Hi everybody

 

I have just place an order for a new Yeti 1.2TSI SE in business grey

 

The only option I am considering is the DAB radio option, I hear people refer to issues with the coverage

 

What are peoples experience? I assume you get DAB and FM in the unit if you take this option?

 

Should I purchase to future proof the radio ? £135 well spent?

 

 

I've updated my RNS510 to a DAB one and wouldn't be without it. the odd lack of signal is nothing much to worry about considering the better choice of stations.

Great, you can listen to Test Match Cricket on Radio 5 Live Extra.... :sun:

I'm very happy that I added it as an option, I think it sounds much better.
As analogue radio should have finished last year the changeover is running very late, not helped by it still being an option.
I think it should be standard, then it would not cost much at all.

Depends where you live. DAB around here is almost non-existent.

 

And the change over to "all DAB" has been shelved at the moment due to problems with the system, as DAB+ is now the common usage in Europe, and the difficulty of getting adequate coverage in some parts of the country.

For sports commentary channels like 5live and talksport

DAB is a must-have these days.

Great selection of stations including some not available on FM .

My yeti se outdoor came with upgrades including Sat nav and DAB.

Still get FM and AM of course.along with SD and USB readers. giving plenty of choice.

Down in the southwest DAB is fairly good and offers a good selection of radio stations not on the FM band.

IMO I would get the DAB just for the choice of stations which FM hasn't got

Do agree with your heading/title, it should be standard and not a chargeable extra!

Edited 31 January, 201610 yr by Defenderben

I have a DAB in my L&K it is rubbish. It keeps cutting out, tuneing back  to FM or no signal at all .Dealer say there is nothing wrong with the radio

I have a DAB in my L&K it is rubbish. It keeps cutting out, tuneing back  to FM or no signal at all .Dealer say there is nothing wrong with the radio

Have you done a manual search on DAB stations on a local MUX?

Could it be the radio has searched for stations in another part of the country and is trying to get reception from distant transmitters?

There must be lots of local or national coverage in Birmingham.

Our BMW and previous mini both have DAB. Good coverage here in Cornwall but the signal is 'all or nothing' so it does cut out in the odd dip. Sound wise, it's not really different to FM, but the extra metadata is useful. I don't listen to 5 live but if you do, it's a 'no brainer'. Also worth finding out what the signal strength is like where you live/drive.

Would I pay extra for it simply to 'future proof' the car? Not unless I planned to keep it for 4 - 5 years, by when the switchover dates may be confirmed. And I know I never manage to keep a car that long! Anyway, come the switch over, there will be a load of retrofit options available.

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I have it in my octavia, I leave it on FM due to the better coverage.

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Hi everybody

 

I have just place an order for a new Yeti 1.2TSI SE in business grey

 

The only option I am considering is the DAB radio option, I hear people refer to issues with the coverage

 

What are peoples experience? I assume you get DAB and FM in the unit if you take this option?

 

Should I purchase to future proof the radio ? £135 well spent?

Congrats - I like the DAB option and find it works well. Yes, it's overpriced (vs cost to Skoda) but all options are profit-enhancers. If negotiating with / buying from a dealer you could ask them to throw in the extra 12-speaker option to make it a reasonable value option!

I use DAB all the time, BBC Radio 6 Music and World Service.

I'd also recommend the fold flat front seat - greatly improves the ability to move things. Gives you 8 foot of interior space.

I have a DAB in my L&K it is rubbish. It keeps cutting out, tuneing back  to FM or no signal at all .Dealer say there is nothing wrong with the radio

I too find DAB coverage around parts of Birmingham hit and miss. The sound quality on FM is better for music as a lot of the DAB radio stations use lower bit rates while speech sounds fine e.g. sports commentary on 5live.

Cheers,

Andrew

I've had DAB in three cars now and never use it. I also prefer to listen to music on FM or via the SD card. Got it because it came as part of the sat nav spec.

 

Glad I've got it though just in case I need it though as said the switchover date keeps being put off and it may be the wrong sort of DAB!

