On my radio, on my radio, on my radio...

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plumbfisher

plumbfisher

Active Member
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Location
Berwickshire
This is one for all you cricket loving tykes...
With the never ending Ashes series about to start I've found that tho' it works well in all other ways, I can't get long wave (Test match special) at all well on the radio. FM is good and the tape and CDs are fine too...
There does seem to be quite a bit of car related interference (It's a 2001 P38 2.5 diesel automatic)
There is no obvious aerial, would it help to fit an old fashioned wire type?
How would I do this?
Looking forward to your comments, thanks
 
JonnyP said:
LW is not really suitable for cars.. Maybe time to upgrade to DAB.
Click to expand...

MW and LW works for me, any interference is cured by a good Arial earth and you must have suppressor on alterator
 

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plumbfisher said:
LW always worked fine bumping around in my old Series 2!
If the earth was dodgy etc. would there not also be interference on FM?
Click to expand...
The aerial is printed on the drivers side rear quarter window and is not terribly good. A better aerial of the correct length may help as would adding a supressor to the alternator.
 
Thanks for your replies.
I think I will try improving the aerial as suggested.
For the afficianados - this is not a problem with 'The Selector'...:D
 
There are 2 sets of antennas, one on each rear side window. Each window has several elements to the printed antenna. One for FM, one for MW/LW etc. The printed wires connect to an antenna amplifier at the window which is fed by a positive supply from the radio along with a switching signal to select the appropriate antenna for the band. The head unit monitors each antenna set and selects the best one dependent on signal strength.

Now the guesswork: On other cars from the same stable (eg Rover 75) that have the same system, the switching signal is in the coax, but the power is a separate feed. However, in the P38, there is a second antenna connector on the back of the radio (at least on my 2002 model there is) and I don't know what that does.

Anyway, some things to check: power to the amplifier, good connections, not corroded. Both antenna connections at the back of the radio assuming you have 2. A common fault is putting in an aftermarket head unit and the 12v+ that comes from the new radio connects to a sub or is left disconnected when it should be connected to the antenna amplifier.

Hope that gives you some clues. But if it helps, my Alpine unit gets great longwave and I'm looking forward to TMS on Wednesday :)

Nik
 
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A left field idea, but you could stream R4LW to your smartphone then hear it over the stereo via a tape adapter? Not particularly elegant, but it should work.

The app would be free and a tape adapter is a couple of quid tops.
 
NikTheGeek said:
There are 2 sets of antennas, one on each rear side window. Each window has several elements to the printed antenna. One for FM, one for MW/LW etc. The printed wires connect to an antenna amplifier at the window which is fed by a positive supply from the radio along with a switching signal to select the appropriate antenna for the band. The head unit monitors each antenna set and selects the best one dependent on signal strength.

Now the guesswork: On other cars from the same stable (eg Rover 75) that have the same system, the switching signal is in the coax, but the power is a separate feed. However, in the P38, there is a second antenna connector on the back of the radio (at least on my 2002 model there is) and I don't know what that does.

Anyway, some things to check: power to the amplifier, good connections, not corroded. Both antenna connections at the back of the radio assuming you have 2. A common fault is putting in an aftermarket head unit and the 12v+ that comes from the new radio connects to a sub or is left disconnected when it should be connected to the antenna amplifier.

Hope that gives you some clues. But if it helps, my Alpine unit gets great longwave and I'm looking forward to TMS on Wednesday :)

Nik
Click to expand...

Only one aerial in drivers side rear quarter. N/S aerial is only used on Jap and NAS export models as far as i recall. Although RAVE is a little contradictory on this.
 
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wammers said:
Only one aerial in drivers side rear quarter. N/S aerial is only used on Jap and NAS export models as far as i recall. Although RAVE is a little contradictory on this.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't want to disagree with you (especially as I haven't looked at rave or traced the cabling) but it would be silly of Landrover to include 2 antennas, the wiring and a head unit called a "Diversity" system if it wasn't implementing Diversity. It's called Diversity because it is named after "Antenna Diversity" a method of using 2 or more antennas separated by a distance so that it can measure signal quality received from each. Very useful in built-up areas where you get multipath reflections of signals.

