Hi All

I wondered if anyone could help me with my DAB and FM connections on my ford focus st mk3 (63 plate).

I have installed a 3rd party headunit (kenwood). And when I first connected it up I could not get anything from the DAB connection using the white fakra. But I did manage to get it working on the black fakra.

 

I have had it like this for 4 years however my headunit DAB recently failed so I had it out several times to confirm what the issue was. The DAB was never brilliant so this made me question it again

I discovered the black fakra was better for both FM and DAB. I did some reading and thought maybe the white was for DAB but needed phantom power to feed a booster?  Bought a connects2 lead to try but it didn't work.

Bought a splitter for the black fakra and no luck! I am now wondering if the white connection is for FM but maybe this needs an inline power feed?

 

Can anyone help? My next test will be to reinstall the original Sony unit and see what the connections are meant to do! And how good the DAB is meant to be?

Black is DAB & FM.
White is radio Phantom (usually used for an active microphone)

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Thanks for quick reply. Could you expand on that? I'm not sure I understand what an active microphone is in relation to feeding it power? Does it still have a role in r as dio reception? The old Sony unit had the two connections on the back so just assumed they were both for radio? What's the solution for connecting both aerials up for an aftermarket solution. Which are fed in independently on the kenwood unit

 

Have you done this yourself? Or do you just have some knowledge on what does what?

 

With regards to the white fakra. I have had the fm connected to this and never had much luck with it!

 

Thanks again

I have a general understanding of various subjects but by no way an expert.
To clarify- the black fakra is definitely for DAB & FM but the aerial needs power to boost the reception and this is powered via the white Fakra so you could try applying power to it.
I know for a fact that the Ford aerial base has a twin fakra wired to it.

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So I need to use a passive splitter for the black fakra to connect the aerial to both DAB and FM/ AM and somehow power the white fakra.

 

This does make a lot of sense! I will give this a go!

 

Thank you

Tried this today and there seemed to be no improvement to the signal strength.

I used a connects2 lead which had the smb connector (which I left unconnected) but did connect the white  fakra and the power antenna cable.

I connected the fm to black and nothing. Dab showed no improvement either. Haven't yet tried to split but based on single connections to black with either fm or dab I dont seem to have much luck!

My next attempt will be to try phantom to the white fakra with FM. Leaving DAB connected to black. If this fails I need to have everything out and put the sony back to see if it's all working ok with original unit!

Good Evening.

I know this is now nearly a year later, but what was the outcome on this? I am also currently struggling to get DAB on an F1E9-18C815-HK "Radio AHU".

Enabled DAB using the ELM to USB adapter and ForScan, but currently finding it hard to figure out the splitting or combining of the original single black fakra aerial feed.

Sorry this is yet another old but i have just found this thread , i have a ford fusion with a kuga DAB radio fitted . I brought a fakra splitter because i thought one was for dab and the other fm . Thanks stoney871 for clearing that up ,anyway i plugged that into the normal aerial socket and it works ,the only thing i have changed is the aerial mast to one with a helix that is half as big as my old one but dose seem to be better . I hope that helps someone ,i wonder if changing the  base and wire would give me even better reception ?