Depends on what you listen to and what your reception is like.

For my needs, it is utterly hopeless.

YMMV

In the short time I've had my Yeti, I've been very impressed by the DAB. I did the auto-tune thing on the dealer forecourt in Preston when I picked the car up, then listened to a mix of Kiss, Radio 5 Live & 6 Music for the whole journey home (Mid-Wiltshire). I lost reception once for about 10-15 seconds (somewhere around the M50 Ross-on-Wye turn off?) and it came back without me having to touch anything. No annoying staccato at signal strength threshold; it just fades out and then back in again when signal is restored. Very clear reception, quick tuning between channels using the presets. I haven't even bothered to retune to the local MUX and it worked fine on trips to London and Reading. For radio stations where the only alternative is on AM frequencies, it's fantastic.

Had it on my Golf. Live in West Central Scotland - reverted back to FM 80% of time so up here a waste of money. 

Had it on my Golf. Live in West Central Scotland - reverted back to FM 80% of time so up here a waste of money. 

 

Rubbish.

 

DAB works well very covering most of central Scotland with only the occasional drop out.

I am so impressed with the DAB in our Yeti that I'm retro-fitting DAB into our other cars.I could not live without BBC 6 music now.

A DAB radio & Amundsen+ sat nav. came FOC on my Urban in 2012

I highly recommend it, listen to radio a lot - in car & at home (3 PURE DABs at home) - never had an issue with reception, & rarely use the FM/AM bands

 

Incidentally, the original  180mm bee sting radio  antenna just caught on a  neon light fitting in my garage when I first backed in, so I removed it (the antenna not the light!)

I plugged the hole in the shark fin with a 6mm screw to keep it weather proof, and the reception never faltered, but I eventually bought a short bee sting on-line for aesthetic reasons only.

 

Go for it, unless you know your in a blind spot, £135 well spent.

 

An alternative cheaper option would be to buy a DAB adaptor in conjunction with the standard radio, they start at about £50 but you would have to contend with power and antenna cables hanging off the dash - I'd go for the OE option! 

Edited 4 February, 201610 yr by Liobian

 

 

Incidentally, the original  180mm bee sting radio  antenna just caught on a  neon light fitting in my garage when I first backed in, so I removed it (the antenna not the light!)

I plugged the hole in the shark fin with a 6mm screw to keep it weather proof, and the reception never faltered, but I eventually bought a short bee sting on-line for aesthetic reasons only.

 

 

Isn't the DAB aerial in the rear window heater element (the vertical elements), not part of the roof mounted aerial?

Isn't the DAB aerial in the rear window heater element (the vertical elements), not part of the roof mounted aerial?

 

The car has two aerials, one on the roof and the other glass mounted. The headunit uses a combination of those aerials in diversity mode to get the best reception. If you remove the roof aerial the car will use only the glass mounted one, and so you lose the diversity function. If you were to look at the signal strength in VCDS one would say nothing and the other would show usual strength.

 

The DAB switchover in the UK is effectively cancelled, there is now no date set at all. Reason being, poor coverage and nobody is buying DAB radios. FM only radio sales continue to increase because of the lack of DAB reliability. The UK also needs to catchup with the rest of the EU and adopt DAB+, which is way better than the 1980s technology that has already been dumped by the rest of the EU.

Reason being, poor coverage and nobody is buying DAB radios.

 

Evidence?  Who am I to challenge a Super Moderator(!) but that is a sweeping statement - DAB radios are selling and the length and breadth of travelling in Scotland DAB reception has never let me down.  I can count on one hand how many times I have had to revert to FM reception in 3+ years of having a DAB equipped car.

 

I would agree that DAB pocket sized radios are battery guzzlers with FM only equivalents lasting way longer on a charge.  

 

So for me, use DAB in the car or have a power supply, on a wee handset with batteries get a FM model only.  Best of both worlds.

The car has two aerials, one on the roof and the other glass mounted.

 

Do Yeti's that come without DAB have the vertical aerial elements in the rear window?