I bought new amundsend head unit for my skoda rapid. This unit now has support for DAB/navigation. My current antenna only has AM/FM support. I need to upgrade to better version to have everything that i need for new unit.

I was looking to upgrade to a newer design of antenna(shark fin design) which wasn't available on rapid but i saw one guy do it(https://www.drive2.ru/l/589837136962798927/). The problem is that his unit didn't have DAB support and so does this antena. I searched online and found out that newer cars with this antenna design have DAB integrated in rear window and some filters for frequencies are needed. I'm not sure how i could recreate those antena lines, i didn't found nothing online on how this could be recreated.

The easiest way for me(and probably cheapest) would be to buy new antena for rapid with everything on it for rapid which would look the same as right now except the base would be bigger(like this: https://www.drive2.ru/l/586126010341137837/).

I would also need some cables to run new antena lines to radio but i don't know which cabels are needed.

I could just buy one of those cheap DAB antennas that stick to front windows but i hate the looks of it(saw it in friends car that fited android radio and didn't like it). The possible mounting that i would use is on the rear quarter glass which wouldn't be noticable that much and integrate box behinde the plastic leaving only antenna and foil seen. For better looks i would do this on both sides and to improve the signal(those antenas are often very small compered to oem) but don't know if i can connect both.

I would prefere new design but if there is no other options i would just go easier route.

If anyone has a solution or advice on any of those questions it would be helpful.

I would advise caution. A post-production replacement of the aerial always increases the risk of water ingress if the new aerial isn’t perfectly sealed against the bodywork.

Also, there’s the risk of damaging the headlining when trying to route the cables around.

For those reasons, I would go with a discreet windscreen mounted DAB aerial rather than retrofitting a shark fin.

Something like this: https://amzn.to/4jkMEdO

Or this: https://amzn.to/3FTPKap

Also makes for easier cable routing as the wiring immediately goes behind the passenger side A pillar, and then down over the top of the glove box into the infotainment space in the dash.

Thanks for advise. Im not that wory about headlining, i have already remove them entire for re-upholstery in other car and know how to work around that.

Great idea for cable routing.

Water ingress can be the issue but for that i could do test before putting everything back together(i have also did that when changing roof rails on friends passat).

Still i would need to ad GPS antena.

Thanks for help and idea

For the GPS antenna, use one of the magnetic ones and place it on the metal crossmember that runs across the top of the dashboard (you can access it via the dashboard side panels). You get excellent reception there as there’s only a thin layer of dashboard plastic above the aerial. It’s what the vast majority of us did when we retrofitted the Amundsen to our Rapids.

The same GPS aerial fitting approach also works for the Mk2 Fabia, as I did the same Amundsen retrofit on one of those as well.

Edited 6 April, 20251 yr by chrisgreen

Thanks, that is very usefull information. Can you recomend some good examples of those antenna. Probably this would be realy be easyest and cheapest way of doing it.

In my reaserch i also found that some models like octavia and superb have some LTE antenna. What is the use of them, as i saw this is used for those emergency and service buttons and to connect to the app, or am i wrong.

GPS antenna - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182758637033?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=g_UaOp-ZS5a&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=POQie7l3QtC&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

As for the LTE aerial. Yes, more recent Octys and Superbs (like mine) have a built in data modem, WiFi hotspot, and either an eSIM or sim card socket. You don’t have any of this on the Rapid and there’s no factory retrofit, so an LTE aerial is pointless.

Thank you for recomendation.

What about if you plug LTE stick as i saw it exist, is that than the antenna that provide reception that is good enough.

If you are just using a USB 4G or 5G stick inside the car, the stick has its own internal aerials, no need for anything else. It's also pointless, you may as well just hotspot off your phone, which also doesn't need an external aerial.

Thank you for everyhing.