anyone changed to digital radio in their mk2 octavia?

[Dodgy]

Not sure if I'd be too keen on Halfords doing the install for me, even if it was included in the price. They can't even PDI bicycles properly!

[sadexpunk]

theyd do a better job of it than me :-D

[blackspaven]

Are there any reviews or equivalent products like this Connects2 AutoDAB?? All I can find is stuff on their website so i'ts not gonna be objective.

Just wondering if it's wort waiting a while in the likelyhood that there'll be loads of just as good alternatives for less money once they become commonplace.

[JohnMorr]

I'm also thinking of fitting DAB to my Octavia. I got one of these junk emails in from Halfords and the AutoDAB system that works with the OEM fitted system for Skodas has been reduced to £155 including fitting until thursday, thinking I might just go for it. http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_874533_langId_-1_categoryId_243051

But apparently only for post-2007 Octavias. I've got a 2006 L&K with steering wheel controls - why wouldn't it work? Different software or what?

[lakanooky2]

These any good for after market DAB

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/install-adaptors-skoda/

[winchy]

Not sure if I'd be too keen on Halfords doing the install for me, even if it was included in the price. They can't even PDI bicycles properly!

It all depends on which branch you visit much like any independent garage some are great ,some are sh**e

15 yrs in bikes for halfords

regards Mark

[sadexpunk]

hmmm...... just been looking at the halfords jobby again, and dont reaally like the idea of only being able to be operated from steering wheel. im starting to wonder whether to go for a more portable unit now. either the pure highway, or a smaller unit such as the pure move 2500. anyone got any feedback on either of those? i dont really like the idea of the highway stuck on my windscreen, and its quite big really. wouldnt mind something smaller and discreet. plugged into the aux down in the arm rest, hidden away if poss and just set on 6 music.

im assuming tho that the move 2500 would get a signal from the headphones? so i couldnt really do away with them and use my 3.5 jack lead instead to plug into aux? and if it was stowed away in armrest, it wouldnt pick up a signal?

youd think itd be easier than this to get sorted wouldnt you :-)

[Dodgy]

It all depends on which branch you visit much like any independent garage some are great ,some are sh**e

15 yrs in bikes for halfords

regards Mark

That is absolutely right, but it's still quite a lottery unless you're intimate ( ) with the local Halfords staff. For many, it's a risk if you haven't been in before.

[blackspaven]

hmmm...... just been looking at the halfords jobby again, and dont reaally like the idea of only being able to be operated from steering wheel. im starting to wonder whether to go for a more portable unit now. either the pure highway, or a smaller unit such as the pure move 2500. anyone got any feedback on either of those? i dont really like the idea of the highway stuck on my windscreen, and its quite big really. wouldnt mind something smaller and discreet. plugged into the aux down in the arm rest, hidden away if poss and just set on 6 music.

im assuming tho that the move 2500 would get a signal from the headphones? so i couldnt really do away with them and use my 3.5 jack lead instead to plug into aux? and if it was stowed away in armrest, it wouldnt pick up a signal?

youd think itd be easier than this to get sorted wouldnt you :-)

Ah, I read it that it just meant you COULD still retain the use of the steering wheel controls, not that it was ONLY usable from the steering wheel...

[sadexpunk]

Connects2 introduce the 'AutoDAB' integrated Digital Radio Adaptor. When fitted it is completely hidden behind the dash in the car for a 'factory look'. It is controlled using the vehicle's factory steering wheel controls, and displays Digital Radio information on the Factory Stereo display.

the way i read that is that you need to use the wheel controls. possible that im wrong tho, but......like i say, im leaning towards some sort of portable device much like my phone, (but with an aerial thatll work better than my phone) and try and rig it up down the middle somewhere. possible lead from aux in armrest up to a device in ash tray area. lets face it, no-one smokes in their cars any more do they :-)

just need to find the right device then ill post my progress on here. annoying that all i want is 6 music! one radio station!! is it too much to ask?? :-D

[Tonyp5a]

FYI, I had a chat to Halfords yesterday about this (Connects2 AutoDAB) and called in at the store earlier today.

Staff were very helpful, but struggled to find how to order the parts. One extended call to ‘head office’ later they were told that the parts aren’t available until early April and that they had been put onto the website to ‘gain interest’ (the parts now can not be ordered on the website, whereas they could be yesterday). Blokes in the shop were very apologetic and offered to hold the deal for me and let me know when the parts become available.

Also, the fitter had an extended chat to Connect2 yesterday and he was very clear that it only operates via the steering wheel controls (which I opted to have) and not through the dash unit.

[ms1007]

I have a Pure Highway connected from its headphone port to the aux with a 30cm 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable. For my commute through an urban area listening to talkSPORT it's fine - with the Highway sitting on the passenger seat.

When its not being used it hides away nicely under the armrest and I only need to charge the 2 AA batteries once a week. However like anything related with DAB, signal is everything and it takes a bit of trial and error and is hugely dependent on where you are and how fast you're going! I tend not to use it for other journeys as the intermittent signal is hugely irritating. I've even tried a longer (6ft) cable snaked around the passenger seat to no avail.

The Highway originally came with an aerial that stuck to the inside of the windscreen which gave me a perfect signal but left wires trailing all over when I had it in my old C4, but apparently the Pure 300di can also be specified with this aerial? If so that would be ideal for me as the two part aerial inside and outside looks a terrible idea.

