Installing an antenna.

[Periscope]

Norway is closing down the FM network resulting in we have to innstall DAB+ adapters to maintain radio listening. I have bought an adapter set including a front-window antenna. The antenna needs groundig . How do I remove the trim on the a-post do get in touch with "metal". ? It is in a 2013 Yeti.

[g6zru]

Are you sure that the antenna needs grounding? The windscreen type antenna  that I have used have been grounded via the DAB adapter. My experience of the w/s type of antenna, based only on the UK DAB system, you would be better advised to fit a "proper" DAB antenna. Your system in Norway may be more efficient so it would be a case of try it and see.

 

Fred

[Rustynuts]

You'll get a much better signal with an OEM roof mounted DAB antenna. I fitted one to my Yeti.

[Urrell]

7 hours ago, Periscope said:

I have bought an adapter set including a front-window antenna. The antenna needs groundig . How do I remove the trim on the a-post do get in touch with "metal"

If it's the magnetic type of ground why not pull down the roof trim to put it onto the roof.

[Periscope]

The anenna is a tiny strip of wire with double sided tape. it is attached to a kind of active devise (a black box). From this goes the antenna cable and the copper grounding which should be put in touch with the car framework. The antenna should be glued to the window, and the cable led along the a-pole preferably behind the trim, down to under the glove compartement and then to the adapter. Thats why I want to remove the a-pole trim.

[Periscope]

I am not going to buy a roof-top antenna. I am just asking how to remove the plastic trimming on the passenger side a-pole. It is clipped on, but I cant figure out where to start un-clipping and how the clips are secured. Anybody who can help me ?

[Urrell]

Violent disassembly of the upper trim panel for pillar A threatens the risk of triggering the head airbag.
Removing:
–
Unclip the trim panel for pillar A from the pillar proceeding from the top down to the bottom.

[Periscope]

Thanks a lot Urrell. I guess I will dis-connect the battery to avoid triggering the air-bag. Do I risk anything by doing so  ?

[Rustynuts]

1 hour ago, Periscope said:

I am not going to buy a roof-top antenna. I am just asking how to remove the plastic trimming on the passenger side a-pole.

As you wish. I just thought you might want to know that a roof mounted antenna will give you much better reception than a screen mounted stick on type. I tried the screen mounted one and it was crap, changed for a roof mount and it's poles apart in reception quality, so just consider it before you go to all the trouble of a screen mount to find it doesn't perform as you want it to.

[Urrell]

Should be no problems doing that, you may get a few errors on dash but they should disappear within a few yards of driving.

[Periscope]

Just now, Rustynuts said:

As you wish. I just thought you might want to know that a roof mounted antenna will give you much better reception than a screen mounted stick on type. I tried the screen mounted one and it was crap, changed for a roof mount and it's poles apart in reception quality, so just consider it before you go to all the trouble of a screen mount to find it doesn't perform as you want it to.

Most Norwegian cars from before 2014 will drive around with adapters and window mounted antennas. We all buy them, even car workshops install them (at a high price). The FM netwoork is closing completely down as from this summer. The government has promised a 98% coverage using window antennas. 

[g6zru]

I really wish you success with your project. Most of the comments here are based on experience with the UK DAB system and hopefully you will get better results than we do.  I also hope your government is accurate in it's coverage estimates and your topography is suitable for their "promise". DAB is a "line of sight" type of transmission and doesn't like valleys, so I also hope your country is flat! 

 

Fred

[Periscope]

5 hours ago, g6zru said:

I really wish you success with your project. Most of the comments here are based on experience with the UK DAB system and hopefully you will get better results than we do.  I also hope your government is accurate in it's coverage estimates and your topography is suitable for their "promise". DAB is a "line of sight" type of transmission and doesn't like valleys, so I also hope your country is flat! 

 

Fred

I hope so too. Norway is absolutely not flat, on the contrary. So we need a lot of transmitters. We get them inside tunnels too. In Norway we get DAB+ , though I dont know its advantage over DAB. A good coverage is important for road security too. Traffic interruptions are announced by the major broadcasters. If I have had a 2016 model like you, the DAB+ would have been factory installed 

[mattlittle]

Does removing

17 hours ago, Periscope said:

Thanks a lot Urrell. I guess I will dis-connect the battery to avoid triggering the air-bag. Do I risk anything by doing so  ?