That said, you may still be right because the Rover 75's implementation of Diversity has multiple antenna elements in the main rear window along with the demisting elements. In this case it has antennas of differing lengths and picks the best one to use based on signal strength. So maybe the P38 does the same with the one window! :)

Either way, there's still things to check - coax connections to the amp, power to the amp, no corrosion etc. And the cricket starts tomorrow!!

Nik

p.s I miss being a radio ham....
 
NikTheGeek said:
I wouldn't want to disagree with you (especially as I haven't looked at rave or traced the cabling) but it would be silly of Landrover to include 2 antennas, the wiring and a head unit called a "Diversity" system if it wasn't implementing Diversity. It's called Diversity because it is named after "Antenna Diversity" a method of using 2 or more antennas separated by a distance so that it can measure signal quality received from each. Very useful in built-up areas where you get multipath reflections of signals.

That said, you may still be right because the Rover 75's implementation of Diversity has multiple antenna elements in the main rear window along with the demisting elements. In this case it has antennas of differing lengths and picks the best one to use based on signal strength. So maybe the P38 does the same with the one window! :)

Either way, there's still things to check - coax connections to the amp, power to the amp, no corrosion etc. And the cricket starts tomorrow!!

Nik

p.s I miss being a radio ham....
Click to expand...

There is only one aerial and there is no length selection, just a crude and simple pre-amp. The second trace on the window is for the FOB RF receiver.
 
I've been lost in the byways of diversity and I thought I might just be able to fit an aerial!
The drivers side rear quarterlight is the only one with an aerial on my P38. There are three lines, two rearmost from top to bottom, and a shorter L shaped one at the front. Are these all for different wavebands? (ie. FM,MW,LW?) which is the LW one?
If the connections etc are at fault then how does FM work so clearly?
Are the connections to the aerial(s) below the quarterlight window, that is behind the lining?
Meanwhile it's back to frequent pull ins and the old Roberts portable...!
 
Datatek said:
There is only one aerial and there is no length selection, just a crude and simple pre-amp. The second trace on the window is for the FOB RF receiver.
Click to expand...

Both my windows have antenna strips but the one with the rf receiver has the smaller L shaped one in addition that the other doesn't have. Both my windows have rf amps and both have coax attached (not traced it any further than that). 2002 model with Alpine head unit if it matters...

Nik
 
And there I was tuning in hoping for some Pauline Black of Selector fame....doh! If it's any consolation My diversity has gone well pete tongue and I'm thinking of replacing it with a shiny DAB unit....but then I am pondering my P38 anyway.....
 

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NikTheGeek said:
Both my windows have antenna strips but the one with the rf receiver has the smaller L shaped one in addition that the other doesn't have. Both my windows have rf amps and both have coax attached (not traced it any further than that). 2002 model with Alpine head unit if it matters...

Nik
Click to expand...
Maybe that was for the last models, mines a late 2000 perhaps MY2001 and has only the one aerial for the radio plus the FOB aerial.
 
plumbfisher said:
I've been lost in the byways of diversity and I thought I might just be able to fit an aerial!
The drivers side rear quarterlight is the only one with an aerial on my P38. There are three lines, two rearmost from top to bottom, and a shorter L shaped one at the front. Are these all for different wavebands? (ie. FM,MW,LW?) which is the LW one?
If the connections etc are at fault then how does FM work so clearly?
Are the connections to the aerial(s) below the quarterlight window, that is behind the lining?
Meanwhile it's back to frequent pull ins and the old Roberts portable...!
Click to expand...
See post #11. The long traces are for all radio frequencies the short L shaped trace is for the FOB:)
 
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