[sadexpunk]

o....kay, this is where im at at the moment. im thinking a bit 'off the wall' here but....... is there any reason why i cant unscrew my fm aerial, screw in a dab aerial that i would buy, plug this bad boy http://www.dabonwheels.co.uk/Acoustic_Solutions_DAB-ICS100_DAB_car_radio.html into the aux in my armrest, and then bobs yer uncle??

ive a feeling it couldnt be that simple, but could it?

[sadexpunk]

ok, just an update on how i got sorted, just in case anyone else wants to do the same.

after a bit of trial and error thanks to dabonwheels 45 day return policy, im sorted as best i can be i think. ive ended up with this clarity unit. http://www.dabonwheels.co.uk/Clarity_CDAB7-AUTO_DAB_car_radio.html and its DOW-4 adaptor.

the 'get you going' included aerial was crap, so tried a glass mount kinetic DEGA aerial. this lost signal regularly in town, so tried a mag mount next. http://www.dabonwheels.co.uk/Kinetic_MagnetwiG__DMA-1004_DAB_car_aerial.html

i really didnt want cable trailing over my roof, but i thought ill tidy it up as best i can if it works better, which it did.

so...... im sorted now, for around £70. the good thing about the clarity unit for me is that it sends out its own fm signal and wen you switch it on it tells you what to turn your car stereo to, to get its signal. so i can either plug it into my aux, or if i didnt have one, the fm stereo will pick its signal up on 87.5. i use aux as i beleive cable is probably better than over the waves, even though i cant tell the difference.

ive experimented with the aerial either close to the top of the windscreen for minimal cable showing (cable tucks nicely around the edge of windscreen and into car near the wing mirrors and then hidden away with no hassle) or on the hatch near the rear wiper (again, cable tucks along the rear glass, up the side and in at the top corner where i can hide it along the inside, down side of seats and to the unit which i keep hidden in armrest cubbyhole.

both areas are fine, at the moment its on the hatch, if it plays up ill stick it on the roof, but its fine at present.

as this unit can be used with any car stereo, and the aerials magnetic, if i was to use the works van, itd be no problem bringing the whole unit with me in that. its just a couple of minutes untucking cable, chucking it on front seat of van, aerial stuck to roof and away i go again.

so....... im sorted :-)

thanks for all your advice on this, and i hope it might help someone else who's wondering how to set a system up.

cheers

[Richard A Thackeray]

I'm interested in this too, as I'm a fan of '6 Music' too, in a particular 'Radcliffe & Maconie', 'Marc Riley', 'Cerys Matthews' & 'Tom Ravenscroft'.

I've even been sitting here listening to Thursdays 'R&M' on iPlayer

[greenstripe]

I have Halford's own Sonichi S1000 -a very similar product to the Pure Highway but smaller and better looking in my opinion -it comes with an external magnetic aerial -which I'm sure makes a lot of other road users worry that I'm an unmarked police car as they slow down and won't overtake me when I'm doing 60 on the inside lane of the motorway.

The unit works very well and I have it stashed in my glovebox, of course that means that I can't change stations etc while on the move but that's probably not a bad thing -I have MDI port with tones of music and there's always the FM. I hate having the aerial on my roof and am thinking of trying one of those ones that sticks to the inside of the windscreen

[sadexpunk]

I have Halford's own Sonichi S1000 -a very similar product to the Pure Highway but smaller and better looking in my opinion -it comes with an external magnetic aerial -which I'm sure makes a lot of other road users worry that I'm an unmarked police car as they slow down and won't overtake me when I'm doing 60 on the inside lane of the motorway.

The unit works very well and I have it stashed in my glovebox, of course that means that I can't change stations etc while on the move but that's probably not a bad thing -I have MDI port with tones of music and there's always the FM. I hate having the aerial on my roof and am thinking of trying one of those ones that sticks to the inside of the windscreen

i see youre in lincoln mate, same as me :-) you may struggle with an internal aerial then. some areas seem to be fine with them but lincolns not sposed to be so hot, and that was certainly borne out with my trials. lincoln city centre was awful some days, i just had to knock it back onto fm and listen to radio 1 :-/

not sure what an mdi port is, but prob the same as ive got on the clarity. im thinking of getting one of those little 8Gb sansa clips and connecting that to the unit too so its all stashed in the armrest.

how've you routed your cables by the way (both unit and aerial), id be interested to hear.

cheers

Edited 6 May, 2012 by sadexpunk

[greenstripe]

The MDI (Media Device Interface) is a VAG unit that is fitted in the below the glovebox in a Fabia which allows you to plug memory sticks, hard drives and iPods etc and control them from the factory fitted stereo -it's a paid for option on most Skodas but comes as standard on my Greenline.

With regards to cable routing -I have the aerial mounted at the back of the roof on the passenger side, the cable runs in to the boot and I've tucked it in to the headliner and then down the windscreen pillar to the glovebox. I have a Parrot handsfree which has various plugs for USB/iPod etc which are in the glovebox -I use the Parrot's USB to power the DAB unit. I'm listening to the DAB via FM broadcast as the line in on my Fabia is in a silly place, the Parrot has line in but the sound quality is not as good this way.

I spend a lot of time in London and driving up and down the country so the signal has to be pretty robust.