MK2.5 DAB Aerial advice needed

[rhyds]

I've fitted an Xtrons head unit to my MK2.5 Zetec, and while most of it works well the stick-on DAB aerial seems to be absolutely useless. I've spotted this Second Hand DAB aerial on ebay:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263678484195

 

Can anyone confirm if that's a proper MK2 DAB aerial and wiring loom (rather than a GPS one or something else)? Also, if i was to buy a new DAB aerial base (to replace the weathered one) would the wiring simply plug in to the new base?

 

Also, the connector on my Xtrons DAB unit is an SMA (small threaded plug), while I gather the Ford DAB units use a Fakra connector. Would this cable connect from the Ford DAB aerial wiring to my DAB unit?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232585702785

[Botus]

DAB broadcast in the UK is a joke, the signal is less than a fifth of what's required.... and its being wound DOWN to accommodate 5G phone signals

 

https://incartec.co.uk/category-listing/DAB-antennas-and-adapters

[rhyds]

Thanks for the information. However the page you've linked to has a number of adaptors. Can you confirm which one I need to connect from a standard Ford DAB aerial to an SMA connector?

[Botus]

ford antenna is a black female fakra connector, I have no idea what you have on your aftermarket radio

I believe the ford one needs power up the coax to power its internal (antenna) amp

[rhyds]

Aftermarket radio is an SMA connector, so hopefully fakra male to SMA male should do it (I take it fakra only comes in one size?)

 

As for power up the aerial cable, I've not heard of this being the case, if so, I'll have to get another aerial as I doubt my Xtrons is supplying 12v up the coax to power anything. 

[Botus]

fakra as an electrical fitment is a standard.... BUT the colour of the plug surround means it can ONLY connect to its corresponding colour socket....

 with the exception of a water blue plug which is a generic one which will fit any socket  (z below) 

 

 

 

 

[Botus]

Might put up in a separate post

if you have a radio with two fakra antenna connectors (just about Beige, in reality closer to White and a Black one) which is the DAB socket ?

according to above plug set up I would say it should be the white one as it needs a powered antenna ? (but I think Ford uses the black one?)

this link below and the picture in post above, says the global standard White and Black DAB is the complete opposite to my list below.... which I believe is how most car manufactures actually do it in reality

https://www.rosenberger.com/0_documents/de/codes/codes_coding_auto_fakra.pdf

this is typical car confusion / pretend standardisation, which in reality translates in to a free for all mismatch, so which is correct.

White = FM

Beige = FM & AM

Black = DAB with power

White = DAB without power

 

[Botus]

typical a better table of what is what - except it highlights a lack of standards

Mercedes use a White socket for non- powered DAB antenna fitted on to a Black socket !  - yet its supposed to be a Cream plug, whilst Ford I guess use a White socket on to a Cream plug for FM and AM

[rhyds]

Mine's got a standard coax plug for the FM side (the small circular type you need an adaptor for), so I'm thinking the MK2s had longer antennas and no amplifier, while the mk3s had shorter, amplified aerials.

 

 

[rhyds]

fakra as an electrical fitment is a standard.... BUT the colour of the plug surround means it can ONLY connect to its corresponding colour socket....
 with the exception of a water blue plug which is a generic one which will fit any socket  (z below) 
 
 

 
 

Thanks for the advice. The adaptor I was looking at has a water blue Fakra so should work ok.

[rhyds]

Well having done some more research and then gone "sod it, lets give it a go" I've ordered the Ford OE parts required for a DAB upgrade and a Fakra Z male to SMA male adaptor to make it fit my head unit.

 

From what I can gather the MK2 Focus aerials aren't amplified (as they're full length and the base seems quite small) but some short ones (MK3 Focus I think?) and Mondeo on-glass ones are. Worst case I can probably sell the kit on to someone fitting a Ford DAB unit and get a 3rd party DAB aerial or splitter if it doesn't work.

[rhyds]

Well I fitted the parts yesterday, and DAB has improved slightly and FM a bit as well (search tuning now picks up some more distant services that it didn't before) though DAB still isn't 100%. I'll compare the signal with that on one of the work pool cars (15 plate Focus with DAB) and see what we get though it now turns out the Xtrons DAB stick is apparently a bit useless to start with!

As for the DAB aerial itself as far as i can tell, the only difference between the FM-only base and the FM/DAB base is that the FM/DAB base has a threaded stud to attach the cable rather than the threaded insert and screw the FM unit did. The base doesn't seem large enough to house any kind of amplifier, so I doubt it does (though I didn't want to break open a brand new base to find out) If anyone can confirm 100% that the 1559268 aerial base does or doesn't contain an amplifier then that would be very useful!

