Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega Electrical and Audio Help => Topic started by: cbs2 on 05 February 2008, 21:31:00

Title: Connecting harman Kardon to ariel connector
Post by: cbs2 on 05 February 2008, 21:31:00
Is there any way to connect the ariel lead on the drive & play to the vehicle ariel lead instead of behind the stereo?

Last time it was a pain as the HK plug won't lock into the cage like the VX plug does.
I seem to remember there is another ariel connection, possibly in the kick panels which uses different style connections. Can adaptors be bought for this??
Title: Re: Connecting harman Kardon to ariel connector
Post by: Jay w on 06 February 2008, 11:35:45
Quote
Is there any way to connect the ariel lead on the drive & play to the vehicle ariel lead instead of behind the stereo?

Last time it was a pain as the HK plug won't lock into the cage like the VX plug does.
I seem to remember there is another ariel connection, possibly in the kick panels which uses different style connections. Can adaptors be bought for this??

When i connected my HK kit to the car i had to remove the cage and modify the back of the cage to allow the adaptor to fit.

wasn't the tidyest think in the world but it worked  ;)
Title: Re: Connecting harman Kardon to ariel connector
Post by: Dave DND on 06 February 2008, 11:53:13
Any clear pictures of the connectors you guys are talking about ?

I have books and books of aerial connectors and leads - just not sure what they look like on the car - or where situated.
Title: Re: Connecting harman Kardon to ariel connector
Post by: Jay w on 06 February 2008, 20:25:05
Quote
Any clear pictures of the connectors you guys are talking about ?

I have books and books of aerial connectors and leads - just not sure what they look like on the car - or where situated.

sorry no pics but i will try and explain....

the current aerial lead connector that sits in the back of the cage has to be removed and fitted to the FM unit with the HK kit.
the FM unit has an areial lead with a 'conventional' aerial fitting (male ended) in order to hook this up to the stereo i have had to buy an adaptor, but this doesn't sit in the back of the cage as per the standard Vaux lead, so some cobbling was in order

i hope that made sense  :o
Title: Re: Connecting harman Kardon to ariel connector
Post by: Dave DND on 06 February 2008, 22:45:34
Don`t really understand from the description.

Blaupunkt used to do a right angled ISO connector (stubby) from their older range of pull out units and this would then accept a standard male Motorola plug to fit into it. This clip also fits the OEM Vauxhall cage, so no worries at that end - I`m confused by this HK plug though as I do not know what it looks like.

Somebody will be along with a picture shortly - I have every confidence.
Title: Re: Connecting harman Kardon to ariel connector
Post by: sounds2k on 07 February 2008, 09:59:07
the existing aerial connection fitted to the cage is DIN (right-angled plug) which matches the radio. The FM modulator supplied with the drive & play uses ISO (straight) connections, but comes with adaptors to and from DIN. So you need to remove the existing aerial lead from the cage, plug that into the modulator using one adaptor, connect the modulator's output flylead to the adaptor and then fix that to the cage.

The problem I had with this was that there was then no easy way of securing the adaptor to the cage so that it stayed in place when the radio was refitted (as the original plug clips into place).

I ended up binning the metal ISO to DIN adaptor that should connect to the head unit, then buying an adaptor lead that did the same thing and securing this to the cage using a cable tie fitted through holes that I then drilled in suitable places ...

(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/n0ddy/miggy/50d483a4.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/n0ddy/miggy/1b8b9b5e.jpg)

the connection in the kick panel is a different type again ... SMB?
Title: Re: Connecting harman Kardon to ariel connector
Post by: Dave DND on 07 February 2008, 10:47:28
Ah!  I think I see the problem.

If you are retro fitting an FM modulator, its often easier to connect at the rear of the car onto the standard Hirschman (screw type) connectors as fitted to the aerial amplifier / booster, as these are readily available from most audio stores and even halfords.

Failing that, the FM modulator can be connected inline in the kickwells (I think thats where the join is) using a mixture of Smart Car and Audi connectors - but can triple the price of the bits.

Joing at the cage is really a last resort as the core cable to the angled plug is really thin and fragile and reception is often never the same again !

Does the Drive only have an aerial output? As FM modulators have pretty much dissapeared nowadays with the intervention of FM Transmitters - very high quality, around £45 each and eliminate the need for you to mess around with the aerial leads at all.

http://ice.dndservices.co.uk/shop_show_item.php/MID/51/IID/2947/PAGE/shop_company_index.php
Title: Re: Connecting harman Kardon to ariel connector
Post by: ghondie on 08 February 2008, 13:50:51
the truoble ive been having with my hk is that the audio output is absolute  crap, im now looking at connecting the output via the cd changer signal line, and have it through a switch so that i can change between cd and hk, now just need a diagram or list of wire colours for the mod.
of course i will take piccys when i do it so that anybody else could do the same if they wanted.
Title: Re: Connecting harman Kardon to ariel connector
Post by: Dave DND on 08 February 2008, 13:55:04
The transmitter I described earlier does away with the need for that - since we started using them, no problems and no customer complaints - probably fitted a good few hundred now.
Title: Re: Connecting harman Kardon to ariel connector
Post by: ghondie on 08 February 2008, 14:04:17
Quote
The transmitter I described earlier does away with the need for that - since we started using them, no problems and no customer complaints - probably fitted a good few hundred now.

thats good, ima  bit of a tight wad when it comes to parting for things i can modify or hack on my own, hence the cd input switch.

recomend anybody to use one of these units they seem pretty good, and as its not a modulator you will not have any cross mod which is what you normally get, reason is that its signal is pretty much in tune with the amplifier , this cause the radio signals to "beat" together, and hence you loose alot of quality and experiance hissing.

in summary, if you dont mind modding and fidling about use a switch cost around £3 or if you want it done properly but also have another box to stash get one of these transmitters.

personally you cant beat propper line input for audio.

Title: Re: Connecting harman Kardon to ariel connector
Post by: robcad1972 on 19 February 2012, 18:31:46
Re: Aerial connector. I ordered an extension Din to Iso lead and managed to remove the cage connector off the car aerial lead and swap with the extension lead part, was not looking forward to cutting/modifying the cage but had it out and back in working in under 20 mins.

Works wonderfully :y
Title: Re: Connecting harman Kardon to ariel connector
Post by: feeutfo on 19 February 2012, 18:34:59
Soldered on to the original in mine.