Stilo aerial - amplifier?

[andy_tech]

I have installed a Pioneer head unit after problems with radio reception on the original headunit on a Stilo 02 reg, no better after the aerial and lead was replaced by the dealer. The radio reception is still not very good.

Is there a aerial amplifier/signal booster fitted as standard at the aerial end or in the aerial lead ? - I was wondering if there was one and it had gone faulty.

Otherwise has anyone had any experience/recommendations with an aftermarket aerial amplifier/signal booster.

Any info or advice would be welcome.

Cheers

Andy

 

[Big Black Stilo]

Just to let you know that when changing a head unit in my stilo recently a little pin broke off the Stilos aerial plug.

The radio signal is totally lost now. I even tried fixing it, its still there but no more signal so i think i need a new un.

Id check yours to see if theres still a small pin inside the stilos plug.
any ideas anyone?

 

[andy_tech]

I have checked the plug connection and it is OK. The aerial, lead and plug were replaced at the dealer.
A new plug should fix your reception.

It is not my car so can not start removing the headlining to check the aerial.
I have read that some cars (eg. VW) have an amplifier in the base of the aerial and need a power feed through the aerial wire. I was wondering if this was the case in the Stilo and that is why the pioneer headunit has poor reception, or just that the standard aerial is rubbish?

 

[winactive]

I too have purchased a Pioneer head unit (fitted today) and now do not get good reception on AM radio (in fact there is nothing listenable). FM is fine.

I'm wondering if the two square holes in the ISO fitting on the back of the OEM Visteon unit are significant? I didn't notice them when I fitted the ISO-DIN adaptor and the aerial lead didn't fit as snugly as I'd expected. Has anyone fitted one of these?

I think these may be the pins inside the plugs referred to in the posts above. Do they break easily? I daren't look in the car tonight........

 

[winactive]

After posting (and then several uncomfortable minutes' squirming in my seat), I went and had a look (before we lose the light).

There are no smaller pins corresponding to the two small holes in the Visteon's ISO aerial socket!

Do you just mean the central pin in the ISO plug? Mine is firmly inserted into the DIN adaptor and I can see the adaptor fully engaging in the Pioneer's DIN socket, even though the plastic shroud on the ISO plug stops the adaptor being pushed home flush to the rear of the unit.

AM is still rubbish though. Can I be bothered to reconnect the Visteon just to be sure? :chin:

I was thinking of a Pocket DAB sat in the glovebox with one of those FM transmitters to get Radio Five (and the other DAB stations) through the FM tuner, but I think they are a bit pricey. Has anyone tried using them inside a car (even better - in the glovebox )? Do they get signal? I would say 'enough' but DAB will be all or nothing?

 

[andy_tech]

I'm wondering if the two square holes in the ISO fitting on the back of the OEM Visteon unit are significant?

They are just part of the plastic moulding and don't serve any purpose.
The aerial plug just has the single centre pin and outer circular screening clip.
The centre pin can break off, or the wire to it break if it is moved about a lot.

I am wondering if there is a built-in aerial amplifier that does not get powered when an non OEM unit is fitted.

 

[PhilB]

I have always had lousy reception on my Visteon MP3 radio. It is crackly all the time on all channels/wavelengths, and often fades completely going past lamp posts and under bridges etc. It plays CD's and MP3's perfectly though, and the sound quality for these is excellent. Obviously there must be something wrong between the aerial and the unit, because I once unscrewed the aerial and it made no difference.

I have seen various other posts concerning the radio reception in Stilos, and the concensus seems to be that the Visteon units are crap, although other people have no problem with them.

At my recent first service, I asked the Garage to check the radio and all the connections and they said everything seemed ok and they would have to get in touch with Fiat for advice. I have'nt heard anything yet!

I only really listen to Terry Wogan (saddo ) on my way in to work. I don't do a lot of miles in a year either so traffic info is'nt really important to me, but it would be nice if the bloody thing worked properly.

This is starting to ramble so I'll go now.

Cheers

 

[andy_tech]

I too have purchased a Pioneer head unit (fitted today) and now do not get good reception on AM radio (in fact there is nothing listenable). FM is fine.

I don't use AM, but have just checked on the pioneer unit I have installed in my ford mondeo - the reception on this is fine.

I have always had lousy reception on my Visteon MP3 radio. It is crackly all the time on all channels/wavelengths, and often fades completely going past lamp posts and under bridges etc. It plays CD's and MP3's perfectly though, and the sound quality for these is excellent. Obviously there must be something wrong between the aerial and the unit, because I once unscrewed the aerial and it made no difference.

I agree there must be something wrong with the aerial/lead, but I can't understand why, the reception in my mondeo is fine and it only has a crappy wire type roof mounted aerial. The aerial and wire in the stilo was replaced by the dealer, can even see the old aerial lead left in place behind the headunit. This is why we assumed the original visteon unit was faulty and replaced it with the pioneer one.

