DAB+ Antenna

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WiLDRAGoN
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DAB+ Antenna

Post by WiLDRAGoN »

I bought a DAB+ Radio, but being in the south-west outskirts of Sydney, and living in a unit block, the signal strength is very poor.

It has the standard extendable antenna fitted, but I was just wondering if there is a way to connect a new or DIY antenna to get a bit better signal strength.
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Phantom
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DAB+ Antenna

Post by Phantom »

Why not open it up and have a look for yourself?

You will be able to trace back to where the antenna is connected - why not hook something in line with the connection and see how it goes? Best making the connection directly where the aerial connects to the Board

It's all about trial and error
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Scannersplitterguy
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Re: DAB+ Antenna

Post by Scannersplitterguy »

A quick and rough approach would be to get a standard TV antenna flylead, cut the plug off one end and strip some insulation off the centre wire. Twist about an inch of the wire around the end of the radio antenna. Plug the other end of the cable into a TV antenna outlet.
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Phil
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Re: DAB+ Antenna

Post by Phil »

Scannersplitterguy,

i would have thought the directionality of the TV antenna would do worse for it as alot of Radio Services may not be where tv sites are located.
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Scannersplitterguy
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Re: DAB+ Antenna

Post by Scannersplitterguy »

Scannersplitterguy wrote:A quick and rough approach...
That's why I said the above. Assuming his TV antenna system has an external amplifier, there should be plenty of gain.
If the antenna is pointing in the wrong direction, it may be less than ideal reception but it could be better than what he has now.
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Comint
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Re: DAB+ Antenna

Post by Comint »

Scannersplitterguy wrote: . . . . Assuming his TV antenna system has an external amplifier, there should be plenty of gain.
As current TV antennas cover most of the same frequency range as DAB+ (174.9280 to 239.2000 MHz), even without an amplifier, the TV antenna should still present a stronger signal to the radio than the built-in "whip", and would prove whether an external antenna will solve his problem.

And that is assuming his problem is actually weak signal, as there have been numerous reports about the poor quality of DAB+ broadcasts in Australia. Quality of the "recovered audio" depends on the "databit rate" used, and Australian broadcasters are "ripping off" their listeners by using low databit rates.

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WiLDRAGoN
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Re: DAB+ Antenna

Post by WiLDRAGoN »

Thanks for the replies!

I was thinking of the TV antenna idea, so I will try that, and if it works, I'll use orangepeel's suggestion and solder it to the board.

It's definitely a signal strength problem... I'm usually only getting 1 bar.
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