Airbag systems usually have a back up battery that can still trigger the system when the main battery is disconnected. 

 

Various websites advise leaving at least 30 minutes between disconnecting the battery and doing anything that might trigger the system. 

 

I'd leave it overnight and still be very careful!

[kenfowler3966]

I have had that piece of trim on and off several times to fit the aerial for radio reception to my earlier SatNav on two different Yetis.

I didnt even consider the risk of the airbag going off!

[Periscope]

Thanks to everybody on Skoda forum for the help. The antenna and the adapter are now ready installed and working. When I knew where the clips were located it was no big deal at all. I opened up the dash side panel (where the fuse box are located on the other side) to find a way for the cable. Power from the lighter socket isn't the most elegant, but it works. The adapter sends signal on FM and I use the ordinary radio to receive it - the display shows "DAB mode". The adapter shows station and program information. Now I can listen to "NRK-always news" or Sports, Weather or Jazz or whatever my intersts are.

Disconnecting the battery resulted in the trip-counter were re-set and some error messages on the dash, but they disappered after some minutes. The only thing I had to do were setting the clock.

[erstokke]

And how did you get the cable past the glove compartment? I am trying to install a Kenwood dab in my Yeti.

Edited 23 June, 2017 by erstokke

[Urrell]

2 hours ago, erstokke said:

And how did you get the cable past the glove compartment? I am trying to install a Kenwood dab in my Yeti.

I take it yours is left hand drive too, is your fuse box on the left.
What are you trying to get past the glove compartment for?
If you remove the 2 torx screws in the box on top of the dash you will see there is quite a lot of room under there.

[Periscope]

First of all: my DAB adapter with the window antenna is working perfect  in the areas I am driving. Even in tunnels.

When i had the plastic trimming removed I could slip the antenna cable down. Removing the plastic panel opposite of the fuse box, I could lead it on downwards and put it under the front end of the floor cover. Then I pushed it under the plastic cover on the side of the gear-tunnel. It could certainly have been more elegant, but it is good enough for me.

[erstokke]

13 hours ago, Urrell said:

I take it yours is left hand drive too, is your fuse box on the left.
What are you trying to get past the glove compartment for?
If you remove the 2 torx screws in the box on top of the dash you will see there is quite a lot of room under there.

I have the antenna on the right side (passenger side) of the car - where the clove compartment is on my car. On the driver’s side (fusebox side) I am doing the same thing with a handsfree microphone. What I am trying to do, is to get these two cables into where the radio sits (not a DAB adapter, I am changing the whole radio).

[Brigt]

On ‎24‎.‎06‎.‎2017 at 09:22, erstokke said:

I have the antenna on the right side (passenger side) of the car - where the clove compartment is on my car. On the driver’s side (fusebox side) I am doing the same thing with a handsfree microphone. What I am trying to do, is to get these two cables into where the radio sits (not a DAB adapter, I am changing the whole radio).

Did you replace the original intergrated type radio in your Yeti with a DAB+ unit? 

 

[Periscope]

Brigt, I use the original radio and also the hands-free on the original radio (via blue-tooth). Evrything works like before, on an incoming phone-call the radio will mute down.  In the radios display I read "DAB-mode" and the frequency I have chosen for sending from the adapter to the radio. On the adapters display I can read the name the station, programinfo and so on.

[erstokke]

Brief update: I have changed the original Swing radio with a Kenwood 7000 2-Din Dab radio.

 

1) I installed the window screen antenna that came with the radio. The airbag cover is fasted with springs had to be lifted upwards.

2) I mounted the handsfree mic on the drivers side and just tucked the cable under the side of the airbag cover.

3) Removed the old radio

4) I used a thick isolated copper wire to "fish" the mic and antenna cables from the side compartments (fuse box) into the radio compartment.

5) Installed the new radio with an installation kit (frame and wiring) that I bought with the radio.

6) It works! Did it yesterday, so it is too early to tell if the window screen antenna is good enough.