 

[PhilB]

I don't use AM, but have just checked on the pioneer unit I have installed in my ford mondeo - the reception on this is fine.

I agree there must be something wrong with the aerial/lead, but I can't understand why, the reception in my mondeo is fine and it only has a crappy wire type roof mounted aerial. The aerial and wire in the stilo was replaced by the dealer, can even see the old aerial lead left in place behind the headunit. This is why we assumed the original visteon unit was faulty and replaced it with the pioneer one.

Hi, Andy_tech

My gf has a Punto with the standard Fiat radio-cassette in it, and her radio reception is perfect.

So, either some Visteon units are faulty, or the wiring in the Stilo is suspect.

Sorry this post does'nt help you much (I'm not very technically minded), I was more whingeing about my similar kind of gripe.

 

[andy_tech]

I have just bought a service manual CD on ebay with the parts and wiring diagrams.
When it arrives, if I find anything interesting or even the solution to the problem I will post it on here.

Andy

 

[winactive]

Hi, Andy_tech

My gf has a Punto with the standard Fiat radio-cassette in it, and her radio reception is perfect.

So, either some Visteon units are faulty, or the wiring in the Stilo is suspect.

Sorry this post does'nt help you much (I'm not very technically minded), I was more whingeing about my similar kind of gripe.

I don't think it's as straightforward as that. I had a Brava before the Stilo and the Grundig unit in that was just as lousy on AM (in fact it sounded like alternator whine - NOT present in the Stilo, just seemingly a lack of signal), great on FM and great on tapes, too. I miss that funky flap, I still think of it fondly....:life:....I remember when I first saw my mate's Marea, I thought....hmm....I like these! (Actually, if anyone has a new Bravo with low mileage....... )

I think a built-in amp or even separate integrated aerial? is likely, but it will be interesting to see what andy_tech discovers.

 

[NumanR]

If you have a specific problem with am reception then this is due to the fact that the standard head units in stilo and punto have an internal ariel booster. This means if you fit an aftermarket head unit which doesnt have a booster internally you will reduce the quality of am reception. They cost around twenty pounds and are wired into an earth and an elelctric ariel feed, they go inline with the ariel coax. Some areas you can get away without them, but most still need them for decent reception. 90% of people dont have problems because they dont listen to am channels. Most dealers and ice people dont quote for them when fitting units because of this. I do.

 

[andy_tech]

If you have a specific problem with am reception then this is due to the fact that the standard head units in stilo and punto have an internal ariel booster. This means if you fit an aftermarket head unit which doesnt have a booster internally you will reduce the quality of am reception. They cost around twenty pounds and are wired into an earth and an elelctric ariel feed, they go inline with the ariel coax. Some areas you can get away without them, but most still need them for decent reception. 90% of people dont have problems because they dont listen to am channels. Most dealers and ice people dont quote for them when fitting units because of this. I do.

Cheers, thats the problem then.

I assume an aerial booster will improve the FM reception aswell.

I did a search but the only thing it comes up with is for a VW, which is not actually an booster but just feeds 12V up the aerial to the built in amplifier in the aerial base.

Do you have a link to anywhere that sells them online.

 

[NumanR]

I would contact your local ice specialist, and what you want is an inline ariel booster

 

[andy_tech]

Ok cheers. I will have a look locally.

All I can find online is VW inline aerial boosters, I am sure they (for VW) are all the same, but most omit to tell you this :

Note this is not a signal booster, just a power supply / separation filter. It will not improve radio signal on cars that don't already have the signal amplifier built into the aerial.

Typicallly VW based cars (VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat) have a powered signal amplifier built in to the base of the 'bee-sting' roof aerial. This gets its 12V power supply via the aerial cable. The standard fit head units provide this power supply on the aerial connecter on the back of the unit. After market head units do not provide power to the aerial connector, so you need to get 12V to the middle of the aerial cable some other way. That's what this device does.

 

[winactive]

If you have a specific problem with am reception then this is due to the fact that the standard head units in stilo and punto have an internal ariel booster. This means if you fit an aftermarket head unit which doesnt have a booster internally you will reduce the quality of am reception. They cost around twenty pounds and are wired into an earth and an elelctric ariel feed, they go inline with the ariel coax. Some areas you can get away without them, but most still need them for decent reception. 90% of people dont have problems because they dont listen to am channels. Most dealers and ice people dont quote for them when fitting units because of this. I do.

Hi there NumanR

Thanks for your input. I was just wondering why these aerials need a booster - is it because of their size?

Most of the old DIN aerials were not powered and AM reception was fine. If so, are we going about the problem the wrong way? Why not just fit an aftermarket aerial? (They can be had for less than a tenner.)

If there is a powered amp in the existing aerial, surely it can be disconnected (there must be a contact terminal for aerial replacement) and if the coax is also fed to this mounting point then it will be terminated (or can be terminated) to suit the new aerial. It would then just be a case of finding something which fits the mounting hole snugly in the roof. I shouldn't think this will be too difficult as the Stilo aerial is seen on many cars (Skoda Fabia springs to mind, there are more, just re-read the thread - it seems VW based cars do use this aerial).

