# FM radio aerial booster



## JackieP (Oct 15, 2006)

Our radio aerial needs to be replaced. We'd like to replace it with something with a bit more power. Something that would improve the current signal and also, perhaps, allow us to receive more stations from further afield. 

Been searching but there are so many to choose from. Does anyone have any recommendations or suggestions?


----------



## GerryD (Sep 20, 2007)

Is this at home or in the motorhome?
Gerry


----------



## JackieP (Oct 15, 2006)

Argh.. yes.. sorry. It's for the motorhome. We are radio 4 fiends and although don't have a tv in the motorhome we do like to listen to the radio as far south as possible.

Hope someone can help.


----------



## Bubblehead (Mar 5, 2007)

Hi

Are you refering to your 'car' radio or one you take with you in the van? I cant help with your question but would be intrested in a solution for poor reception on a 'car' radio as ours has very poor reception. We thought it was the standard Fiat radio so we changed it .....with no improvment I have been trying to find a booster for a car radio without success.

Hope you get a result.


Andy


----------



## GerryD (Sep 20, 2007)

Hi,

If you are thinking about using the standard dash fitting radio then the best that you can do is to replace the wing mounted aerial. That is unless you feel competent enough to mount an aerial high up on the side of your motorhome. This can only work if you have a metal sided body. A GRP body will not give a cround plane for an aerial. There are some extra strength aerials that have an extra coil of wire around the mast, thus effectively increasing the length of the aerial.
If, however, you have a motorhome built on the current Fiat/Peugeot X250 chassis, the just fitting an aerial will help. Most motorhomes on the X250 do not have an aerial because the converters could not be bothered to fit one.
Gerry


----------



## Bubblehead (Mar 5, 2007)

Hi

We have a Burstner Aviano which has the ariel on the front of the (GRP) roof above the cab. What is a ground plane? is this like an earth?

Andy


----------



## Compaq5315 (Sep 17, 2007)

i agree with comments on x250, i have just had to have a wing aerial fitted, as there was not one on the vehicle i could see. Now i can get full fm,lw,mw

peter


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

JackieO said:


> Argh.. yes.. sorry. It's for the motorhome. We are radio 4 fiends and although don't have a tv in the motorhome we do like to listen to the radio as far south as possible.


Jackie...do you tune in to 198 kHz (BBC Radio 4 Long wave ) to get your BBC in Europe ? If you are using FM then you will not get far south with it anyway.

We too suffer from a poor radio aerial in the van and even LW does not come over beyond, say Metz. With the car we used to reckon it gave out in the Black Forest approximately ! We think the current aerial is in the wing mirrors and it is not good. The signal is so weak that even the automatic re-tuning function can't pick up enough signal to work consistently.

Of course, there is always the scourge of LW listeners; the cricket but you can always pray for rain over UK.

G


----------



## safariboy (May 1, 2005)

To answer you question about the ground plane. 
Most car aerials are "Marconi" aerials. They have a vertical rod, ideally one quarter of a wavelength long, but that does not matter too much and they are usually shorter. You often get a little coil to make up some of the difference. There needs to be a grounded horizontal conductor at the foot of the aerial. In a car this is the body. The centre core of the coax from the radio goes to the base of the rod and the outer to the horizontal conductor as near to the vertical rod as possible. This connection needs to be good and is often the cause of problems. 
This is why motor homes have problems with radio aerials. Even if you have an aluminium roof the earth connection will be difficult. Many van roofs are plastic now anyway. 
That is why aerials on the cab work better. They are far from perfect but the steel is a sort of ground plane. 
All car radios I have met are very sensitive and it is much the same with the low cost ones.


----------



## JackieP (Oct 15, 2006)

Grizzly said:


> Jackie...do you tune in to 198 kHz (BBC Radio 4 Long wave ) to get your BBC in Europe ? If you are using FM then you will not get far south with it anyway.


Yes. I seem to have my knickers in a twist. I meant that I wanted to replace the aerial that feeds both cab and cabin radios in our van. The van 's sides are indeed metal.

Although I used FM in the title of this thread - it is actually LW that I want to improve reception to.



Grizzly said:


> Of course, there is always the scourge of LW listeners; the cricket but you can always pray for rain over UK.


Lord do I know what you mean. Soon as we reach a new place I tune in the LW just in case. The tears I have shed when I hear the words, "And now it's over to Richie at Trentbridge." :/

So - is there any kind of aerial I can buy with a booster attached that will improve reception all round AND for Long Wave?

