Poor DAB Signal
- Thread starter Johnod17
- Start date
I don't know what's wrong with my dab stations either , I used to be able to get most on dab but now when I can still get them they drift in & out mostly out of signal , only thing I can think is I am another one who has a cracked screen . It's at the top of my windscreen & I'm reluctant to get it replaced straight away as I'm sure it cracked way too easily & I'm hoping to vw come out with a New improvement on there heated screens. Would this crack perhaps affect the aerial if it's in the screen I don't know .
Are you defiantly looking through the station listings fully. At the top of the listings there are category headings that open up when you enter them. Such as "BBC National" or something similar.
Another aspect, depending on where you live, is the dab signal strength/quality.
Most VW vehicles have an amplified "shark fin", or "bee sting" roof mounted aerial.
Our vans have a rubbish wing mirror mounted aeriel(s), I think the reason for this is multi-storey carparks, carpark barriers. ferries (you are charged more above 2m) etc etc, where less than 2metres height is important, and most of our vans are with 20mm/30mm of that height. A good reason to spend £5k on an air-ride system
, which drops 100mm or so.
I think our vans wing mirror aerials work better on the contient where they use the superior "DAB+" format as opposed to our first generation "DAB"
There are posts on this forum of people who have changed their aerials and got much much better station reception.
In Car DAB Radio Aerials > Digital Antennae Aerials for DAB Car Radios
Above is some information on various alternatives
dabonwheels.co.uk : Kinetic DRA-6005 GPS FM-AM DAB car aerial
This is about 40mm high with the besetting removed, it may work for your vehicle and keep you at <2m. So long as you remember to remove it?????????
Please let us know how you get on
Another aspect, depending on where you live, is the dab signal strength/quality.
Most VW vehicles have an amplified "shark fin", or "bee sting" roof mounted aerial.
Our vans have a rubbish wing mirror mounted aeriel(s), I think the reason for this is multi-storey carparks, carpark barriers. ferries (you are charged more above 2m) etc etc, where less than 2metres height is important, and most of our vans are with 20mm/30mm of that height. A good reason to spend £5k on an air-ride system
, which drops 100mm or so.I think our vans wing mirror aerials work better on the contient where they use the superior "DAB+" format as opposed to our first generation "DAB"
There are posts on this forum of people who have changed their aerials and got much much better station reception.
In Car DAB Radio Aerials > Digital Antennae Aerials for DAB Car Radios
Above is some information on various alternatives
dabonwheels.co.uk : Kinetic DRA-6005 GPS FM-AM DAB car aerial
This is about 40mm high with the besetting removed, it may work for your vehicle and keep you at <2m. So long as you remember to remove it?????????
Please let us know how you get on
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i finally got round to fitting a magnetic roof aerial that cost £10 from Halfords . It has transformed the DAB on my standard head unit. I now get signal even local stations in places the Vw one would not work at all and haven’t used the FM . I have one more test this week as I am going on a route the DAB not work for about 20 miles out in the country. It work on are mini so hoping it’s fixed the problem on the t6 .
Just got to workout how to fit one without cutting hole in roof .
Just got to workout how to fit one without cutting hole in roof .
The factory fit antennas are in the back of the side mirror housings.
Did you have poor reception before?
Did that 3rd party antenna help then?
Have you got a pic?.
Or a link?
Did you have poor reception before?
Did that 3rd party antenna help then?
Have you got a pic?.
Or a link?
I am very interested in this thread.
My DAB used to work fine. But then I had some electric folding wing mirrors fitted and now my DAB doesn’t work at all! Apparently the box for the DAB which lives in the wing mirror doesn’t fit in after market wing mirrors, so it was put in the door... frustrated to say the least. I think my only option is get an external aerial.
There's no box as such...
Just the coax cable that from the door loop look to the door multi connector.
Then loops through to the antennas in the mirror housings themselves.
They are on the flexy film under the top cover. Ill dig out the diagram later.
