Ok so I have 2 mk1 octavia vRS's now.

1st is an 02 plate and the 2nd is a 54 plate.

Neither of them have the standard radio fitted anymore.

The 02 plate has good radio reception, I don't have any issue's with it at all.

The 54 plate has terrible radio reception, but I don't know why.

I removed the stereo from the 54 plate and it didn't have the inline booster fitted between the aerial and the head unit, so I fitted the 1 that was used in the 02 plate vrs.

This didn't make any difference, so I then swapped the head units over too, but again nothing has changed, the 02 plate still has good reception, and the 54 plate still isn't good.

When I was checking for fault codes, the 54 plate keeps throwing up an error about no responce from radio controller (or something similar), but the 02 plate doesn't throw up this fault.

The only other difference that I can see between them (in the radio department) is that the 54 has had the cd changer removed, but it is still in the 02 plate.

Will this make any difference to the radio module and inturn cause poor radio reception ?

Hi there,

The aerial has a built-in booster within the base of the bee-sting - that's what you are trying to replace using the in-line booster behind the head-unit. However, the bee sting base can be subject to water ingress which basically corrodes the circuit within it and degardes the signal from the aerial to the head-unit. If this happens there is no signal and nothing to boost so no radio...

The only solution is a new aerial...

Hi there,

The aerial has a built-in booster within the base of the bee-sting - that's what you are trying to replace using the in-line booster behind the head-unit. However, the bee sting base can be subject to water ingress which basically corrodes the circuit within it and degardes the signal from the aerial to the head-unit. If this happens there is no signal and nothing to boost so no radio...

The only solution is a new aerial...

Thanks for the info

I had a pretty poor reception as well, just changed to an alpine unit and has improved slightly. But i have also bought a new aeriel to fit as well to make it as best i can although not fitted yet!

For info skoda-parts.com were cheapest for genuine part at £27.95 i think it was.

I had a pretty poor reception as well, just changed to an alpine unit and has improved slightly. But i have also bought a new aeriel to fit as well to make it as best i can although not fitted yet!

For info skoda-parts.com were cheapest for genuine part at £27.95 i think it was.

Thanks for the info, I am off to the dealer next tuesday for coilpack recall, so was going to ask them for a price then.