The new cable uses a much beefier connector to attach to the aerial base (it uses an 8mm nut and a decently sharp serrated washer rather than the four weak prongs of the original connector) and runs, as Botus says, to a White Fakra that ends up at the A-pillar/dashboard junction. From there I used Stoney871's updated guide and ran the cable behind the lower dash panel behind the OBD port as its much easier to route the cable and the "extra" cable left over makes connecting the radio to the cables very easy. The cables I ordered had an ISO FM/AM connector and a Black Fakra for DAB. From what I can tell there's simply a join in the lower section of cable to provide the two connectors. I then used a short "water blue" (or turquoise) fakra to SMA cable to connect the aerial to my DAB stick. 

[Botus]

what I don't understand is on a Merc I have the exact same antenna (with a powered antenna amp via 12v up the coax) and its almost 100%, whereas in the Focus, with a SONY DAB 6 Disc unit with the two fakra antenna connectors (black and white) it can only pick up a station if you are lucky

I think either 

1) the head unit can be programmed to put 12v up the coax (and its off),

2) it doesn't put power up the coax or

3) the power is broken ….

 

 

[rhyds]

Are you saying the focus MK2 aerial is definitely amplified? If so, you can get a 12v phantom power adaptor from connects2 http://www.connects2.co.uk/Product/ProductItem/CT27AA158 or similar. 

[Botus]

I asked a guy here and he said the Sony DAB puts power up the coax. 

Not sure if it does, but the antenna as is, is all but useless and the FM tuner (in this 2011 unit) is weaker at picking up a signal than the 2007 original radio.  so at present the swap was a joke.  I know round here we are at the end of Crystal Palace transmission, and over the years as everyone wants 3, 4 and now 5 g and 60 channels of ***** on freeview the actual transmission of a usable signal has gone down 90%

 

on the merc tuner I can turn on or off the 12v up the coax (but only with dealer tools via odbc port

[rhyds]

I've found the FM reception has improved since swapping the aerial, but the DAB is still poor, but I'm thinking its down to the tuner itself. I've looked at our 2015 Focus pool car aerials and they have much more substantial aerial bases, which I assume is for the amplifer and the GPS. Running 12v up the coax can be done but I can't see how it helps unless there's a built in amplifer in the cable or aerial base to make use of it. 

[Botus]

I just went and found this... which I guess begs how do you tell Gen 2 from Gen 3 ?

  

 

Stoney871 8,294

 

The DAB antenna is powered from the Ford Gen3 DAB radio itself, aftermarket radios may require a specific antenna set-up in order to supply alternative power.

[Botus]

2 hours ago, rhyds said:

I've found the FM reception has improved since swapping the aerial, but the DAB is still poor, but I'm thinking its down to the tuner itself. I've looked at our 2015 Focus pool car aerials and they have much more substantial aerial bases, which I assume is for the amplifer and the GPS. Running 12v up the coax can be done but I can't see how it helps unless there's a built in amplifer in the cable or aerial base to make use of it. 

this gets back to my first post, there's shed loads of stuff to pull 12 volt from by the interior light and the Std focus antenna is a known joke.

https://incartec.co.uk/product/DAB--AM-FM-Combiflex-antenna-with-DAB-and-FM-extensions

but its amp only does 10db gain when a shark fin further down does 20db

 

[rhyds]

this gets back to my first post, there's shed loads of stuff to pull 12 volt from by the interior light and the Std focus antenna is a known joke.
https://incartec.co.uk/product/DAB--AM-FM-Combiflex-antenna-with-DAB-and-FM-extensions
but its amp only does 10db gain when a shark fin further down does 20db
 

Thing is a sharkfin type aerial is going to need a lot more amplification as there's no mast rod, and a short aerial (like the one you've linked) is going to need less. The one you've linked to is very similar to the DAB aerial on a mk3 (which I guess is amplified too from the size of the base).

[rhyds]

17 hours ago, Botus said:

I just went and found this... which I guess begs how do you tell Gen 2 from Gen 3 ?

  

 

Stoney871 8,294

 

The DAB antenna is powered from the Ford Gen3 DAB radio itself, aftermarket radios may require a specific antenna set-up in order to supply alternative power.

Just spotted this, do you have a link to the original post as the hyperlinks you've got only go to Stoney's profile page. 

[Botus]

there was no more info,

he just said they are

[rhyds]

1 hour ago, Botus said:

there was no more info,

he just said they are

No worries, I've dropped him a PM anyways. If it is amplified then its no bother getting an adaptor to run 12v up the cable, it isn't then I've wasted a few quid on a poor aerial/poor receiver combo. 

[rhyds]

Stoney871 PM'ed me back last night and confirmed the Ford DAB aerial is an amplifed one, and so needs 12v phantom power up the coax. I've ordered an adaptor and hopefully it'll sort the problem. 

[Botus]

did it work ?

[Grazy]

I have the same issue on a mk3 focus. Even with power up the white fakra I dont seem to get a signal at all. So use black but then no FM and so no seamless blend when you need it!