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DAB reception

22K views 26 replies 10 participants last post by  phillips88 
#1 ·
I know this has been discussed in previous posts, however, my car has gone in today for a fix on this issue.
Toyota technical have a bulletin out to improve/fix DAB reception issue. I found this out after insisting they find a fix for my poor reception.
I'm told the fix is to add an in-line suppressor to aerial cable and update/change DAB module behind dash.
It's an all-day job. My only concern is introduction of squeaks and rattles - as the dash needs to be removed to access module.
Anyway, I'll update and let you know if this fixes the very poor DAB reception I get from mine. Kia company car is great with no loss of signal - anywhere.
 
#3 ·
Yeah, they said software was up-to-date, so assumed it was due to my uploading of the latest Sat Nav and software package before it went in.
 
#5 ·
darling said:
So did they do anything and if they did was it improved?
They added a filter to DAB aerial cable - apparently. Feels like it has improved it, but not been out much since.
 
#6 ·
UPDATE - DAB issue still not fixed, so its back in next week for this & Excessive condensation in car.
 
#7 ·
Had car back today after it went back in for DAB and condensation issues. The outcome is:-

DAB - nothing we can do. We've done all we can.
Condensation - nothing we can do. No leaks in car. Leave the A/C on to duhumidify.

&#x1f937-1f3fb-2640;🙄
 
#9 ·
MadSkilzYo said:
My DAB reception is very poor also, but improves if I unplug my Qi wireless phone charger. Do you have anything like this in yours?
Dashcams can also affect reception too.
No. I have a dash cam but it has an in-line filter fitted. It's nextbase and Toyota fit.
It is better now tbh. It still drops out in certain areas, so have to live with it.
 
#10 ·
Bought a Nextbase front dascam,Bought from Halfords & had it fitted by Halfords fitting was £30 that was 2yrs ago & DAB radio was very good reception, 2 weeks ago bought rear window Nextbase dascam & had it fitted by Halfords for £35 DAB radio did not work very well,So went back to Halfords & the same guy rewired the cam under the doors plastic edging & up to my front dashcam & plugged the lead into front dashcam,Halfords guy fitted 2 filters along the cable one he fitted in line near the rear dash which is mounted to rear window & the other one just behind the glove box area in line to front dascam out of sight,Well must say DAB stations floats away a little but FM stations are very good.
 
#11 ·
djw said:
Bought a Nextbase front dascam,Bought from Halfords & had it fitted by Halfords fitting was £30 that was 2yrs ago & DAB radio was very good reception, 2 weeks ago bought rear window Nextbase dascam & had it fitted by Halfords for £35 DAB radio did not work very well,So went back to Halfords & the same guy rewired the cam under the doors plastic edging & up to my front dashcam & plugged the lead into front dashcam,Halfords guy fitted 2 filters along the cable one he fitted in line near the rear dash which is mounted to rear window & the other one just behind the glove box area in line to front dascam out of sight,Well must say DAB stations floats away a little but FM stations are very good.
I've never had an issue with FM ( not that I listen to it much ), but DAB drops out on a regular basis. Poor antenna design.
 
#12 ·
Hi. My Dab signal has been perfect with no drop outs at all. Had the nextbase 380gw front dashcam fitted by my toyota dealership yesterday and the signal is now constantly dropping out. Fitted two ferrite cores near to the dashcam but has made no difference. Going back to the dealership and have it removed and a refund. Complete waste of time.😡
 
#13 ·
Bobe said:
Hi. My Dab signal has been perfect with no drop outs at all. Had the nextbase 380gw front dashcam fitted by my toyota dealership yesterday and the signal is now constantly dropping out. Fitted two ferrite cores near to the dashcam but has made no difference. Going back to the dealership and have it removed and a refund. Complete waste of time.😡
Detach the dashcam for a couple of days first to see if DAB improves.
 
#14 ·
Hi. Thanks for your reply but sorry I cannot see the point of disconnecting the dashcam to see if the dab signal improves. The dab signal was perfect until I had the dashcam fitted. After picking up the car from the dealership within one mile the dab signal was fading in and out and sometimes lost completely. As I am a electronic technician I fitted a couple of ferrite cores which has made no difference.
 
#15 ·
Bobe said:
Hi. Thanks for your reply but sorry I cannot see the point of disconnecting the dashcam to see if the dab signal improves. The dab signal was perfect until I had the dashcam fitted. After picking up the car from the dealership within one mile the dab signal was fading in and out and sometimes lost completely. As I am a electronic technician I fitted a couple of ferrite cores which has made no difference.
Only trying to help…….
 