Your mirrors might not have the antenna film in them. Which would mean your dab antenna aerial cable would be hanging loose behing your inner door card.
So fitting a 3rd party antenna shouldn't be too much agro....
Or even fit the factory antenna in the new housings.
I've got a decent branded sharks fin for fm/dab on top of my bus that was fitted while the van was converted, it does improve the dab signal, but there are still many many dead spots all over the south of England to the point where I don't bother with dab anymore.
here you go . . .
Basically its the same as the T5.1, GPS, DAB, FM,AM etc etc etc all in the side mirrors,
they come with a short loom that goes though into the inner door card and then through the door loom boot to a big zipped bag in the A-pillar with all the connector blocks.
im assuming you folding mirrors antennas are either missing or just not connected.?
looks like the DAB should be in the right side mirror . . .
I've got an old smashed up left mirror in the shed . . . . ill dig it out tomorrow.
ohhh, . . . . . there is also a earth grounding ring that bolts to the inner steel door panel that it the earth for the antennas...... i left mine undone once which caused massive reception issues.
. this is for the T6
.
. and this is from the T5.1
.
.
.
..
so you will need to take the top cover off the side mirrors and see if you have the.
and see if they have been connected.
That is BRILLIANT. Thanks @Dellmassive
here we go . . . .
this is what was left over from my NSF mirror of a T5.1 after a lorry decided to remove it for me . . . . with great force.
luckily the Lorry firm paid for the replacement . . . . not short of £350 ! due to the antennas/colour coded/electronic folding
Note . . . . the antenna, small coax cable, the multi connector, the blue connector and the earth ring.
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.
.
.
this is what was left over from my NSF mirror of a T5.1 after a lorry decided to remove it for me . . . . with great force.
luckily the Lorry firm paid for the replacement . . . . not short of £350 ! due to the antennas/colour coded/electronic folding
Note . . . . the antenna, small coax cable, the multi connector, the blue connector and the earth ring.
.
.
.
.
Did one of my usual runs today across country and the mirror aerial was useless but with my roof aerial worked all the way a 60 mile round trip. I don’t think I will ever use fm again as the DAB is all I need .
If I was to order a new t6 now I would make them fit a roof aerial or tell them the keep it . How can VW sell vans and probably cars with DAB and it doesn’t even work . It looks like i need to get the drill out and make a hole in the roof .
If I was to order a new t6 now I would make them fit a roof aerial or tell them the keep it . How can VW sell vans and probably cars with DAB and it doesn’t even work . It looks like i need to get the drill out and make a hole in the roof .
There may be something in that....
Coming from and electronics background and being a Old skool amature radio guy...
Antennas work best in ratios of the wavelength.... so 1/4 wave 1/2 wave full wave.... but one of the most important things is the ground plane.
Basically a mag DAB antenna or shark fin antenna would be using the roof of the van as a massive ground plane....
So massivly increasing the possible signal strength that could be received Versus the side mirror antenna that has a very small ground plane reference.
Also a roof mounted antenna is less blocked than a mirror positioned antenna due to it being physically higher.
Coming from and electronics background and being a Old skool amature radio guy...
Antennas work best in ratios of the wavelength.... so 1/4 wave 1/2 wave full wave.... but one of the most important things is the ground plane.
Basically a mag DAB antenna or shark fin antenna would be using the roof of the van as a massive ground plane....
So massivly increasing the possible signal strength that could be received Versus the side mirror antenna that has a very small ground plane reference.
Also a roof mounted antenna is less blocked than a mirror positioned antenna due to it being physically higher.
You sir are a legend, thank you!
Ryan-315
New Member
So my Dab isn't great bit hit and miss especially in the wild areas I know this is common so I can live with it. Unless there is an upgrade.
What I have noticed is if I plug in my phone charger or nav to the 12v charging socket the Dab goes off. If I unplug it it comes back on. Anyone had this?
What I have noticed is if I plug in my phone charger or nav to the 12v charging socket the Dab goes off. If I unplug it it comes back on. Anyone had this?
