Fitting DAB Radio

The CD radio in our Nuevo Es is horrible, it switches itself off after 30 minutes and is difficult to tune. i am thinking of visiting Halfords to have the radio swapped for a DAB.
Has anyone had success in this area?

we have a JVC DAB radio in our Symbol. Aerial fitted to screen works ok not as sensitive as a Kenwood DAB I have in my TR6. Also noticed reversing camera screen fitted to the internal mirror causes enough interference to make the radio signal drop out!

mike

Whilst swapping radios it is worth connecting it to the leisure battery then you can listen as long as you like without fear of not being able to start.

Mike, that was the next job on my list for your symbol, but I never got round to it.

See this thread
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Antenna splitter works really well and the headunit I have can be controlled by my phone.

I am booked with Halfords to have a Sony DAB radio supplied and fitted, to include aerial and leads for steering wheel controls. Current estimated price (based on parts ordered is c £200-250, includes two hours for fitting. There has already been a delay in parts arriving so am not sure where this will go. I will update if and when it is installed. I chose the Sony with the addition of a microphone so i can use it for hands free without needing to mute the radio.

Its useful to have  a remote control with it if possible so you can control it from the hab area.

I have one of these in our warwick.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] £141
with

1 x SONY patch lead for 29 series steering control - (29-008)    £3.99 (each)
1 x Fiat Ducato, Citroen Relay Steering control  - (29-666)   £24.99 (each) from these people [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] 

CT27AA136 Universal DAB DAB+ SMB Aerial Antenna DAB Splitter for Installation £15.99

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] £9.95 

So just over £200 in parts so not a bad deal from halfords. Fitting took less than 30 mins.

Nicnaen wrote:I am booked with Halfords to have a Sony DAB radio supplied and fitted, to include aerial and leads for steering wheel controls. Current estimated price (based on parts ordered is c £200-250, includes two hours for fitting. There has already been a delay in parts arriving so am not sure where this will go. I will update if and when it is installed. I chose the Sony with the addition of a microphone so i can use it for hands free without needing to mute the radio.

yes having your phone  bluetoothed to the radio is good. But a bit strange when you get a txt message and it reads over the radio!
matchlessman BTW we are off to Spain tomorrow for 4 weeks coming back thru France!
Van is very nice, have added a few mods to improve the storage but very pleased with it.


mike

Thanks for all of the information. I am really interested in fitting the radio to the leisure battery. Any advice on this aspect would be most appreciated.
MJ

To have the radio live all the time it just needs to be connected to a constant live in the dash!

Robbie024 wrote:To have the radio live all the time it just needs to be connected to a constant live in the dash!

And flatten your vehicle battery when you are not using the vehicle? Unfortunately modern radios do seem to take a constant curret drain.

There are two power leads going to the radio. A constant feed, which keeps the memory alive, so retaining all the stations you have programmed etc. The other feed is switched by the ignition. It is quite feasible to connect the two together (I have done it four times now) you then need to manually turn the radio on and off as it doesn't turn off with the ignition.

If you turn off the radio it doesn't flatten the battery any more than a standard installation.

The best solution is to connect both feeds to the leisure battery then issues of not being able to start go away.

matchlessman wrote:There are two power leads going to the radio. A constant feed, which keeps the memory alive, so retaining all the stations you have programmed etc. The other feed is switched by the ignition. It is quite feasible to connect the two together (I have done it four times now) you then need to manually turn the radio on and off as it doesn't turn off with the ignition.

Unfortunately this works Ok with some radios, and doesn't with others. It all depends how the manufacturer designed the internal circuitry. So... you may be lucky, or you may end up with a flat battery after a few days...

-mojo- wrote:Unfortunately this works Ok with some radios, and doesn't with others. It all depends how the manufacturer designed the internal circuitry. So... you may be lucky, or you may end up with a flat battery after a few days...

That would imply that the radio is doing something in the background whilst turned off, when the ignition is on. Can't imagine what that could be.

ALL radios use a small amount of power to keep the memory alive, the same as the clock but they would take many weeks to flatten the battery. The biggest drain is likely to be an alarm system if fitted.

Do you have any information on which manufacturers could be affected? I have done it with Kenwood, Sony and Phillips with absolutely no issues. I have never known it to not work.

You have to be cautious connecting the live feed to the ignition feed as 'it could' back feed a supply into some ignition switched circuits that you don't want live.

StewPotch wrote:The guy told me that the original radio has voltage sensing circuitry built in and recognises when the radio is on battery power (switches off after 20 minutes) or the slightly higher voltage when the alternator is providing power.

If that’s the case (and I don’t doubt him) linking both 12V supplies together won’t help.

If you have a radio that sophisticated, that would kick in if your battery voltage dropped to a level where starting could be an issue, which can only be useful.

As I said, there are 2 power feeds, one is constant, on all the time, feeding the memory. It also allows the standard radio to turn on for a preset time 20 mins, 30 mins etc depending on model and setting. The other is an ignition switched feed which turns the radio on once you turn the key. If this (radio end) is joined to the constant feed, the radio thinks the ignition is on all the time and will allow itself to be turned on and off at will.