#17 ·
Bobe said:
Hi. I do appreciate your thoughts and I thank you for that. Sorry if I came over a bit abruptly. 👍
No worries. Text is often taken incorrectly. 👍
 
#18 ·
I'm wondering if power cable for the camera is somehow parallel with the antenna.
I got my Thinkware installed at Toyota, power cable and data cable to rear camera are installed through the left pilar. I'm not a heavy DAB user, but for as much as I use it, I find the reception good.
Where does the camera takes the power from? Fuses Boz on the left side of the dash?
 
#19 ·
Mine is routed down left pillar to fuse box.
 
#20 ·
My cable is also running down the left pillar and the camera at the moment is situated more to the left side. The dab aerial is impregnated into the front windscreen and the rear fin aerial is for the fm reception ( that's what the toyota technician advised). My car is booked in next week and if they cannot rectify the problem they have agreed to remove the dashcam and refund my payment. 👍
 
#21 ·
I don't use my DAB that often, but when I do I've noticed it cuts out if I go into tunnels, but even short tunnels where you can see the other side. Also in my parking garage ( we have a multistory and I'm on the ground floor) some stations seem to cut out. Is this normal for DAB or possibly something else?
 
#22 ·
flyboy3 said:
I don't use my DAB that often, but when I do I've noticed it cuts out if I go into tunnels, but even short tunnels where you can see the other side. Also in my parking garage ( we have a multistory and I'm on the ground floor) some stations seem to cut out. Is this normal for DAB or possibly something else?
I have found that DAB is rubbish reception..Just use FM..barely any difference.
 
#23 ·
DAB only advantage is it provides a constant quality as long as coverage is within specs. Unlike FM, where quality degrades slowly, DAB is always good or inexistent.
Those days streaming music from an online service covers both scenarios much better by all definitions. A playlist saved on the phone, for remote country sides is a good enough emergency solution.
And no ads! And that beats all radios no matter the broadcast medium!
 
#24 ·
Dave D said:
flyboy3 said:
I don't use my DAB that often, but when I do I've noticed it cuts out if I go into tunnels, but even short tunnels where you can see the other side. Also in my parking garage ( we have a multistory and I'm on the ground floor) some stations seem to cut out. Is this normal for DAB or possibly something else?
I have found that DAB is rubbish reception..Just use FM..barely any difference.
I've got the JBL upgrade. As a test, I listened to Radio 3 on both DAB and FM while parked in in the garage. There is a clarity difference between DAB and FM in DAB's favour by far when listening to orchestral music. On Radio 2 for MOR type music there wasn't much in it. On Radio1 when it was a electronica/dance music, DAB won. When it was rap, nothing sounded good! :D It does come down to personal listening taste of course.
 
#25 ·
drabisan said:
DAB only advantage is it provides a constant quality as long as coverage is within specs. Unlike FM, where quality degrades slowly, DAB is always good or inexistent.
Those days streaming music from an online service covers both scenarios much better by all definitions. A playlist saved on the phone, for remote country sides is a good enough emergency solution.
And no ads! And that beats all radios no matter the broadcast medium!
Ads? What are these ads you speak of? They don't exist on the BBC! :lol:

Yes, having my spotify to play from (when the other half isn't using it at home while I'm driving! - see my post on the "other" chat!!) is great! Especially when having a CD player in our old car seemed like cutting edge tech in it's day! But sometimes I like the randomness of radio and there are some shows and live broadcasts that are good and the radio DJ chatter can be fun to listen to (or groan to if they are from the Alan Partridge school of radio broadcasting!). I've had the car 4 and half months but not used the radio that much yet, hence the questions.

We've also found that the voice command on Spotify doesn't work too well when trying to locate classical composers and pieces of work. Definitely a case of the co-driver using the phone to search for the exact piece required.
 
#26 ·
Bobe said:
My cable is also running down the left pillar and the camera at the moment is situated more to the left side. The dab aerial is impregnated into the front windscreen and the rear fin aerial is for the fm reception ( that's what the toyota technician advised). My car is booked in next week and if they cannot rectify the problem they have agreed to remove the dashcam and refund my payment. 👍
I'd rather have the dashcam and put up with the iffy DAB. Most of my music is on usb, so not a major issue for me.
 
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