DAB issues, please help

[Poppinjay]

Hi,

I have an issue with the dab not having a very good signal in my car, constant drop outs even on BBC radio 1 and other station are unlistenable.

Ariels I have purchased.

Window screen Ariel
Caleareo Ariel roof fitted from dabonwheels
Mag mount Ariel
New test was a eightwood dab car Ariel (roof fitted)

Things I have tried.

Resetting the unit, turning on phantom power, connecting the live from the Ariels to ingnition live,unplugging the fm part of the Ariel just leaving the dab wired.

Current system..

Hu: pioneer avh-x5700dab
Fronts: hertz miller pro components
Amps: rainbow I paul 4 channel bridged for fronts and Jl audio 1000w mono block
Subwoofer: jlaudio 2 x 12” boxed

Car: Toyota Corolla t3 2003 hatchback

Please,please help if possible as it’s doing my nut in

 

[Perry Babin]

If you've tried multiple antennas and the results were the same, it could be that the tuner in the head unit is in the process of failing.

Have you tried testing the head unit out of the vehicle on a 12v power supply to see if the problem is the same?

 

[Poppinjay]

Hi,

I just tried a friends dab unit in the car and still there are issues only thing i was wondering is do i need to send a seperate earth to the ariel mount?

 

[Perry Babin]

Something in the vehicle could be interfering with it. IT used to happen with some amps if they were installed too close to the head unit.

The shield of the antenna is connected to ground via the shield on the antenna connector.

 

[Galu]

Window screen aerials and mag mounts are unlikely to give good DAB reception.

The gain of the amplified Eightwood aerial should be adequate, but will depend on the position of the aerial on the roof.

The metal roof acts as the ground plane for the aerial, so I wonder if you have actually fitted the roof aerial permanently to the roof yet, with the brass fixing nut contacting bare metal.

 

[Poppinjay]

Hi,

Cheers for the replies,,

The ariel has been fixed to the roof in the existing hole and i sanded down the underneath to bare metal.

The amps are mounted in the boot so good distance from the hu.

I am using good quality cables throughout the car so dont think they would be an ussue.

I have wired the red 12v power to the ingition on power wire on the hu and tried the cigarette lighter live and both give over 12v on a multimeter but aparently this wire is only to improve the fm....

Just wish i could listen to dab instead of gurgling constantly.

Fyi , a friend of mine has dab as standard in his peugeot van and that didnt loose signal once.

 

[Perry Babin]

Have you tried pulling the head unit out of the dash to see if the interference is being caused by something in the dash?

 

[Poppinjay]

Tbh. No. I test the signal by driving the car so cause the leads for the amp and stuff need plugging in I cant leave it out of the dash...

 

[Galu]

The red wire provides power for the RF amplifier within the aerial housing, and will be necessary for both DAB and FM reception.

If you are sure that positive battery voltage is available to that red wire, regardless of whether the ignition is switched on or off, then I am currently flummoxed!

 

[Poppinjay]

You and me both!!!

 

[Perry Babin]

Why do you need to drive around? If the problem is a weak signal/antenna, the head unit will only pick up the strongest stations. Sitting still, you can determine if it picks up only a few stations or many stations.

Did you try your head unit in your friend's car?

 

[Poppinjay]

Hi,

No I tried his in my car to hopefully rule out a possible fault with my hu. Only prob where I live that the signal seems to drop when driving rather than stationary... Im gonna try re routing the 12v live to elsewhere even though on tests the current wire was giving a 12v feed and see if this helps.

 

[Perry Babin]

Does the reception drop out when away from tall buildings?

Do you pick up distant stations easily?

Do the stations that drop out when moving come in strong and clear when sitting still?

 

[Poppinjay]

Basically, it dont matter if im in a built up area, non built up, or generally driving the signal loss is terrible. Just think something in the car maybe at fault, so time to do some ruling out.... like i said even bbc stations that should be solid drop out :/

 

[Galu]

Hi,

Only prob where I live that the signal seems to drop when driving rather than stationary.

Are you saying that the DAB reception is OK when the car is stationary?

What about the FM reception? Is it always clear and without interference?

 

[Poppinjay]

Hi, no. You can hear gurgling on stations even when stationary... gona try re-reouting the 12v live today and see if that makes any difference. Let you know later��

 

[pitbul]

Maybe signal is too strong and Your RF amp makes noise in Your system.
Try without RF amplifier, remove amp.
Determine needed RF signal to Your Head unit and if it is possible measure signal strenght (if You have some kond of RF measure unit).

 

[Poppinjay]

Ok. So, changing the power lead location has improved the bbc stations. I have been reading about leds affecting dab and i have some interior ones wired into the car that im gonna unplug today and see...

 

[Poppinjay]

I also unplugged the subwoofer amp but that made no difference

 

[Poppinjay]

Do you know if leds lights affect dab. Interior ones not exterior. The strips that run off a 12v source