I recommend you connect to the leisure battery so you don't have starting issues. If you have a means of ensuring the engine battery is full such as a separate charger, battery master or similar that should suffice.

Jaytee wrote:You have to be cautious connecting the live feed to the ignition feed as 'it could' back feed a supply into some ignition switched circuits that you don't want live.

Excellent point. DON'T CONNECT THE WIRES ON VEHICLE SIDE. ONLY THE RADIO SIDE.

The harness which comes with most aftermarket radios usually contains a red and a yellow wire, with connectors halfway down, allowing you to swap (Red to Yellow and Yellow to Red) rather than the normal. This is to accommodate some manufacturers (Vauxhall?) who for some reason don't follow the DIN norm. The red and the yellow - radio side - should be joined. You then need to work out whether Yellow or Red (vehicle side) gives the constant feed and bingo. The switched feed from the vehicle just need to be isolated.

It is much easier than it sounds. However I still recommend feeding the radio from the leisure battery, using the joined red yellow, if you can run a lead up to it.

Note; all the ones I have 'done' had red and yellow, but it's possible others may use something different. If you study the wiring diagram with the DIN harness it should be clear. You only need to worry about the positive feed, as the vehicle and habitation battery negatives are both earthed to the chassis

Yeah, Matchlessman, totally agree about wiring to the leisure battery!

I don't know if the following will work on your radio but initially the radio on our Broadway only worked while the engine was turned off for 20 minutes.  Our MH is a 2014 Peugeot Broadway.  

We got round this by doing the following:

• Turn radio ‘ON’ using the central ‘power’ button
  
• Within 15 seconds, simultaneously press ‘FM AS’ and the preset button ‘2’. 
  Each time this pair
  of buttons are pressed, the display will alternate between ‘NORMAL POWER MODE’ and ‘CAMPER POWER MODE’. 
  N.B. - these must be pressed together
  
• Ensure that ‘CAMPER POWER MODE’ [‘CARAVAN’] is displayed, then press ‘MENU’
  
• Using the ‘UP and ‘DOWN’ button now changes the display to show various adjustable items.
  Cycle through the options until ‘RADIO OFF’ and a number of minutes is shown on the display. This will take approx. two presses of the ‘UP’ button or seven presses of the ‘DOWN’ button.
  
• With ‘RADIO OFF’ shown on the display press the ‘LEFT’ or ‘RIGHT’ button. Each press of either button will alternate the number of minutes shown between ‘180’ and ‘0’
  
• With ‘180’ showing on the display the setting is complete and three hours of radio operation should be possible.
  
• Press the ‘POWER’ button to exit the menu and return the display to its usual view. 
  
  
  Hope this helps some of you out there.
  

ScribesWtr wrote:I don't know if the following will work on your radio but initially the radio on our Broadway only worked while the engine was turned off for 20 minutes.  Our MH is a 2014 Peugeot Broadway.  

We got round this by doing the following:

• Turn radio ‘ON’ using the central ‘power’ button
  
• Within 15 seconds, simultaneously press ‘FM AS’ and the preset button ‘2’. 
  Each time this pair
  of buttons are pressed, the display will alternate between ‘NORMAL POWER MODE’ and ‘CAMPER POWER MODE’. 
  N.B. - these must be pressed together
  
• Ensure that ‘CAMPER POWER MODE’ [‘CARAVAN’] is displayed, then press ‘MENU’
  
• Using the ‘UP and ‘DOWN’ button now changes the display to show various adjustable items.
  Cycle through the options until ‘RADIO OFF’ and a number of minutes is shown on the display. This will take approx. two presses of the ‘UP’ button or seven presses of the ‘DOWN’ button.
  
• With ‘RADIO OFF’ shown on the display press the ‘LEFT’ or ‘RIGHT’ button. Each press of either button will alternate the number of minutes shown between ‘180’ and ‘0’
  
• With ‘180’ showing on the display the setting is complete and three hours of radio operation should be possible.
  
• Press the ‘POWER’ button to exit the menu and return the display to its usual view. 
  
  
  Hope this helps some of you out there.
  

This has been covered before, see: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] sometimes the Search function is your best friend!

Sorry, I was only trying to help someone who said their radio only worked for a short period of time.  Perhaps they should have been referred to that article?  I didn't have the problem myself.

I presume extending the 'on time' will only work on the factory fit radios. Not sure if aftermarket radios will have the feature. 

Great solution if 3 hours is enough. If parked up for a few days it may not be and its crazy to fire up the engine just so the radio will work.  

This is when my modification comes into its own.

matchlessman wrote:I presume extending the 'on time' will only work on the factory fit radios. Not sure if aftermarket radios will have the feature. 

Great solution if 3 hours is enough. If parked up for a few days it may not be and its crazy to fire up the engine just so the radio will work.  

This is when my modification comes into its own.

When the radio switches off at the end of 3 hours just switch it on again for another 3!

MarieJ wrote:The CD radio in our Nuevo Es is horrible, it switches itself off after 30 minutes and is difficult to tune. i am thinking of visiting Halfords to have the radio swapped for a DAB.
Has anyone had success in this area?

I understand the 30 min problem but what has DAB got to do with it?  I know that a van is hardly a stereo lounge but stereo sound is much better/exists on FM.