Okay, the Blaupunkt Bolero from a 2011 Octy is in my '58 L&K, it fits as a direct replacement for my Audience h/u with no need of a new fascia, it all works with no issues apart from the known lack of PDC & climate control display, buuuuuut....

at this point I was pretty sure I just needed the following Fakra connector from the Polish dude...

but when I pulled out my Audience it has a DOUBLE old school fitting and with two cables flapping around in the space, NOT what I assumed would be a single one...

Now do I need the above fakra connnector or this OTHER one which appears to be just a double variant...??

It never rains but it pours!

Oh, and if it's the double connector one, does it make any difference which way one goes in which as the connectors sockets look generic, although admittedly the connectors on the end of the cables in the car are colour coordinated with the sockets on the back of the Audience. I was planning on just trying it one way then the other unless anyone had any ideas?

Bummer! I assume no-one has 'the knowledge' then?! :(

Brown is the diversity. None of the dual FAKRA leads I've seen had the correct spacing.

White is usually FM and has 'phantom power' for the aerial amp.

Brown is often second aerial (FM/AM), possibly Diversity function. It could also be Webasto heater though (but not connected to a HU.

Spacing between the two plugs looks too wide for the adapters. Try plugging two FAKRA connectors in side by side. It might fit.

Rereading your question: were there two aerial leads connected to your old stereo?

If so, plug the white on to the 'inner' connector on the Bolero and the brown one to the outer. If it's the same as a Columbus, the inner one is FM/TMC (no TMC on the Bolero) and the outer is FM/AM. Basically back to front of your old stereo.

Remove the plastic adapters if you need space to get them both on at the same time.

Worst case scenario, you get poor reception and need to swap the cables over again.

Spacing between the two plugs looks too wide for the adapters. Try plugging two FAKRA connectors in side by side. It might fit.

May be reading this wrong, but I'm getting the impression you're thinking that the picture above is the connector of the Bolero, NOT the Audience i've just taken out? The white Fakra block will fit fine on the Bolero as it look like this...

I just don't know how to plug the existing cables currently awaiting in my car, which were plugged into .the Audience in the picture previously.

At least I think that's what you're thinking?

Retreading your question: we're there two aerial leads connected to your old stereo?

If so, plug the white on to the 'inner' connector on the Bolero and the brown one to the outer. If it's the same as a Columbus, the inner one is FM/TMC (no TMC on the Bolero) and the outer is FM/AM. Basically back to front of your old stereo.

Remove the plastic adapters if you need space to get them both on at the same time.

Worst case scenario, you get poor reception and need to swap the cables over again.

Yeah, i'm figuring if it IS a case of i'd be better off with the double cable kit, if it doesn't work one way, it'll work the other.

Trouble is i'm not sure if I have to get the double one to utilise both cables which were previously plugged into the Audience of whether it's just the single one which therefore makes one of the cables redundant in the hole where the stereo lives??

Sorry guys, bit confused by the questions/comments, wondering if you could clarify?...

As i've said, there are two cables which previously were both plugged into my AUdience h/u, currently flapping around in the gaping hole in my car. They have the same type of connector as the blue ones in the adaptors in the photos (although the OEM ones are colour coded to match the picture to avoid mistake and also have small 'sighting blades' on the shaft at different point (can just be made out on the photot at 4 o'clock on the white one, 1 0'clock on the beige one) for that same reason, althought the blue ones are blank and should fit either/both, negating this 'safety' feature), but I just don't know from what's been said as to whether I need to get the double adaptor so that BOTH cables are plugged in, one in each, or whether I need the single one in the other picture which in essence would mean that one cable would be left redundant in the gap at the back behind the stereo?

Since the Bolero upgrade seems to be mainly done to Stream/Swing/Dance stereos and NOT an Audience, can anyone who's done it from one of those units confirm whether they have one OR two cables going into the back of them (as opposed to the two I have), as at this moment i'm guessing that there IS just one which means my query/problem isn't there, as you obviously would just need the 'single - fakra' adaptor as there's no other possibility of wiring making it very much easier?

I'll get there eventually, but GAAAH!!

Okay found a picture of the rear of a stream unit from one being sold on ebay.

Hopefully we can all now see that my unit is different in that it has TWO connectors on the bottom left corner, whereas the Stream (and by association, I reckon the Dance & Swing) only has the white one, and there's just a hole where mine has the beige connector where it's probably mass manufactured for all the stereos.

