Spent 3 days rewiring our motorhome dash board to fit a new DAB radio, was a total mess. (1 Viewer)

[ambulancekidd]

Our elderly motorhome is in the process of being dragged kicking & screaming into the 21 century & it was the turn of the radio.

The old SONY radio/CD player was woeful, speakers kept dropping in & out & it took a hard whack on the dash board to get them working again.
So I knew it'd be a mission to get it all working properly.
I bought one of these new fangled radio/DAB/USB thingies then bit the bullet to get stuck in fitting it.

Hauled the old unit out & saw the magnitude of the task I'd set myself.
Taped joints which were simply wound together & were everywhere, it was a disaster zone.
Battery isolated, multimeter in hand I snipped most of what was there & started again, scary stuff.
I tracked down all four of the speaker cables, they'd been wrapped around other wires etc & were in a shocking mess (pun intended).
Next was the the power input which had been spliced into the cigarette lighter cable with a lump of very loose tape, both the feeds were drawn from one permanently live source. a lazy trick if ever I saw one.
There was no earth wire, the bodge merchant had just allowed the aerial earth to do the job, not good.

I always make any cable joins with solder & heat shrink sleeves, joins in cable should be avoided where possible but security & proper insulation is not only necessary but essential.
The only joins I put in were to join the motorhomes wiring to the standard plugs on the back of the new radio.

Now a question for everyone; Why when you've spend a small fortune buying a motorhome or a car, would you do the work in such a dangerous way that you might cause an electrical fire?

I've come across this type of bodge work so very often, it's frightening. I'm not an electrician of any sort, but it costs pennies to get the correct kit & the old Ducato is ridiculously simple to fit auxiliary equipment to.
The fuse box unscrews & under there are plenty of spare spade terminals, just take the time to select the correct fuse rating for your chosen gadgets & its job done.
Carefully feed the wires to the gadget & cable tie them to existing wires making sure nothing can chafe them.

I should have taken a before & after set of photo's, but I have taken a few of the connections & the new radio in place to show how it should be done, please remember to leave enough cable to be able to work on things in future.

The radio head unit itself is simply a cheapo Chinese job @ £28, but it appears to work very well indeed, it'll remain to be seen how well it does long term.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-...0001&campid=5338547443&icep_item=324224090730

 

[DiggerJon]

Good job; now if you're passing by with your toolkit................just saying!

 

[Mrsambulancekidd]

I can rent him out, then I can buy more stones & wire.....

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[Gellyneck]

Pic no2 - could you not have hidden the wires better?

I can rent him out, ......

Pimp!

 

[ambulancekidd]

Pic no2 - could you not have hidden the wires better?


Pimp!

Ah, but I like brightly coloured wires & thought putting them over the top of the dash would be prettier than hiding them.

 

[TinaLes]

Well done Robert, good job!.
Now all you need is a decent Ariel for DAB, good luck with that, I have tried all sorts including windscreen types, roof mounted types with metal ground plane, in-line bullet aerial boosters, etc, etc.
And even though the unit I fitted was a very expensive Pioneer unit with Car Play, it still cannot pick up anywhere near the number of stations that our car radio with shark fin style ariel does.
So frustrating, given up for now, and use the mobile to stream radio stations to it.
It does get LBC, so always a good opportunity to have a scream at the overly PC presenters, and the callers that are simply too scared to voice their true opinions, but I wont use the B word.
Good luck with reception, let us know how it goes for you.
LES

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[ambulancekidd]

Well done Robert, good job!.
Now all you need is a decent Ariel for DAB, good luck with that, I have tried all sorts including windscreen types, roof mounted types with metal ground plane, in-line bullet aerial boosters, etc, etc.
And even though the unit I fitted was a very expensive Pioneer unit with Car Play, it still cannot pick up anywhere near the number of stations that our car radio with shark fin style arile does

Thanks Les.

I'm quite familiar with the difficulties of aftermarket DAB aerials, they're a bloody nightmare mate.
It always strikes me as crazy that a lot of motorhomes have a Status type aerial on the roof which claims to be able to pick up DAB & as yet I can find no way of using it, perhaps we're missing a trick?

I shall start experimenting with aerials now, I had a DAB adapter in the moho before & I mounted the aerial on the inside of a skylight above the cab, that seems to work, but certainly not as well as it needs to be.

