get good reception from omnidirectional & log periodic aerials used on Motorhomes & Caravans.

[Robinhood]

Brian Kirby - 2014-12-01 6:57 PM

 

No it is apparently normal for DAB to lag VHF. We have a DAB in the kitchen and if a VHF radio is playing elsewhere in the house and you can hear both, it is clear the DAB lags the VHF, so you get double speak. Ideal for political broadcasts! :-D

 

The delay is mainly due to the difference in transmitting and receiving technologies, and is similar to that that used to occur when we had analogue TV, and the digital TV signal lagged the analogue.

 

Largely due to the time taken in digital encoding and decoding of the signal, and the lag can vary with the processing power of the decoding source (or if you have a radio that can store and replay some minutes-worth of signal).

 

AIUI, the "benchmark" signal is still the analogue one, so if you want to set your watch to a really accurate time, do it be reference to the pips on an analogue signal, and not the (slightly later) ones on the DAB signal. ;-)

 

 

[Stitches]

Next aerial will be third. First stick inside windscreen fitted by dealer but no earth v poor reception, second magnetic type propped/wedged inside windscreen. Reception in towns but not outside. Oh well!