DAB radio in the MH

fatbelly
fatbelly Forum Participant Posts: 438
100 Comments
edited April 2017 in Motorhomes #1

Hi, we've just taken delivery of our brand new Bailey MH. We've had  a number of new Van snags which thankfully the dealers are sorting out (slowly).

One problem we've had is that when we drove down to Ludlow in Shropshire we quite often lost signal with our DAB radio. We have DAB in our Car and never lost signal, but there again we've never gone to Ludlow in the Car. Our dealer said they could take the Van into a Peugeot dealer and take the radio out via the dashboard, but I don't really want this unless necessary. The reception in less rural areas is perfect. So perhaps its just that DAB is not yet everywhere (although I thought it was).

So has anyone else experienced loss of DAB signal in some rural areas of the country?

Comments

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,196 ✭✭✭
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    edited April 2017 #2

    We live in a city and lose DAB signal on the house radio! Give me proper radio waves radio any day 😉.

  • Grumblewagon
    Grumblewagon Forum Participant Posts: 246
    edited April 2017 #3

    Mrs G drives a VW and the DAB signal is always dropping out.  At least it automatically switches to FM.

    Our van doesn't have a DAB radio, so we use a small portable one (Pure) which doesn't seem to have these problems.

  • Justus2
    Justus2 Forum Participant Posts: 897
    500 Comments
    edited April 2017 #4

    Our VW Polo has a DAB radio. It works fairly well on the drive, usually it goes off by the the time you get to the end of the street.. I've tested it several times, its just hopeless when moving and especially hopeless in areas where there are more sheep than people. yell

  • dmiller555
    dmiller555 Forum Participant Posts: 717
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    edited April 2017 #5

    I have DAB in our VW Passat and it works much better than the FM set we have in our caravan. 

    We get short drop outs when travelling as it changes to the strongest signal but that's worth putting up with for the clarity obtained as compared with the old FM. 

  • Randomcamper
    Randomcamper Club Member Posts: 1,062 ✭✭
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    edited April 2017 #6

    We have DAB in our Polo & in a Golf (just sold) and we find the DAB unreliable in both, probably because we live in a rural area.

    We just use the straight FM option, and I cannot tell any difference in sound quality - obviously I'm not a music aficionado....!

    I would think carefully before you let a dealer take the dashboard apart, in my experience they never go back together like they come from the factory....!

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,196 ✭✭✭
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    edited April 2017 #7

    I can't hear the difference either. But then I'm only on Radio 4 😉.  Nothing worse that not catching the end of the play or bits of the news etc 😣

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited April 2017 #8

    Check out DAB coverage in the uk on this site.

    see here

  • fatbelly
    fatbelly Forum Participant Posts: 438
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    edited April 2017 #9

    Thanks to all and thanks to Brue for the link on which there is a map that clearly shows that the area around Ludlow does have reduced DAB reception.

    If you want to check the reception in your area follow Rue's link

     

  • Apperley
    Apperley Forum Participant Posts: 254
    edited April 2017 #10

    On my Peugeot DAB radio I am able to set the radio (in settings) to automatically tune itself between DAB or FM (on the same station such as Radio 2) whichever is the stronger signal. 

     

     

  • fatbelly
    fatbelly Forum Participant Posts: 438
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    edited April 2017 #11

    Hi Apperley,

    Is this your Peugeot Car or Boxer MH? If its your Boxer MH can you remember the sequence in settings.

    Thanks 

  • Apperley
    Apperley Forum Participant Posts: 254
    edited April 2017 #12

    Hi Fatbelly, It's a Bailey MH on a Peugeot Boxer cab with the standard DAB radio installed. It has the volume and on/off knob on the left and a 'Browse' rotating knob opposite on the right.

    I think you need to do two things, (I think this is what you need to do - my MH is not at home so I can't double check).

    First activate 'regional' and then 'AF' which enables the system to search for the strongest frequency do the following. Press the 'menu' key above the Browse knob. Rotate the 'Browse' knob to find 'Regional' and then press the central 'enter' key.  

    To activate the Alternative Frequencies (AF), in the menu turn the browse knob to find AF, then activate or deactivate by pressing the knobs centre 'enter' key.

    Hope that helps. It's worth scrolling through the other settings too and  turning them on and off to see what happens. I like the option of automatically increasing or decreasing the volume matching the speed - so that when we pull up at reception the radio volume automatically reduces.

     

  • Driver Pete
    Driver Pete Forum Participant Posts: 14
    edited April 2017 #13

    The problems stem from when DAB was first licensed in this country. For a start it was allocated a radio frequency double that of FM radio, so its propagation characteristics are different and it doesn't follow ground contours as well. 

    Secondly, the network was designed for static reception, so allowed transmitter powers were matched to that. The transmitter locations weren't too plentiful, so even for static use, reception was patchy.

    I believe that in Germany they designed their DAB network for mobile use, so have higher power transmitters and more of them.

    I have a DAB radio in my wife's car and it's a dead loss. Reception is so patchy that its always tuned to the FM band now. And we live in a fairly populated area of Hertfordshire.

    I'm not going even bother with DAB in our van.

     

    --

    Pete

  • alan44
    alan44 Forum Participant Posts: 1
    edited April 2017 #14

    Hi,

    I presume u drove down the A49 to Ludlow?

    If so U do not have a problem! it is just that you mostly are driving in a valley and the dab signal is in and out depending on location. not good coverage one u pass Shrewsbury, not to bad once you get to Ludlow.

    I live there so have the same problems.frown

  • fatbelly
    fatbelly Forum Participant Posts: 438
    100 Comments
    edited April 2017 #15

    Yes we were on the A49 and the coverage did drop once we passed Shrewsbury and did pick up when we got to Ludlow.

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,830 ✭✭✭
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    edited April 2017 #16

    We get BBC reception on old fashioned 198 Long Wave on the car radio as far as half way down France. DAB is a non starter over there. 

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited April 2017 #17

    Yes, there are no signals abroad if you look at the link on page 1 the FAQs give the reasons.

    see here

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