Onwards & upwards...

Give our love to Tina, take care mate...Robert.

NB, getting a decent earth seems to be part of getting the reception right.

 

[DavidG58]

A good looking job (now) and a good reminder why I don’t like buying such things from over enthusiastic DIYers

 

[Otter Spotter]

Braver man than me Gungadin, I would guarantee to blow All the fuses, you have done a nice job

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[Mrsambulancekidd]

Braver man than me Gungadin, I would guarantee to blow All the fuses, you have done a nice job

He is pretty good at stuff like this.
He's outside now talking a friend through fitting brake parts to his van right now, he's a happy boy doing that.
I bet he's never mentioned the two video's he has on youtube showing how to fix different bits on a Mondeo.

 

[Otter Spotter]

He is pretty good at stuff like this.
He's outside now talking a friend through fitting brake parts to his van right now, he's a happy boy doing that.
I bet he's never mentioned the two video's he has on youtube showing how to fix different bits on a Mondeo.

Only 2 vids on fixing a Mondeo

 

[Happy Jim]

Only 2 vids on fixing a Mondeo

Duct Tape for Bumpers = No1
Styling for the challenged - No 2

;-)

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[Otter Spotter]

Vid No 3 Upgrading your Mondeo, replace the wiring loom.

 

[ambulancekidd]

Gaffer tape might have been a good idea lol.
T'was my mates jalopy & he had constant problems with it.
I did two tutorials & got quite a few hits on both, sadly I have no idea how to make money on You-tube.

Enjoy the commentary from our chickens, they were always curious when we were outdoors.

 

[Sandancers]

Well done Robert, good job!.
Now all you need is a decent Ariel for DAB, good luck with that, I have tried all sorts including windscreen types, roof mounted types with metal ground plane, in-line bullet aerial boosters, etc, etc.
And even though the unit I fitted was a very expensive Pioneer unit with Car Play, it still cannot pick up anywhere near the number of stations that our car radio with shark fin style ariel does.
So frustrating, given up for now, and use the mobile to stream radio stations to it.
It does get LBC, so always a good opportunity to have a scream at the overly PC presenters, and the callers that are simply too scared to voice their true opinions, but I wont use the B word.
Good luck with reception, let us know how it goes for you.
LES

As mentioned on various threads before. For our DAB unit I got a £15 Halfords DAB aerial with magnetic base. Bolted a piece of painted mild steel to the top of the awning box so the aerial sits there, (Until it meets a branch, when it tumbles over sideways and I have to reach up to sort it). Much better range of stations than in our VW Golf.

But this knocking over of the aerial is starting to bug me. So I start looking around the various retailers to see how much a shark fin aerial costs.

B*gg$r me sideways, they are NOT cheap !!

So then I thought, well which ever sort of car it is and whatever type of shark fin aerial it has, it must be capable of receiving the signals sent out via the DAB transmitters.

So why not go to a scrap yard and if there is a car in there which has got a DAB radio then it's aerial should do the job. So maybe next week I'll be doing just that.

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[busbuddy]

I have wired many stereos and am still amazed that people will spend £5 on scotchblocks but wont spend £10 on the correct connector set for the stereo
I have had many chavs on the drive with £1000 stereos wired up with £20 of chocolate blocks
The same is valid for motorhomes, I have worked on many where the owner has used any screw/bolt/bracket/hinge they have lying around rather than spend a couple of quid on the correct fixing

 

[ambulancekidd]

As mentioned on various threads before. For our DAB unit I got a £15 Halfords DAB aerial with magnetic base. Bolted a piece of painted mild steel to the top of the awning box so the aerial sits there, (Until it meets a branch, when it tumbles over sideways and I have to reach up to sort it). Much better range of stations than in our VW Golf.

But this knocking over of the aerial is starting to bug me. So I start looking around the various retailers to see how much a shark fin aerial costs.

B*gg$r me sideways, they are NOT cheap !!

So then I thought, well which ever sort of car it is and whatever type of shark fin aerial it has, it must be capable of receiving the signals sent out via the DAB transmitters.

So why not go to a scrap yard and if there is a car in there which has got a DAB radio then it's aerial should do the job. So maybe next week I'll be doing just that.

