The reception in my Skoda Octavia is deteriorating noticeably. It has
been suggested that this is a problem with the aerial rather than the
radio, which is c***p anyway, but has been receiving fm reasonably
until recently.

Any suggestions ? Thanks

Rob

On 8 May 2006 05:37:46 -0700, wrote:

The reception in my Skoda Octavia is deteriorating noticeably. It has
been suggested that this is a problem with the aerial rather than the
radio, which is c***p anyway, but has been receiving fm reasonably
until recently.

It's extremely common for the mast and/or amplifier in VAG group roof
mounted aerials to degrade rapidly after a few years. The masts can go
open circuit at the base where they flex, and the amps tend to suffer
from water ingress. MW and LW will generally go first in either case,
with FM following over time.

Jon
--
In-Car Express http://www.incarexpress.co.uk
Car Audio | Security | Multimedia | Navigation
Tel. 01223 301212 Fax. 0870 7484123

Thanks for that Jon - the characteristics are just as you say. I now
beg the question - what do I do about it ? Is there a long term
solution or is it just replacement with VAG parts and if there is an
amplifier, where is it and how to I get at it to replace it. Does your
company supply replacement parts for instance ?

Rob

On 10 May 2006 00:32:22 -0700, wrote:

Thanks for that Jon - the characteristics are just as you say. I now
beg the question - what do I do about it ? Is there a long term
solution or is it just replacement with VAG parts and if there is an
amplifier, where is it and how to I get at it to replace it. Does your
company supply replacement parts for instance ?

The amplifier is integrated into the base of the aerial itself, so you
have to replace the whole aerial if it's faulty. VAG units were
always ridiculously expensive - if that's still the case, we can
supply aftermarket replacements. They're available in either 52 or 72
degree variants, so you'd need to establish which you need by
measuring the angle of the original. The only downpoint to using an
aftermarket unit is that you'll have to run an electric aerial power
feed from the head unit to the aerial base in most cases.

Jon
--
In-Car Express http://www.incarexpress.co.uk
Car Audio | Security | Multimedia | Navigation
Tel. 01223 301212 Fax. 0870 7484 123