Chinese android multimedia unit

[Paulvallo]

Hi all

I installed one of these fairly recently. Very happy with everything apart from DAB+ It's basically a crap aerial. Got so (all right) FED UP with it that I combined USB input aerial (past the DAB+ box) with the spiral DAB aerial from original unit. Kinda knew it wouldn't work but DAB+ was so horrendously squeaky, aerial looked stupid and couldn't get 5 live anyway. Any ideas? Would it help if I joined the unit USB aerial input to original aerial before the DAB+ box? (can't see how this would work though assuming the unit is on DAB+ anyway. Basically want the spiral original DAB aerial (which was brilliant to work with this unit...any ideas?

[Dee_82]

To be honest I'm struggling to work out what your doing.

Normally the headunit has to have a separate DAB+ box, it comes with an Ariel either one that sticks on to a window or a wee stubby

That Ariel will need to be a coax cable usually with an SMB connector on it to connect up to the receiver.

Any kinda USB ariel designed for something else will not work, if it just uses the plug and not the whole BUS then that is just plain stupid, there are far better connectors for that and might suggest something else is going on with that cable, if the ariel is a real USB device then the DAB+ receiver wont have a Scooby what is going on as it needs a regular RF signal.

If you are struggling to get a reception on a proper DAB ariel then its one of a number of things,

firstly can you get a good signal in the first place, small ariels are not so good,

secondly, make sure the ariel is earthed properly and directly to the chassis.

where do you run the cable? if they run parallel to other power lines then it can mess up the signal.

external or internal RF interference

there are all sorts of things that it could be.  Perhaps if you take some pics or give us some web links of the setup it might be a little clearer?

[Paulvallo]

OK will try to get some pics.  Problem is that the new unit has a USB input, so couldn't use existing spiral DAB input anyway, and also, as you suggest the rubbish short magnetic nonsense has a DAB+ box (scooby, bus or whatever). So what I have done is joined the coax after (so, to include the DAB+ box) but there is no signal on the unit. I might try another scan, but assume nothing will be picked up. I just wish that the unit wasn't DAB+ because the original unit had an excellent reception. Thanks for reply mate, really appreciate it.

[Dee_82]

ok, Normally, and this might not be the case with your head unit, the DAB+ box is the important bit that receives and decodes the digital signal, not the headunit, that wee box connects to the head unit, is it that connection between the DAB+ box and headunit  that uses a USB plug?

[Dee_82]

for example, my headunit supports DAB+ but only if I buy

http://www.eonon.com/Accessories/Other-Accessories/V0036.html

if you look at the picture attached you will see a gold SMB connector and a white one, the white one is what connects to the head unit, it has a special round plug but it could just as easily use a USB plug

The gold SMB connector is what the ariel connects to, in the case of the above link, they provide a stick on window ariel, personally I think that will be utterly crap which is partly why I didn't buy it, but the great thing with the SMB connector is that its universally used for exactly the job you are needing, meaning you could use any DAB+ ariel you want. 

[Dee_82]

Opps, I think that's actually an SMA connector,either way, they are universal connectors.

 

[mrmetallica]

15 minutes ago, Dee_82 said:

Opps, I think that's actually an SMA connector,either way, they are universal connectors.

 

isnt that baby milk lol

[Paulvallo]

ha ha ha right yes Dee_82, so now I have USB connector from head unit linked with coax cable to the DAB+ box then to a plastic connector linking brading and screened cable then coax to original ford DAB spiral aerial...I still have the DAB+ software but when I scanned it for stations it came back empty. The set up before was crap. As I said it was a very short aerial on a magnet...it glitched and sqeaked all the time. Course you are right about interference, I suppose I could have wrapped the cable in a sleeve like the Ford cable...but it's done now. I'm guessing that as you say I need to re-connect a better DAB+ aerial...I did have one which I used for my PURE head unit and that worked OK. Again really appreciate your help here, and sorry I havent been around for a while...been collecting brownie points - visiting mother in law...so this is good therapy!  SMA milk - love it...dip yer connectors in for a good fit...

[Paulvallo]

OK one thing is that appears that spiral aerials are amplified and therefore not suitable for DAB. At least they are fairly easy to unamplify, only that entails finding out where the amplifier is. Previously I thought that it must be amplified from the original head unit, but this may not actually be the case. Anyone know where the spiral aerial amplifier is on an 09 year Ford Focus CC Convertible Mk 2?

 

[James]

If it is an Android radio can't you download the DAB radio app from the Google Playstore and you use your phone as a WI FI hotspot when using the app?