hello everyone, new to this forum, hope someone can throw some light on a problem i have with my radio. Last week i could receive all channels on my radio nice and clear, both local (hampshire) and radio 1,2 etc. Yesterday i could only get radio 1,2 & classic but not the local radio stations just static, after about 20 mins of driving the local stations came back on,got home turned engine off.Today same problem no local radio stations only radio 1 &2 but this time after being out for a couple of hours still no local channels.Anyone got any idea what the problem may be. plus my Navigation disc is scratched and not doing as it should where is the best place to buy one. thanks for any help.

dawn

You don't say how old your car is, but if its over a few years old your problem sounds very like a failed amplified antenna base.

A very common fault on these cars. Depending on your radio, you can press the menu button for 10 seconds to enter a hidden menu which shows the status of the amplified aerial.

A new amplified roof antenna is about £35 from the dealer, and someone half handy with a spanner (who has patients...it's a fiddly job) could easily change the antenna.

Edited 13 January, 201313 yr by booke23

sorry its a 2006 octavia 2ltr vrs.

Then the amplified antenna has to be the prime suspect.

hi again, just checked radio unit cant find menu button anywhere, anyone any idea where it will be. Taking it to skoda to see if techs know whats wrong. If it needs another aerial which one should i get.

dawn

What radio do you have?....you can't do the menu trick on all radios.

It works on my Stream which looks like this:

If you can't do it, Skoda or someone with VCDS can scan your car for fault codes, as a failed antenna amplifier will produce a fault code.

My antenna failed a while ago and I just replaced it with the exact same model from the dealer. This one:

hi again, had a friend look at the back of the radio unit, the aerial wire connected to the jack plug looks a mess with the outer sheath a everywhere,looks like it needs re doing. How easy is it to reconnect the wire to the plug, is it similar to a tv connector. thanks

dawn

I'm afraid I can't help you there as I've never had to rewire one.

I imagine it is a coaxial type cable, so similar to a TV aerial. In theory, you could buy a replacement jack plug, cut the old one off and wire the new one on.

You don't say how old your car is, but if its over a few years old your problem sounds very like a failed amplified antenna base.

A very common fault on these cars. Depending on your radio, you can press the menu button for 10 seconds to enter a hidden menu which shows the status of the amplified aerial.

A new amplified roof antenna is about £35 from the dealer, and someone half handy with a spanner (who has patients...it's a fiddly job) could easily change the antenna.

What does it take and how, to get to the inside of the roof to unbolt the antenna.

after a lot of pfaffing about going to halfords, car shops etc, finally found out i need a male fakra connector which seems no one has, even the dealer who only sell the complete aerial kit for £47. Ive looked on ebay but splicing the end of the aerial wire onto a male fakra seems confusing and there are so many types to choose from i dont even know were to start.

dawn

What does it take and how, to get to the inside of the roof to unbolt the antenna.

You use a sturdy flat screwdriver to prise the plastic trim panel off at the top of the boot opening. You can then put your hand in between the head lining and the roof to access the antenna.

You can't really see much of the antenna base, but you can feel it and there is enough space (just) to get a 22mm spanner in there and remove the nut at the base of the antenna and remove it from the roof. There's about a foot of cable on the antenna base with a plug on the end....this plugs in just about where your hand goes into the headlining and is easy to unplug and plug in again.

Fitting the new antenna is the reverse of the above, but it's fiddly as you have to hold the antenna while at the same time try to screw the nut on to the bottom of it, one handed and blind......it can be frustrating!

It's easy to break the clips that hold the trim on, so I'd also be tempted to get some spare trim clips before you attempt removal.

after a lot of pfaffing about going to halfords, car shops etc, finally found out i need a male fakra connector which seems no one has, even the dealer who only sell the complete aerial kit for £47. Ive looked on ebay but splicing the end of the aerial wire onto a male fakra seems confusing and there are so many types to choose from i dont even know were to start.

dawn

Something like this must be what you're after:- http://www.co-star.co.uk/prod/3613/fakra-black-male-rg58-analogue-radio.html

Cheers booke.

hi all looked at the fakra on the co star, it looks the right shape and size. Ive got 2 fakra ports on the back of my unit, i dont know if this is related but the map of my gps has gone awol, is one of these fakra ports used to produce the map and one for the radio. sorry if i sound thick but its very confusing. By the way can you get twin coloured fakra leads.

dawn

hi all looked at the fakra on the co star, it looks the right shape and size. Ive got 2 fakra ports on the back of my unit, i dont know if this is related but the map of my gps has gone awol, is one of these fakra ports used to produce the map and one for the radio. sorry if i sound thick but its very confusing. By the way can you get twin coloured fakra leads.

dawn

It's possible the other socket is for the GPS antenna, which may explain the lack of maps. Was there a cable plugged into both sockets when the radio was removed?

the aerial wire had a kind of spade connector rigged up to it, some botch up job which had the end of the aerial wire through it with a lot of insulating tape wrapped around the spade connector and around both fakras so it might have been connected to both fakras i just dont know. All im left with is the end of the aerial wire ie the centre core, the plastic coating surrounding it, the wire sheath and plastic outer covering a bit like a tv aerial before you put the connector on which goes into the back of your tv. I need a connector to attach to the aerial wire and maybe a double male fakra to connect to the back of the unit. any ideas

been browsing on the internet would i be right in thinking i need a motorola connector at the end of the aerial wire and a twin fakra with a connector attached to it which would fit the motorola connector.

You might be better off asking in the ICE section.

There is a thread there at the moment that you may find useful: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/261897-aerial-connector-broken/