Thanks and sorry for getting my wave mixed up.


----------



## JackieP (Oct 15, 2006)

Nothing to do with aerials but further to Long Wave reception.... 

In Spain over Christmas there was no reception whatsoever on LW and then, on Christmas Day I turned it on 'just in case'. To my delight and surprise we heard, as clear as a bell, 'I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue' and 'The Archers'. And then, it just disappeared never to be heard again until we got into France some months later.

One of those weird but wonderful things that happen when you're on the road.


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

JackieO said:


> One of those weird but wonderful things that happen when you're on the road.


What is really frustrating is when you've not heard the news for months, get to somewhere where you can get LW, tune in ready for the 1pm news and they go to cricket straight after the shipping forecast with NO NEWS !

How can they do that !!!!

Do you listen to the World Service ? I used to all over the world but it irritates me to bits now - all loud jingles and terribly bitty.

G


----------



## JackieP (Oct 15, 2006)

Never been able to find World Service. Poor aerial you see. That's why I created the thread. ;-)


----------



## Superk (Aug 22, 2005)

Slightly off topic but has anyone come across a car radio that has SW or, if not can you recommend a free-standing SW radio?

Thanks

 
Keith


----------



## DJP (May 9, 2005)

> Most motorhomes on the X250 do not have an aerial because the converters could not be bothered to fit one.


I think you will find the aerial in the x2/50 is in the nearside door mirror housing.


----------



## WingPete (Jan 29, 2006)

*Wing Mirror aerials*

I am told that many converters do not fit the wing mirror aerial, as somehting to do with vehicle warranty !!" Not sure about that at all.
However, my recourse was to take van to decent audio shop, where checks were made and found no worthwhile aerial on board. Fitted a Blaupunkt one, which sticks in the windscreen, just a very thin wire around edges. It works, and for £75 fitted, worth it.


----------



## GerryD (Sep 20, 2007)

DJP said:


> > Most motorhomes on the X250 do not have an aerial because the converters could not be bothered to fit one.
> 
> 
> I think you will find the aerial in the x2/50 is in the nearside door mirror housing.


That's what I and my Fiat dealer thought, until they tried to change the mirror to rectify the poor radio reception. The mirror aerial is an option on the camping car chassis and very few converters select it. If it is not selected then the vehicle is delivered to the converter with the standard roof aerial cable installed and you are likely to find that this is all that you have going to your radio.
That is certainly what my Fiat dealer found and when I queried it with Autotrail they confirmed that an aerial is not fitted during conversion. It is for the dealer to fit, but they do not automatically inform the dealer. Consequently the dealer and customer are left with the belief that the mirror aerial has been fitted.
Yet another diy job because it is easier and cheaper than the 200 mile round trip to the dealer.
Yet another example of lack of communication and poor service in this industry.
Gerry


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

JackieO said:


> Never been able to find World Service. Poor aerial you see. That's why I created the thread. ;-)


You'd need a shortwave radio to get World Service in the daytime and most car radios don't have SW so no matter how good the aerial it would not happen.

Radio 4 switch to World Service overnight, a great blow to all us insomniacs !

G


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

GerryD said:


> DJP said:
> 
> 
> > > . It is for the dealer to fit, but they do not automatically inform the dealer. Consequently the dealer and customer are left with the belief that the mirror aerial has been fitted.
> ...


----------



## JackieP (Oct 15, 2006)

Grizzly said:


> You'd need a shortwave radio to get World Service in the daytime and most car radios don't have SW so no matter how good the aerial it would not happen.
> 
> G


We're kind of lucky with that one - as our van is 24 years old we have an FM/LW/AM AND SW radio installed - so in theory with the right aerial we might have some success. Thanks for all your commens though - and the smiles that came with them.

I think I'll do as WingPete suggested and take it to our local audio place. I could spend a fortune buying the wrong items when they will probably know straight off what I need.

Thanks to everyone for your replies.


----------



## Mitchell (May 5, 2008)

JackieO.
Have you had any success in getting an effective radio aerial fitted? Like others, I have a perfectly good radio but pathetic reception so am interested in any suggestions. I have no idea if I have an aerial in my newish Fiat but there appears to be an aerial connection with three wires connected to the back of the radio. MW/LW reception is not existent while FM is poor away from a strong signal. I messed about with a few feet of wire and this gave me improved reception - but is hardly a permanent solution. 

Mitchell


----------

