DAB Now Available

[LeeHarrison]

As of tomorrow both Amundsen and Columbus units will be available with the long awaited DAB.

Prices as follows (but could be subject to change):

Amundsen

S Trim - £635

SE Trim - £535

Elegance Trim - £535 (would like a definite confirmation of this)

SE Plus Trim - £200

Columbus

SE and Elegance Trim - £1,630

MDI is now available @ £175 on S, SE and Elegance trims.

[Yeti_Man]

About bl00dy time! Thanks for the heads up!

[BossFox]

What about the rest of us that have already given thousands of pounds to Skoda?

Is there an upgrade available?

[Yeti_Man]

I'm guessing that's going to be a 'no'! :-(

[LeeHarrison]

What about the rest of us that have already given thousands of pounds to Skoda?

Is there an upgrade available?

I'm guessing that's going to be a 'no'! :-(

Don't shoot the messenger :no:

[kibby]

What about Bolero?

[Yeti_Man]

Don't shoot the messenger :no:

Id never do that. I appreciate getting the news so soon after hitting the dealers.

[P10ant]

Thanks for the heads up Preston Motors. Previously Amundsen was only available on SE Plus trim.

I am really interested in getting DAB added to my existing order. I have mailed my dealer to confirm the posiiton and then will ask nicely if they can add to my order.

I will keep you posted.

[BossFox]

Don't shoot the messenger :no:

I wasn't.

But what about a retrofit?

Is Skoda going to provide an option or will we be forced into using aftermarket kits and companies?

[LeeHarrison]

Not too sure Richard, I haven't read anything but there may be an option somewhere.

I'll have a search and let you know.

[Yeti_Man]

I doubt it very much as it'll probably be a number of additional chips soldered onto one the internal pcb's but id love to be proved wrong on his one. :-)

[Truthseeker]

Can somebody please explain what all the fuss is about re DAB?

I have it fitted as standard in my Urban, and I certainly would not pay anything to have it as an option, and certainly not pay between £200 and £1630 (OP figures quoted) to have it. I tried it once and was no better than normal FM. OK, I may be missing something here, but please explain (in layman's terms please) what is so special about DAB over FM?

The following pulled from another forum and states my case perfectly:

Quote

The use of DAB in cars has got to be a minute fraction of the radio market. Even the car manufacturers avoid it - there's no market for it. FM is too deeply entrenched and is a much cheaper technology without all the drawbacks of DAB: poor battery life on portables, poor reception, low quality signals through squeezing too many channels into the bandwidth, appalling time delay.

There's an enormous stockpile of FM, Short Wave and Medium Wave radios out there, with many people having more than one radio in the house. The cost of replacing all these, when there's a perfectly good system that doesn't require an expensive purchase, will always put people off.

DAB is a seriously flawed technology that is already badly showing its age, and other countries in Europe and elsewhere have decided to use alternative systems. Whatever the next technology is that the government decides to inflict on us, needs to be rolled out and let's just forget DAB - it's had its day and few are really interested.

I have a Roberts DAB/FM radio in the kitchen: DAB is never used. I've tried it and it just doesn't work for me. I like my FM radio in the kitchen, even with all the background hiss. I can still listen to a good broadcast through the Naim tuner in the lounge, and I'm pleased to know that it's given me ten years service and is highly likely to carry on until that fateful day when the FM signal is finally switched off. I've always been put off any kind of upgrade as the Naim tuner cost me £600. A replacement Naim tuner with DAB is around £2500 for something of similar quality. I'm not tempted!

[rockhopper]

I don't think it will be 'extra' those are the costs for a Columbus unit.

DAB means you can listen to many different radio stations like radio 4 extra or UCB inspirational to name 2 not available on FM. There are loads more.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JCP]

Test match special/end thread.

[Truthseeker]

Ok, thanks. But for the remaining 99% of us who are not interested in cricket etc...........??

I will stick to Radio 2 and 5 Live thanks.

[r999]

The government (probably not the present government, despite all the previous announcements about timings) that decides to switch off FM and so leave 25 million cars with non-functional radios will be a very brave government indeed.

[Truthseeker]

Agree!

[Macdemon]

As of tomorrow both Amundsen and Columbus units will be available with the long awaited DAB.

Prices as follows (but could be subject to change):

Amundsen

S Trim - £635

SE Trim - £535

Elegance Trim - £535 (would like a definite confirmation of this)

SE Plus Trim - £200

Columbus

SE and Elegance Trim - £1,630

MDI is now available @ £175 on S, SE and Elegance trims.

Hi Lee.

Is the MDI able to be retro fitted, and what enhancements will it off over & above the current GSM11 option???

[bargee1759]

A friend of mine has a DAB radio & as coverage isn't good at all around here, he says it only works well in his airing cupboard, & while my garage isn't much bigger, I can't get my Yeti up his stairs & fit it in there. I'll stick with FM ta! I have had sneaky looks at after market sytsems though, & their instructions say they won't work with a heated windscreen, so that's another reason why I'll have to stick with FM!

[j0hn]

Ok, thanks. But for the remaining 99% of us who are not interested in cricket etc...........??

I will stick to Radio 2 and 5 Live thanks.

An apathy towards a greater choice of listening. I have an RCD510DAB so I can listen to Absolute, 6Music, 4Extra, Planet Rock and XFM.

I am interested in a Coolumbus with DAB, but the cost is going to be a hurdle I think.

[Llanigraham]

Another who can't see the point, especially as the BBC say it is extremely unlikely we will ever get a good signal here, or in much of Mid Wales.

[The Plumber]

Would have liked the Amunsden to have been an option on the Yeti range from day one but again it's taken SUK years to get round to offering it. However the price seems a bit steep for replacing a bolero, as you pay the same price on a Fabia for replacing the cheaper Swing.

TP

[Sporky McGuffin]

There are far more DAB stations aligned with my musical interests than FM ones (the latter restricted to Radio 3 and 4), and reception where I live is pretty good.

Just one of those things that doesn't appeal to everyone, I suppose.

Personally I find the sound quality on DAB acceptable for the job - in the kitchen or in the car I think it'd be tricky to tell the difference between DAB and FM. The same may not be true sitting down in the living room with decent kit!

[900000]

Finally MDI for the Yeti! Only took them FOUR years to engineer the tray in front of the gear lever for RHD. Gosh.

Pity the Amundsen is such a runt of a machine. For sat nav and DAB it is a good price but I have never read any good reviews on that device in any VAG car.

[LeeHarrison]

Hi Lee.

Is the MDI able to be retro fitted, and what enhancements will it off over & above the current GSM11 option???

Morning Mac,

I am aware of Octavia owners retro fitting the MDI, but to my knowledge no Yetists have yet (correct me if I'm wrong).

To me the benefits of the MDI are minimal as I have all of my music etc saved to the phone and will stream it when needed, whereas some people will hold all of their music on iPods etc and leave the phone clear.

That is only my thoughts, and as mentioned in many many many threads, we're all different or it would be a boring place to live.

Lee