I have a NB 2.5 and I am going to replace the head unit for a DAB compatible one. Which is the best Aerial solution for this car? Who has found a good solution for this? I am open to all ideas, modified aerial or replacement of standard or something completely different.
My stock atrial was useless for DAB on my ND. I fitted a stubby one fromM 5 parts. It’s better to look at and the signal is far superior now. I would recommend that one anyway.
I’ve found the stick on the windscreen type quite adequate. They vary in quality though, so take a look at any reviews of them if available and get the correct connector compatible with the head unit.
I changed the head unit in my MK1 for a pioneer unit as I wanted DAB and the ability to connect my phone to the unit to play music on the head unit from my phone. the unit came with a stick on screen aerial nd a microphone, so I can use DAB and take calls on my paired phone. Music from the phone pairs well and is ok, DAB is good, but no-one can hear me if I answer the phone as I have the hood down all the time. However it is good enough to answer the phone and shout “I will call you back” before deciding if I should pull over or not - depending on who called.
In short the head unit should come with an aerial… and I tend to use ear buds most of the time too.
The head unit I fitted myself long with the aerial in about half an hour.
I’ve bought two DAB head units in the last 3 years, neither came with the DAB aerials.
I stick the microphone on the steering column surround, just in front of the dash dials, seems to work well.
I bought a roof aerial from dabonwheels and fitted that to the wing. Slightly jaunty angle and needed a she’d load of sealant but it is very good
I’m glad this topic came up , as I’m thinking of fitting a new double din head unit in mine.I’ve found the fitting kit , and all associated wiring online , the head unit is a Pioneer SHB230 it seems to have good reviews , but I was wondering which would be the best type of aerial for it ,the kit comes with a screen type are these acceptable, or would it be better to use my stubby that I got from MX5 Parts they say that it’s for DAB as well I’m afraid that I’m a bit of a numpty when it comes to this sort of thing , so any advice would be more than welcome.
I have heard of DAB on Wheels, but I was hoping our community had some more MX5 specific experience.
If you are fitting it yourself, I would try the windscreen mounted one first as it is an easy fix. I ran the cable under the dash and then up the side of the passenger door panel/dashboard and stuck it on the inside of the lower windscreen where the tax disc would have been. Did not have to remove any panels to do it, which was good. Seems to work ok, but if yours doesn’t, try the stubby, which will be a more difficult fix as you will have to remove some trim to route the cable.
Good luck!!
Hi Snelly not sure if I will fit it myself yet I’m okay with the mechanical side taking the Bose unit out etc ,but my mind tends to go a complete blank when confronted with wiring of any description. Theres a guy local to us who comes to the house to fit he seems to have good reviews so I might get him fit it for me. Thanks for the advice.
I fitted a DAB double din unit to my Mk1 Eunos.
The car came with the standard electric aerial.
I didn’t want to fit one of the stick-on screen aerials as I think they look out of place and are unsightly.
I fitted an FM/AM/DAB aerial convertor like this: (https://www.dabonwheels.co.uk/product/fm-am-to-fm-am-dab-aerial-converter-splitter/)
It fits behind the head unit with all of the connections that you’ll need, power, aerial and DAB sockets.
I have had no issues with picking up DAB stations but I guess it all depends on your location and how strong the signal is.
Thank you Risingsun that’s really useful to know as I said I’m a bit of a numpty when it comes to this sort of thing Regards Bob.
The reception question is the big one. We always seem to be driving around the B roads through small villages and those areas sometimes have poor reception even for AM/FM and mobile phones, With DAB being digital you either have it or you do not, so no fuzzy-whistle-pop make do BBC world service whilst listening to ABBA. Just silence, oh and the cheeky sound of the MX5 for company, which don’t get me wrong is very pleasant for a while.
Moss Europe do a stubby that fits perfectly in place of the oem NC aerial at least and I think others too.
Allegedly it works perfectly for DAB.
Just unscrew one and screw the other in its place
I tried a FM/AM/DAB antenna converter on my Mk3 with no success. At the time I assumed it was just because there was inadequate signal from the aerial, but later realised the Mk3 has an antenna amplifier at the base. Those converters specify they need an un-amplified aerial.
The plan now is to try and bypass the amp but a quick look showed a rather tricksy connector into it so it’s going to be a fiddly operation.
Yes I have heard of that problem too, how do you tell if the aerial is amplified?
If the aerial on your NB 2.5 is the original, it won’t be amplified.
The easiest way to identify which type you have is:
If it’s a fixed stem type there will only be one co-ax cable.
If it’s electric, it’ll have the co-ax plus 2 wires for the motor.
Most amplified aerials like the ones fitted to an NC will have a co-ax cable and a single wire attached to it.
Hi,
If you have the original NB 2.5 aerial, you can just use a Y-shaped adaptor which has a socket for the original aerial lead at one and, and two plugs at the other, one for the FM aerial socket and the other or the DAB aerial socket. I used this one and it works perfectly for DAB and FM in rural Worcestershire where some national stations such as Jazz FM do cut out occasionaly, but my MX-5 installation is as good as my Discovery Sport’s factory fitted infotainment unit. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077GMM5G9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You will also need a harness adaptor to plug between the car’s harness and the sockets on the back of the unit you buy.
The unit I installed was a Kenwood DMX-125DAB , as it also gives you Android mirroring. If you want to use mirroring on the move, for example, Android Auto, you have to wire the handbrake wire direct to earth otherwise when you release the handbrake the system switches off mirroring as a safety feature to avoid drivers watching videos while driving. The installation instructions don’t explain the function of the handbrake wire, but the really helpful Kenwood helpdesk emailed me to tell me how to do it by telling me not to wire it direct to earth because that would allow mirroring with the handbrake released!
I bought the unit from Halfords who had a special offer at the time, and I’m very pleased with it apart from the volume control arrow touch buttons on the left of the screen - the maker expects you to have steering wheel mounted controls and hitting the correct arrow while not looking down is tricky! 
That is really good information. I do like the idea of being able to keep the original aerial.
I’m attaching a link to a really useful piece of info from Steven Foskett in the USof A http://mazda-speed.com/faq/audio/ with regard to which pin does what on all of the earlier MX5 infotainment wiring harnesses - just match up the “pin-outs” on the harness to the pins you want to use on the car unit. If you do end up with the Kenwood DMX-125 DAB I can help you further as it is quite easy to install.