After over 2 years of ownership, I am still trying to solve the challenge of DAB reception in my NC.
I have a Sony double din radio with Apple CarPlay. This all works well and the sound quality is good.
My issue, and what I hope someone can help me with, is radio reception.
I originally opted for a screen mounted DAB aerial from Dynamic Sounds.
This worked ‘ok’, but after installing some footwell lights (power drawn from cigarette lighter) the reception deteriorated. I removed the footwell lights, but the reception remained really poor??
I read a post about about a DAB radio adaptor which converts FM aerial reception into DAB signal. I read that this paired with Moss Stuby, would cure the problem. Alas no. This has made no improvement to the DAB reception, which is still rubbish, but it has deteriorated the FM reception, to the point I can only receive one station! Arghhh!!
Have I bought the wrong products or the just cheap versions? Can anyone help me with a guaranteed solution as I’m at my wits end?
Thanks
I’ve bought a couple of those stick on screen aerials in the past with mixed success. I’ve still got one fitted but I bought it from a different supplier (can’t remember where) but they were all made in China.
Had much the same troubles as yourself and I tracked it down to my dash cam being on and interfering with the dab signal. I fitted ferrites to the dash cam feed cable which run up the LH screen A pillar from the fuse box. The dab aerial was also fitted to the left side of the screen. It didn’t really improve things (slightly) it was mostly useless on the move changing reception in different areas.
I changed cars last year (still an NC) and swapped my head unit to the newer car, bought a more expensive dab aerial (only a few pounds more) it looked more or less the same as the last one but stuck better to the screen. This time though I fitted it to the opposite side of the screen, away from the dash cam cable and fuse box. It now works ok, the radio reception, I can drive around even in the Peak district and get dab signals great.
For what its worth my daily driver has built in DAB with navigation etc from factory. Owned it over 8 years and I’d say the first 6 years to the DAB worked very well, hardly a drop out. Over the last couple of years I’ve noticed more drop outs of signal, a great deal more around my very local area than there used to be.
Not up to speed on this sort of tech but my wife posed a possible valid point only the other day. Is it because we have an abundance of 5g masts gone up in the last 2-3 years, anyone?
I know my shed alarm doesn’t work properly since they installed a 5g mast around 50 yard from my house. It kept triggering the alarm. I wrapped it in baking foil (a suggestion on this very forum) and it works perfectly now, no more false triggers.
The power supplies for most dash cams are shockingly bad for interference with dab signals. I had to route mine around the other side of the car to the aerial otherwise dab would vanish in all but the best signal areas
I did that in the NC and it works ok now. The daily driver has drop outs on DAB, more to do with the area methinks thanthe dash cam power supply.
Incidentally I had cheaper hardwire kits to both Nextbase cams, changing to the Nextbase kits solved most of the reception issues.
I have spoken to a technician at work about dab and as far as he is aware they have had to move channels like free view has as 5G clashes on some of the frequencies, my old car had dab and I found that whenever I got near a 5G mast it would lose all connectivity
My 2022 ND RF came with DAB and so far I am not impressed with the sound quality in comparison with FM. String tone (violins) in particular is rougher on DAB and not significantly better on DAB+. I have not yet given up on it, and will do more comparisons and report my opinion here in due course, FWIW!
I’ve had to put baking foil around my shed alarm
Reason, well since installing the alarm they changed the phone mast which is around 75 metres up the road to a 5G mast. Since the change over my shed alarm randomly triggers, thought I had rodents in there. After much scratching of head it was suggested the phone mast was the culprit. Not one false trigger since the baking foil wrap.