I have to take (friendly) issue with you over AM channels, I must belong to the 10%! I just got a DAB radio but it seems as though it's not going to work in the car as it uses the headphones as an aerial, so I need a fix for my AM problem.

If andy_tech is reading and he has any info from the wiring diagrams or has any luck with obtaining a suitable fitment that does the job, please let us know via this thread.

I'll have a look for any VW forums and see if I can get anything from there.

 

[winactive]

Well, a quick look for a VW forum gave no real clues - they all seem to be interested in how fast their cars go and not much about the aural ambience

But, there is this;

http://www.lowcostcaraudio.co.uk/shop.php?category=/vehicle+accessories/VW/&product=355

looks cheap enough to mod something to fit (no need to route that aerial cable, just chop it to fit, maybe re-fit the end with a suitable adaptor).

Anyone replaced their aerial or looked inside the fitting (no time myself at the moment, but I will look at the weekend if I get chance) to give us the inside track?

 

[andy_tech]

The service CD I got didn't have too much detail, but it implies that the aerial base does contain an aerial amplifier.

I know that on other cars that these have failed due to water getting into them.
The aerial amplifier needs a 12V supply via the aerial lead, this is supplied by the original headunit but not by other types.
The connection of the aerial lead is more critical than for just carrying the AM/FM radio signal, small breaks or connector corrosion will stop the 12V supply getting to the aerial amplifier.

The aerial amplifier actually reduces the signal if it does not receive power (or is broken), ie. the reception is worse than for an un-amplified aerial.

If you have problems with the reception on the original headunit - check the aerial lead for continuity and aerial base unit for corrosion (not so easy as I believe the internal headlining needs to be removed). I have put details for the built-in radio diagnostic check at the bottom.

With an aftermarket headunit another aerial amplifier is not needed, but the existing wiring and aerial base amplifier unit need to be in good condition.
The adaptor which I described in a previous post is actually what is needed - it feeds 12V up the aerial lead, so that the aerial base amplifier will work - these are often described as an aerial booster for VW (but does not actually amplify the signal itself), can be found for £10-£20 on ebay.


Non too helpful info from CD :

AMPLIFIED AERIAL CHECK

Continuity of the coaxial aerial cable - Aerial cable faulty
- Renew or replace the aerial cable

Aerial amplifier faulty
- Replace the aerial amplifier


Diagnostic test for radio :

Radio aerial reception - Diagnostic tests, original radio.

Irrespective of the position of the ignition key, switch on the radio by pressing the 'VOL PUSH ON/OFF' knob for more than a second.


Voltage reading for signal coming from the radio aerial :

Press buttons '3' and '6 RND' at the same time. The acoustic test at the speakers has started. Press button '3' again to enter this mode.

An indication of the intensity of the radio tuner output signal, expressed as a voltage (e.g. 'SIGNAL STRENGTH 1.6 V') will appear on the display.


Diagnosis of short circuit (audio channels and radio aerial) and open circuits (radio aerial) :

Press buttons '3' and '6 RND' at the same time. The acoustic test at the speakers has started. Press button '6 RND' again and check that the words 'SHORT CIRCUIT - OK' appear on the display.

If there is a short circuit at one or more of the speakers, a list of components will appear on the display with an X at the side indicating the faulty speaker. The presence of a mark indicates that the channel(s) is/are not short circuited.

LF = left front audio channel
RF = right front audio channel
LR = left rear audio channel
RR = right rear audio channel
X = audio channel short circuited
Mark = audio channel not short circuited
If the words 'AERIAL: GND SHORT' appear, this indicates a short circuit to earth at the radio aerial intake.
If the words AERIAL: BATT. SHORT' appear, this indicates a short circuit to the battery positive at the radio aerial intake.

If the words 'AERIAL: OPEN CCT' appear, this indicates an open circuit to the radio aerial intake.

Note : Where several faults are present at the same time, the respective signals will be shown on the displayed alternately (rolling) lasting around 2 seconds for each message.

To exit the diagnostic procedures, switch off the radio by pressing the 'VOL PUSH ON/OFF' button for more than a second and/or turn the ignition key OFF.

 

[andy_tech]

I bought an aerial 'booster' on ebay.
Since I don't have access to the car for another 2 weeks or so to test if it works, I took it apart, here is some info - internal photo, circuit diagram and simplified circuit :

 

[andy_tech]

I fitted the aerial 'booster' at the weekend - now can pickup AM (MW/LW) stations, previously none at all, and FM reception is improved - with pioneer head unit.
Checking on the original radio there is 12V output from the aerial socket when it is switched on - so there definitely is an amplifier in the aerial base.
The aerial 'booster' just supplies the 12V up the aerial lead to the aerial amplifier for an aftermarket headunit, the flying lead on the 'booster' connects to the blue remote out wire on the headunit, so that power is supplied only when the headunit is on.