So. This would indicate that if I got the single adaptor kit, I should plug it into the WHITE connector, but would I be better off with a double connector and doing one in each?

Dunno if it makes any difference, as i've seen mention of this in other threads, but my car is an estate and i'm not sure if that means I have a second aerial or not in the rear side screen where all the orange wiring in the glass looks like the rear heating element on the rear windscreen? Is this of any relevance?!

Edited 22 June, 201214 yr by blackspaven

Stream only has one. Bolero & Columbus have two. Audience we know has two as you have shown us.

The second aerial on an estate is in the rear side window and does look like a demister. In cars that have two window aerial (not yours) the OS is generally FM (white) and the NS is FM/AM (beige).

Get the double connector and plug the white aerial cable into the one nearest the centre of the head unit and the brown one into the other one.

Simples.

So is that a 100%er on getting the double connector adaptor then?? It's what I thought was obvious but i'm the skeptical type which is why I'm checking.

What's the beige cable doing then? FM/AM?

No, I'm not 100%! I don't have an Audience and a Bolero to try...

Based upon this information:

You have two aerials: One on the roof and one in the rear side window;

Behind your current (Audience) HU there are teo aerial cables: One has a white FAKRA female socket and one has beige FAKRA female socket;

You are fitting a Bolero unit in place of the Audience unit.

If the above is correct:

buy the double connector in your earlier post;

Plug this into the Bolero;

Plug the beige aerial lead into the connector on the left (as you look at the back of the Bolero);

Plug the white aerial lead into the one on the right (as above).

I'm pretty sure you will get good reception from this. If not, pull the HU back out and swap the aerial leads over.

You won't do any damage getting the leads the wrong way round. So try it. I'm 90% confident based upon my experiences with other HU's.

If you are anywhere near Bromyard (between Hereford & Worcester) drop by and I'll do it for you...

Failing that, take the rear glass out and swap with mine which doesn't have two aerials. This will simplify things for you and I'll have two aerials for my Columbus!

Hah, no i'm good for wiring it all up thanks for offering, just wanna check i'm buying the right adaptor first time round instead of finding out it's the wrong one and i've got to shell another 20 notes for ANOTHER one, that's all.

Have figured that as the double cable adaptors are all advertised for RDS510 and other VAG radios, but Skoda isn't generally mentioned, it probably IS the best one for the job, but that the Audience h/u might be an anomoly within the Skoda range if it's the only one that has two connectors on the back.

Just trying to avoid extra expense, but I don't think anyone has done this yet so I get the impression i'm unlikely to find someone who can confirm the double adaptor definitely IS the one to get over the single, based purely on experience.

Common sense dictates to get the double, but common sense doesn't always apply to cars!

You have two aerial leads - The Bolero has two aerial sockets!

Get the double connector.

erm, that doesn't make sense! Both of those pictured adaptors will fit the Bolero so it's irrelevent that the Bolero has two sockets as everything that fits into it will use that type of connector.

It's the OTHER end, the bit that plugs into the existing leads, that I'm trying to find out whether I need one connector per lead or both into one lead as you would use on the Stream/Dance/Swing. As I said, common sense would make one assume that you need the double cos there's two leads, but just cos there's two leads, without knowing what they definitely do, it doesn't mean that's what you have to plug them both in. It might be the case that you're supposed to only use one cable and that you need the merge type adaptor for it to work.

Been caught out like that several times before which is why i'm hesitant without someone saying they DO know 100% or as near as damnit what the leads do! Otherwise it's just guessing and I wouldn't have asked on here in the first place.

Without knowing for sure, there's a possibilty that cos ALL the other stereos only have the white connector, that it's THAT lead which carries the only signal, and by not getting the single ended/merge adaptor, i'm cutting my supply by 50% or more cos I need that signal to go to BOTH sides of the Bolero end adaptor, and the double adaptor only goes one lead per side cos it's not merged, therefore one socket on the Bolero wouldn't get anything and possibly not work.

Not trying to be a pain, but you can see the logic in my thinking, otherwise i'd have just bought the double straight away.

Chances are I DO need and will get the double, just rather not have to possibly buy both, one after the other if the double DIDN'T work, and have one sitting useless in my shed!

Two in's and two out's!

The second one in your first post.

Otherwise you will only be using one aerial on the car and (even if you use the first single to double connector, you will still get an 'open circuit' fault in a VCDS scan.

