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| How To Fit an DAB aerial to car stereo |
Many modern car stereos have a built in DAB feature that allows you to get access to several high quality radio stations that are received digitally. This means you can listen to your favourite radio stations and song playlists and still get good sound quality overall from them. FM although still is operational, the quality of stations is not so good, there is always a lot of hissing and background noise. Today, we are going to help you install a DAB antenna to your car stereo for your digital radio. All DAB aerials are more or less similar in terms of design and should ideally be mounted at the top of your windshield. This allows your radio to receive the best possible signal for radio stations. My preferred location for mounting a DAB antenna is at the top left hand corner, the passenger side in the UK. A DAB antenna usually has one connection on it, which is a simple push in circle metal connector that connects directly into the back of the radio. Some DAB radios have a coax power connection, so you may notice an additional small wire with your antenna too. This allows power to be sent to the antenna to help you get better radio reception.
The first thing to do is remove your car stereo from the single or double din car slot. Route the wire into the back and plug in the metal DAB aerial connection into the back of the radio. It should simply just plug in with minimal force. If your antenna has an additional wire this is the antenna power wire, not all headunits have this feature, but if it does it recommend you attach this wire from the antenna to the correct wire on the headunit wiring loom. There should be some labels on the back of the stereo for each wire or a simple wiring diagram showing which wire to connect it to. Common names are 'Antenna power' or 'ANT'.
Once you have made your connections on the back for the radio, route the cables underneath the glove box. You may need to remove some panels that sit below the glovebox so you can tuck the wire away and hide it. Route the wire further to the A pillar which you want to mount the antenna. Please remove this panel by using panel removal tools or carefully using a flat head screwdriver. There will be plastic clips that hold the panel in on place. Once it pops off, sometimes the clips will be attached to the metal of the vehicle and you may need to pull them back out and slip them into the grooves within the panel.
There are two parts to the DAB antenna, the clear bit with the wires showing sticks directly onto the glass. Please clean the glass before sticking it down as sometimes dirt and dust can prevent it sticking firmly. Once you have done that you will also need to ground the DAB aerial. There is another peel able part that when exposed has a gold metal colour too it. This needs to connect with the cars ground. Simply get a flat head screwdriver and remove any paint from the surface where you wish to stick this. This will help you get better signal from your DAB radio and make it act as a better conductor. Once you have done this, simply press down the stick part with the gold surface showing onto the area you scratched down.
That is your DAB aerial is now mounted and ready to go. Make sure you be careful when attaching the A pillar panel back on because you don't want to cut or trap the wire when fitting it back on. This will break the wires inside and your antenna will not work.
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