Troubleshooting DAB Reception Issue on Zenec System (1 Viewer)

[John-Laika]

I have a Zenec multi media system it in a 2017
We have AM FM AND DAB listed on this system the FM works fine but when we search for stations on the DAB it can't find any.
Have any of you got this same system and does your DAB work OK. I was wondering if I have to get a DAB aerial installed for it to work.
thanks for reading this

 

[Kannon Fodda]

DAB will need an aerial. That is usually different to the VHF/FM/AM type. DAB can be combined at the aerial itself but has a different connector into the radio unit. First step may be to pull the radio out and see what leads are connected behind it.

But DAB in some vehicles is often not that good. Even having fitted a roof aerial, mine still drops out in many areas.

 

[John-Laika]

Thanks Kannon Fodda I knew DAB needed a different aerial but I don't know if it comes with one fitted probably not.
I not sure I want to pull the unit out to investigate I'm getting far to old for that these days unfortunately I would forget how to put it back again
If somebody gas one and knows if it come fitted as standard that's what I'm hope to be told.

 

[starquake]

Thanks Kannon Fodda I knew DAB needed a different aerial but I don't know if it comes with one fitted probably not.
I not sure I want to pull the unit out to investigate I'm getting far to old for that these days unfortunately I would forget how to put it back again
If somebody gas one and knows if it come fitted as standard that's what I'm hope to be told.

Our DAB drops out all the time on a 2019 van. Our solution is to join the phone via bluetooth as a media source, and just stream the radio - near all radio stations have PERFECT reception via phone data these days. As we have a access point in the van I don't recall a single time we have had a drop out using this method, but it worked equally well before this on our handsets.

Obviously this will use data on your mobile contract, but radio doesn't use a lot of data from our experience (uses way less than spotify does for us).

If you don't have bluetooth media, you can get a dongle from amazon to take the bluetooth audio and spit out to normal fm, or a wired connection to your headunit if you don't have that, saving you running wires from phone to the headunit, you can leave a small dongle permanently in place.

 

[starquake]

Our DAB drops out all the time on a 2019 van. Our solution is to join the phone via bluetooth as a media source, and just stream the radio - near all radio stations have PERFECT reception via phone data these days. As we have a access point in the van I don't recall a single time we have had a drop out using this method, but it worked equally well before this on our handsets.

Should add something you may not realise using streaming too. Many stations on DAB are actually only in mono unless they are the big boys like BBC -> you will get full stereo in higher quality via a phone too!

Some may not notice this, but the increase in quality is well worth doing this for. Equally the Global group of radio stations (near all) also have HD streams when you stream on 4g (doesn't work on 3g) avaialble in many cases. This is noticably better when it kicks in than the even the improved stereo you from a "normal" stream ... which is still better than DAB.

So don't think using your phone is worse than DAB. These days it's usually considerably better and in many cases is around 4 times the bitrate (how the audio is compressed) than DAB, also using more modern algorithms for the compression making it sound better.

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[YorkieF]

I've just finished fitting a DAB aerial - be sure to buy a 12v amplified one. I had a non-amplified one before and it hardly picked anything up.. I bought the amplified one from Halfods for £20

 

[Brains]

We also have a 2017 Zenec.
I'd swap it for a chocolate fireguard, if only I could find one.

As far as I know our DAB system works.
That said, having just got back from a month of travelling through Spain and Portugal I don't think we used once for anything other than the reversing camera.

We have a 'stick-on-the-screen' GPS unit.
So main use for the Zenec whilst driving is to leave the camera on as a backup rear mirror.

 

[pappajohn]

Are they still transmitting on DAB.
I would have thought by now they'd have given up on such a crap platform

 

[vzac]

Had several vehicles with Dab. All been a Load of rubbish. Never even tried to set dab up in this van.

 

[starquake]

Had several vehicles with Dab. All been a Load of rubbish. Never even tried to set dab up in this van.

TBH only the BBC sounds decent on DAB in generality, everything else has less than 128K bitrate in general. FM sounds better on same channels.

If they had gone for quality versus quantity of channels on DAB I'd actually use it, as it CAN sound reasonable as BBC and Classic FM show. However, they've took the BBC bitrate per channel (about 6 on the BBC mux last time I checked) and split it now between 22 radio stations on the national mux for that, no wonder it sounds rubbish.

If you want to see the actual bitrates in use for your radio stations on DAB:

DAB UK London mux list

Bitrate measurements of TV channels and Radio DAB+ DTT FIBER Satellite Cable OTT.

www.digitalbitrate.com

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[haganap]

I've had that stereo on two vans and one of them I fitted myself.

No DAB aeriel No DAB radio.

It's a must have. TBF, mine was pretty alright when working, not great but OK in most places with minimal dropout.

 

[John-Laika]

I've had that stereo on two vans and one of them I fitted myself.

No DAB aeriel No DAB radio.

It's a must have. TBF, mine was pretty alright when working, not great but OK in most places with minimal dropout.

I know ot would need a DAB aerial what I'm trying to find out are they fitted when they installed the unit or do you have to get them retro fitted if the latter we won't bother as we connect the phone via Bluetooth anyway but if it worked we may have used it, I suspect its not fitted as standard if thats the case i can't be bother to remove the unit to fit one.

 

[Lenny HB]

I know ot would need a DAB aerial what I'm trying to find out are they fitted when they installed the unit or do you have to get them retro fitted if the latter we won't bother as we connect the phone via Bluetooth anyway but if it worked we may have used it, I suspect its not fitted as standard if thats the case i can't be bother to remove the unit to fit one.

It has probably go an adaptor/combiner that works with the FM aerial they never work very well.
There is no substitute for a roof top aerial with DAB but you can get reasonable reception with the screen mounted whip aerials. They fit on the outside of the screen with a transducer on the inside I fitted a JVC one to a friend's A Class he was well pleased with the result.

 

[haganap]

I know ot would need a DAB aerial what I'm trying to find out are they fitted when they installed the unit or do you have to get them retro fitted if the latter we won't bother as we connect the phone via Bluetooth anyway but if it worked we may have used it, I suspect its not fitted as standard if thats the case i can't be bother to remove the unit to fit one.

They come with a dab aerial in the box.

It plugs in any is placed on a window. It is like two horizontal lines.
If you don't have it you can retro fit easy enough

 

[John-Laika]

They come with a dab aerial in the box.

It plugs in any is placed on a window. It is like two horizontal lines.
If you don't have it you can retro fit easy enough

Thanks for this info I will have a look on my window screen to see if fitted if it not fitted I'm not sure I'll remove the unit to retrofit it.
Thank for info