I don't think you'll find anyone who has done EXACTLY what you are doing.

FAKRA colour code across VAG car is pretty standard. White is FM and beige is either FM/AM or Webbasto depending upon shade of brown.

There is no point in wasting one of your aerials and getting an open circuit fault when you have two aerials fitted.

If you go down that route I'll have the glass mounted aerial window off you for my car.

You should plug both of your factory fitted aerial leads into the new Bolero using the connector that has two green connectors and one double white connector.

I've said above which way round to plug them.

If you want to cover all postage costs I've got one sat in my drawer which you can borrow to try if you are anywhere near Bromyard.

I can't do any more than that..

THIRD PICTURE FIRST POST.

BUY THAT ONE.

FAKRA colour code across VAG car is pretty standard. White is FM and beige is either FM/AM or Webbasto depending upon shade of brown.

That's the bit I was trying to definitively clarify out, so if you're confident that's what they do, then that's enough for me! It's a fairly safe bet it's not webasto as there's no reason I can think of why Skoda would wire a heater to the stereo?!

What you're saying made snese, and I agree with you, but I just wanted someone to confirm what the leads did so I knew what we were plugging to & from on this thing.

Thanks for the offer, but i'll just buy the double one in that case cos there's probably little diffference in cost between getting it sent here and back and buying it outright.

Annoyingly, i've just been out to have a look at the connections, and I didn't realise that they're exactly the same, it's just the bloody plastic shroud that's stopping me from plugging them straight in! Yes, I could break them off to expose the connectors but I'm not gonna just in case I want to replace the Audience at some point.

Okay, been doing some homework. Have a look about halfway down this page and it gives what the general industry standard uses are for various types of Fakra connectors. The plugs I have are type B (white) and type I (beige). Is it a fair assumption that the beige lead is for Bluetooth?? It states it's also used for 'remote control auxhillary heating' which would tie in with your comment about Webasto.

http://www.imscs.com/smba.html

Edited 23 June, 201214 yr by blackspaven

Does your car have Bluetooth fitted? If not, then its not a Bluetooth connector.

Why would the aerial connect direct to the HU? GSM aerials need to connect to the Bluetooth module which connects to the ISO block behind the HU.

VAG cars also use beige for FM/AM where two aerials are connected.

I stripped a Touran to get to the aerial cables and amplifiers. See this picture ('natur' is the 'foreign' way of saying natural - or light brown / beige).

This listing of FAKRA connector colours shows that beige/curry is for Radio with IF (to read up on IF, then look at this link on Wikipedia.

The FAKRA colours are just general guidelines and are not a fixed system of usage across or even within all manufacturers (unfortunately).

For less than £10 delivered, why don't you just get one and try it for yourself. Then, hopefully, you will be convinced.

Nope, but I can only run with the information I have available and as I don't know how bluetooth is wired in, that didn't seem a ridiculous idea that it may have that wire connected. The climatronic is wired up to have an on/off button, but it's been disabled with a 2mm bit of plastic. Doesn't mean it's not there. To the second point, as I said, don't know how bluetooth is wired, but I DO know it works in relation with the radio so it's not a daft assumption that there might be a link, although thanks to your last post that's ruled out as improbable. Nice & easy.

Yeah, i'm used to things not being exactly as stated in industry standard, but the curry one in your picture is not the same connector on the cable (blade things are completely wrong, it's only the colour that's vaguely close), so I dismissed that as type I is exactly the right colour & blade combo and since it said bluetooth, it seemed a fair shot.

Now that bluetooth is ruled out, it looks like VAG must be using it for different means, so that's cool.

Cheers for the help.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/82975-radio-aerial-in-os-rear-window-lk-estate/page__hl__%2Baerial

Post no.8 seems pretty confident.

After all that, I followed the logic on here and in my head and can confirm the couble one works fine. As if that wasn't enough, it seems that it makes little or no difference which connector goes to which cable!

Bloody typical!

It will make a difference!

The right hand one handles FM/TMC, the left hand one FM/AM (at least it does on a Columbus).

If you live in an area with good signal strength and don't listen to FM, then you probably won't notice much difference.

Try driving around rural Herefordshire and you will notice drop outs and fuzziness on FM reception.

So just to clarify, does the white cable go to the left or right hand side of the bolero double connector when you look at it from the rear of the unit?