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[TheBoy]

Argghhh!

After I had the radio out, radio (NCDR1500) won't find FM stations with RDS switched on. nor any reception if you press the programmed station button. Turn RDS off and you get radio, but soon goes hissy.

Checked the aerial is plugged in, and it looks like there is no obvious damage to connector behind radio.

Easiest solution to replace the aerial between kick panel and radio?  Anyone got one, and knows how it runs between the locations?

[LFF64]

The inner conductor may have snapped at the connector I had loads of problems with mine a while back if the connector (aerial) is the same as on mine you can take it apart and try to remake the end , But saying that  I found that the cable had become brittle and kept breaking .
In the end I brought a short extension from Halfords and ran it from the back of the HU down to the kick panel not had a problem since .
 You may have to still swap the connector over as it is a 90 angle but  I am sure you can do that no problem  

[TheBoy]

Should really get a T2 on it first, just see if it is signal strength thats low, and that there is not a bucketload of fault codes stored

[vauxmad]

i would say the conector is snapped!

[TheBoy]

i would say the conector is snapped!

Connector visually looks sound, but I know that is the weak point.

[Dave DND]

Quick way to test joints or boosters would be to find an easily accessable aerial joint somewhere along the car - (kickwell or unscrewing the cable from the booster is usually quickest to get to).

Tuner radio into a weak station and place a damp finger over the end of the exposed aerial cable, or better still something mettallic on the centre core of the cable taking care not to connect the centre and the outer whilst you are doing this. If the radio signal improves, then chances are that whatever joints and cables between the joint you are touching and the radio are ok and the fault lies further back.

If the radio signal stays the same, then find another joint between where you are now, and the radio and try again. If you get to the stage where you are doing this on the aerial socket on the back of the radio, then its the radio that may itself be knackered.

Although not a definitive test, its a good way of easily checking the fragile connector at the rear of the head unit without actually disturbing it any further

 

[tmx]

ive got a similar problem but with AM only.... with the clarion it dowsnt work with a CCR600 or anyother standard radio it does  :-?

[Dave DND]

ive got a similar problem but with AM only.... with the clarion it dowsnt work with a CCR600 or anyother standard radio it does  :-?

Very common fault with aftermarket radios, althoug the reasoning behind it makes no sense.

With the standard radio, the tuner is very very poor quality and as such will pick up just about radio station with a bit of wet string attatched to theh rear, as it is not to critical about the EXACT frequency it is looking for.

With an aftermarket, good quality tuner in your car, you now have to be a lot fussier over the grade of cabling and aerials fitted as the tuner is actually now looking for a more precise signal to be received. This is very noticeable on FM, and the improvements are often very obvious. However, when it comes to AM, there are so many electronics inside the car emitting their own noises and frequencies, that it is not uncommon for some of the harmonics to actually partially block out the AM stations. For this reason, you may have noticed that a lot of the more modern and better quality aftermarket car stereos actually have removed MW as an option completely, that and along with the fact that apart from the cricket and Five Live, everything else can be found on FM or the preferred DAB.

Its just a bit ironic, and no more so for us selling them, that if you want to listen to five live, then the expensive aftermarket stereo is going to perform a lot worse than your nasty OEM one.