I'm liking your thinking, there are quite a few scrapyards around here.

I do have a magnetic DAB aerial in the motorhome, but I haven't got round to mounting a metal plate.
I'll need to install a well earthed metal plate to put an aerial onto anyway, time to get my thinking cap on.

 

[cmcardle75]

Now all you need is a decent Ariel for DAB, good luck with that, I have tried all sorts including windscreen types, roof mounted types with metal ground plane, in-line bullet aerial boosters, etc, etc.

I've installed two recently, one on MH, the other on an old Polo. Both with new Sony XAV-3005DB Android Auto head units.

The MH was first and I installed an Eightwood rooftop style which has separate FM/AM and DAB cables (there's a choice of endings, so choose carefully) and a separate DC supply for the pre-amp. The reception was so good (better than our VW Golf, with which I had previously been very pleased with the reception) that I bought another for the Polo.

A bit of a faff to install due to the lack of multiplexing on the cables and you need to tape them up manually into a single loom. However, the reception is awesome. It does require either a metal roof or ground plane (I stuck in a spare 10cm square of aluminium as the Movano's H3 roof is plastic. And you need to find a suitable switched live for the pre-amp (head unit had an auxilliary power output, so I used that). However, a quick test showed reasonable reception even without the pre-amp power.

Amazon product ASIN B0739XWBN7

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[ambulancekidd]

I've installed two recently, one on MH, the other on an old Polo. Both with new Sony XAV-3005DB Android Auto head units.

The MH was first and I installed an Eightwood rooftop style which has separate FM/AM and DAB cables (there's a choice of endings, so choose carefully) and a separate DC supply for the pre-amp. The reception was so good (better than our VW Golf, with which I had previously been very pleased with the reception) that I bought another for the Polo.

A bit of a faff to install due to the lack of multiplexing on the cables and you need to tape them up manually into a single loom. However, the reception is awesome. It does require either a metal roof or ground plane (I stuck in a spare 10cm square of aluminium as the Movano's H3 roof is plastic. And you need to find a suitable switched live for the pre-amp (head unit had an auxilliary power output, so I used that). However, a quick test showed reasonable reception even without the pre-amp power.

Amazon product ASIN B0739XWBN7

Now thats food for thought, it'd be a great shame to install a DAB radio then put up with a substandard aerial.
Our first car with a DAB radio was a 2011 Ford Galaxy Titanium which we bought new & the DAB channels were a revelation & so many more (decent) channels than we normally get in our rural neck of the woods.

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Looks a nice job.
We have a 2001 Ducato and a Sony radio and cd player, but fitted to an internal windscreen mounted aerial .
Works great when stationary, crap when moving .
How on earth do you get the radio out!
As far as I can see it looks like most of the dashboard has to be removed just to get to the back of the radio so I can fit an external aerial on the wing and connect to the radio?
Am I right or missing something?
Thanks

 

[irnbru]

sadly I have no idea how to make money on You-tube

REALLY! With Hazel around though she's got an excuse and being a true scot, but you you should be hanging your head in shame L

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[cmcardle75]

Looks a nice job.
We have a 2001 Ducato and a Sony radio and cd player, but fitted to an internal windscreen mounted aerial .
Works great when stationary, crap when moving .
How on earth do you get the radio out!
As far as I can see it looks like most of the dashboard has to be removed just to get to the back of the radio so I can fit an external aerial on the wing and connect to the radio?
Am I right or missing something?
Thanks

The best way to answer this question (for any vehicle) is to look up DIN/double DIN conversion fascias for your vehicle on Connects2 or Autoleads and read the instructions. Modern vehicles do often need part of the fascia removed, but not always. If they don't, they'll need some removal keys specific for the vehicle. Few use standard ISO removal keys these days, manufacturers go for easily hidden slot types.

Personally, I'd say if you've got the original stereo from 2001, put it straight in the bin and get something better, preferably with Android Auto/Apple Car Play. Even the cheap-ass Sony XAV-3005DB is OK! (It does have issues, such as resistive touch screen and lack of brightness, but it works pretty well).

As far windscreen DAB aerials, that was my original plan until I read the reviews. Clearly a full blown roof aerial is the only way.

