DAB Aerial

[Silver-Fox]

Just wondering peoples thoughts on using a windscreen mounted DAB aerial.

I did ask before about a roof mount on an A class and realise they need a ground plane.
Thats doesn't seem to be the case with a screen mount so the question is do they work well?

Mobile phone screen mount aerials seem to work well.

TiA

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

We used a windscreen mounted DAB aerial in the previous C class van and continue to do so in the current A class wagon. They have worked well for us so far, but I have no experience with alternatively mounted DAB aerials to compare with.

 

[Jagtazman]

been told very hard to have a good window mounted aerial in an a class need a roof mounted. also hard to earth. if you find one that works well let me know

 

[Feltwell]

I fitted an amplified roof mounted aerial on top of a big plate of stainless steel to act as a ground plane and it was hopeless!

Screen mount isn't good either I believe. I've now got a domestic DAB aerial - an Omni-directional one for obvious reasons (be careful - some for use on buildings are directional) - mounted inside the wardrobe, and that works OK.

It was the DAB dipole from this website that I fitted - useful website, and a very helpful guy that runs it:-



DAB reception can be a bit patchy anywhere though. My car has an exceptionally good factory-fitted DAB aerial and still the signal can drop in and out as I head up on the wilder bits of the M6 through the Lake District, for example, on some stations.

 

[Hettie's Crew]

We have a screen mounted one in the near side window and it is useless. I'm looking to connect to our Status 570 aerial.

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[Silver-Fox]

From what I can see of the pictures of the screen mount, its an external one, so aerial stuck on outside and pick up and lead stuck on inside.
It looks like a conventional car aerial but shorter.

I was hoping this type may of made life easier

 

[Silver-Fox]

Maybe I should of said this is for a car radio

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

I bought a Pioneer DAB windscreen aerial when I ordered a Pioneer AVIC double DIN head unit (I think the same aerial is also packaged as a non-Pioneer part a bit cheaper). The AV guy I know who installed it did comment that it was harder to get a good earth for it on the A class in comparison to the previous C class, but we’ve had no issues with DAB reception since (there will always be some areas of low/no reception with a digital signal).

 

[Wh05apk]

Dab signals are very prone to interference, if you are struggling remove any after market equipment such as dashcams or usb charging ports to see if that helps, we have a pioneer unit with aerial stuck on the side window, connected a dashcams yesterday, and it killed the signal, so will need to see if I can somehow screen the leads.

 

[Chipster]

I have a screen mounted DAB aerial on an a class. In addition I ran a length of splayed tri stuck with the copper of the aerial to a bulkhead bolt, cleaned to give an Earth. Seems ok but by no means perfect.

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[Zigisla]

Windscreen DAB aerial on my coach built and no problems what so ever. Only once in two years has the radio not been able to pick up. But when I changed to fm no better so that was probably just a duff area.

 

[Feltwell]

Maybe I should of said this is for a car radio

Yep - the domestic type one I've put inside my wardrobe is connected to the cab radio. It certainly works a lot better than the roof mounted one I tried at first, that is now relegated to be FM only!

DAB reception also seems to depends upon which station you listen to, I presume that must be because not every station is covered by every transmitter - but that is a guess! What I have noticed is driving from the Midlands to Scotland, listening to Absolute radio, the signal goes in and out a lot as soon as you move through the hilly, lesser populated areas on the M6 / A74 / M74. However the BBC stations seemed to always be available.

 

[Sandancers]

Have you an awning fitted to your MH ? We fixed a small mild steel plate onto the top of the awning box, suitably protected against rust, and then just stuck a magnetic base DAB aerial on it. Ran the cable thro a vent into the MH and thence to the radio. Works a treat !

 

[Lenny HB]

My van as standard has a short whip aerial on the roof with separate amplifiers for DAB/FM/TV it works very well on all 3.
Anyone having problems with DAB have they considered it could be thier receiver that is poor not just the aerial causing the problem. My Clarion unit used to work reasonably well with the screen aerial supplied with it but it is far better with the whip aerial on the roof in the current van.
If you are going to go for a sceen mount aerial buy a decent one like the Bosch Blaupunkt they start at around £60, not much point on spending 500 quid plus on a decent receiver then fitting a £10 aerial.

 

[iandsm]

I had a new windscreen so had to renew the old aerial, I bought one of these



Properly earthed it works a treat with very few dropouts.

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[ambulancekidd]

This might be a mad idea, but has anyone on here used a screen mounted aerial mounted on a skylight? My thinking might well be flawed though...ideas?

 

[ambulancekidd]

We have a screen mounted one in the near side window and it is useless. I'm looking to connect to our Status 570 aerial.

Are you talking about a dash mounted radio? Its just that a Status aerial shouldn't have power when your driving?

 

[Hettie's Crew]

Are you talking about a dash mounted radio? Its just that a Status aerial shouldn't have power when your driving?

We mostly use the radio when parked up.

 

[ivorantony]

I won't bother to go through all the actions i took to try and get a decent reception on an DAB radio, ( do a search if you need more info)
But the bottom line is there is no substitute for a quality roof aerial fitted with a good ground plane,
I can receive DAD/FM around the whole of the UK with barely a drop out,
First go to a website that specifically does DAB, i use these,



Pick an aerial that's combatable with your head unit and area you wish to use it in, Buy any extension cables you need and fit it properly,
My A class has a fibre glass roof so need a good ground plane easily solved with copper adhesive tape radiating out from the base of the aerial inside the wardrobe,

 

[TerryL]

When I had the, basically very good, Blaupunkt radio replaced with an all-singing all-dancing Kenwood, the workshop fitted a screen-mounted DAB aerial as a matter of course. To date it's been fine in all sorts of situations and, as experience above, has only failed to receive a signal in a "duff" area when we can't get FM either. (If a DAB signal fails, the Kenwood seems to look for an FM signal for the same station - clever!) Incidentally, low-profile coach built with no external aerial - the in-built one was always perfectly satisfactory.

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[Conal]

I replaced the front wings on my Morris 1000 and the restorer did not want to spoil a wing with a conventional aerial. My local Audiofile fitted a Pioneer DAB radio with separate DAB and analogue aerials on the windscreen. They both work very well. The analogue aerial is called "the last resort".