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DAB aerial
Mr Whippy - 30/10/19 at 07:27 AM

Going to convert my wifes car to a DAB radio but not sure about the aerial, the expensive DAB ones look very suspiciously just like normal ones... various explanations of the differences don't seem to make any sense either, some claiming they have to be vertical, ever seen a whip aerial vertical at 70mph...? and my VW has DAB and has a tiny angled one on the roof! Her Volvo I think uses the rear heater element which is very effective currently for FM.

Thinking about digital tv... mine works just great on an normal old fashioned aerial thrown in the loft that's well over 30 years old...

So it is all just marketing BS?!

steve m - 30/10/19 at 08:11 AM

I deliver brand new cars, and 99% of them have built in ariels so nothing is seen, or fins

steve

nick205 - 30/10/19 at 08:57 AM

quote:
Originally posted by steve m
I deliver brand new cars, and 99% of them have built in ariels so nothing is seen, or fins

steve



I don't have DAB a car, but this statement echoes my thinking exactly. Many (most?) modern cars must have DAB and I've not noticed a sudden reappearance of aerials on vehicles. External vehicle aerials went a good few years ago in place of integrated aerials, which (from experience) work just fine for analogue radio and I'm pretty certain must for DAB as well.

What's to lose by connecting the existing aerial in the ovloV and testing to see what you get?

cliftyhanger - 30/10/19 at 09:57 AM

And the portable DAB radio I use for work has an aerial just like my old FM radio. Looks exactly the same. So can't be different?? In fact the new radio does DAB and FM through the one aerial, as do modern cars.

Best try it I reckon...

Mr Whippy - 30/10/19 at 12:20 PM

ok cheers, I'll save my money for now and see, hear what happens when I plug in the existing one...

coyoteboy - 30/10/19 at 12:43 PM

They have elements of the right length for each frequency range, I tried DAB through a normal FM and it didn't work (it picked it up but it had really poor reception levels).

IT doesn't use the heater element, it uses a purpose build antenna made out of heater element tracks on the back window.

Even with a high gain, 400mm high top of the line DAB antenna, I still get dropouts in a few locations in towns etc.

peter030371 - 30/10/19 at 08:04 PM

DAB is on a higher frequency than FM. To get the best out of it the best antenna will be shorter than an old FM antenna. It might still work OK on a longer antenna but you will only know by trying it.

Mash - 31/10/19 at 08:17 PM

I put a Kenwood radio/cd/dab unit in my Transit and it has one of the stick on the window aerials.

Works just fine, in fact it often cuts in when I have the unit set to play FM