 

[ambulancekidd]

REALLY! With Hazel around though she's got an excuse and being a true scot, but you you should be hanging your head in shame L

My head is now well & truly hung in shame Sandra.

 

[ambulancekidd]

Looks a nice job.
We have a 2001 Ducato and a Sony radio and cd player, but fitted to an internal windscreen mounted aerial .
Works great when stationary, crap when moving .
How on earth do you get the radio out!
As far as I can see it looks like most of the dashboard has to be removed just to get to the back of the radio so I can fit an external aerial on the wing and connect to the radio?
Am I right or missing something?
Thanks

The lower part of the dashboard on the passengers side is only held on by 5 screws, two are inside the glovebox the others are easily visible on the lower half of the dashboard, it's all quite self explanatory once you start to it & access is much easier than just about any vehicle I could think of.

Hope this helps...Robert

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[cmcardle75]

The lower part of the dashboard on the passengers side is only held on by 5 screws, two are inside the glovebox the others are easily visible on the lower half of the dashboard, it's all quite self explanatory once you start to it & access is much easier than just about any vehicle I could think of.

Hope this helps...Robert

The Movano is similar. Or should have been. The police had butchered it to fit all the radio gear. The replacement fascia adapter was great, but relied on some mounting points they'd hacksawed off. Took some ingenuity with some old central locking motor adapter plates I had knocking around to get the radio mounted! I definitely don't want to take it off again, as it is very fiddly to get it all aligned before pushing it all back.

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

The best way to answer this question (for any vehicle) is to look up DIN/double DIN conversion fascias for your vehicle on Connects2 or Autoleads and read the instructions. Modern vehicles do often need part of the fascia removed, but not always. If they don't, they'll need some removal keys specific for the vehicle. Few use standard ISO removal keys these days, manufacturers go for easily hidden slot types.

Personally, I'd say if you've got the original stereo from 2001, put it straight in the bin and get something better, preferably with Android Auto/Apple Car Play. Even the cheap-ass Sony XAV-3005DB is OK! (It does have issues, such as resistive touch screen and lack of brightness, but it works pretty well).

As far windscreen DAB aerials, that was my original plan until I read the reviews. Clearly a full blown roof aerial is the only way.

Thanks, but all I want to do is replace the aerial. Radio is perfectly fine for my simple needs.
If I was thinking of such upgrades I would seriously consider other options like solar power, inbuilt microwave, duel fuel boiler, inverters, better security etc etc etc, and look at changing the van!
There is only so far I can go before the economies of scale v age become uneconomic.
But thanks for the reply. Much appreciated.

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

The lower part of the dashboard on the passengers side is only held on by 5 screws, two are inside the glovebox the others are easily visible on the lower half of the dashboard, it's all quite self explanatory once you start to it & access is much easier than just about any vehicle I could think of.

Hope this helps...Robert

Very informative. Will have a play.
Many thanks

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[Rayb182]

Having same problem, tried to fit a decent radio on our 55 reg van, however did the the electrics was incompetent, wires just twisted together and taped, wires just cut and left so down a bumpy road fuses blow, the side light wired into the dipped beam, now got an auto sparks looking at it, Happy days.

 

[cmcardle75]

Thanks, but all I want to do is replace the aerial. Radio is perfectly fine for my simple needs.
If I was thinking of such upgrades I would seriously consider other options like solar power, inbuilt microwave, duel fuel boiler, inverters, better security etc etc etc, and look at changing the van!
There is only so far I can go before the economies of scale v age become uneconomic.
But thanks for the reply. Much appreciated.

Sorry I wasn't clear. The instructions for the fascia adapters will typically need to tell you how to remove the existing stereo. Just follow this far and you can work out how to plug in a new aerial! Replacing the stereo is optional.

 

[ambulancekidd]

Looks a nice job.
.
How on earth do you get the radio out!

Thanks

If you don't have the tool to slip your radio out (available on Fleabay) the best way of getting the radio out is to loosen the bottom of the dash down & put your hand up to the back of the radio & shove it out.
Radio's are mounted in a cage, some people put them in nicely, but a lot of them ram it in & bend the retaining tabs all over the place.
This makes it bloody impossible to take the radio out the normal way.
You don't have to take the whole lower dash off, just loosened enough to reach behind it.

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