xantia S2 Radio Woes Fixed at last

falling-out-with-my-car · Post by **falling-out-with-my-car** » 18 Apr 2011, 17:34

Nope don't have a preamplfier at the base of the aerial, and I couldn't be anymore fringe than I am now been out driving around Kettering today the signal has been absolutely fine and very clear to no hiss which is what I had before, now what I need is an in depth instruction manual on how to replace the whole aerial lead, but if nothing is available then its fine as it is. the radio will have to be binned come 2015 anyway when the goverment sell off the old fm frequencies for profit, if the cons are still in they may even flog them sooner.

Post by **CitroJim** » 18 Apr 2011, 18:17

Replacing the aerial lead is not such a bad job actually Nigel..

It runs down the driver's A pillar behind the trim, down the side of the dash, down and across the driver's footwell before diving up again to emerge behind the radio...

I think you'll find that FM radio will still be going strongly past 2015. It's not like the telly and already there's reason being seen that FM band II transmissions are much better for in-car radio that ever band III digital signals will be. Getting good mobile coverage with DAB will be a major technical and logistical headache.

Also, the audiophools* are lobbying to keep R3 on analogue FM as the audio quality is far superior to anything that DAB can offer - technically that's true.

* an Audiophool is a person reputedly to have golden ears and can apparently tell the difference between different kinds of speaker wires and so on. The market gleefully accommodates these types by flogging them very expensive oxygen-free copper cables with solid gold connectors on the end and other countless bits of expensive hi-fi bling...

Of course it's all complete rubbish...

Post by **myglaren** » 18 Apr 2011, 18:35

CitroJim wrote: * an Audiophool is a person reputedly to have golden ears and can apparently tell the difference between different kinds of speaker wires and so on. The market gleefully accommodates these types by flogging them very expensive oxygen-free copper cables with solid gold connectors on the end and other countless bits of expensive hi-fi bling...

Of course it's all complete rubbish...

I was going to ask your advice regarding an FM dipole but you will no doubt recommend a couple of hazel twigs or a diamond encrusted thong

Post by **Peter.N.** » 18 Apr 2011, 18:40

Wet hazel twigs will do fine

Post by **myglaren** » 18 Apr 2011, 18:43

What shall I spray them with to keep them wet

Post by **Peter.N.** » 18 Apr 2011, 18:53

Ah now that's the problem, they have to be kept in a special humidifying cabinet, costs £300.

Post by **CitroJim** » 18 Apr 2011, 18:55

myglaren wrote:

Steve, I'd NEVER put you in that category! You know the kind of people I mean and that's not you...

myglaren wrote: I was going to ask your advice regarding an FM dipole but you will no doubt recommend a couple of hazel twigs or a diamond encrusted thong

No good asking me

The aerial on the back of my Leak Troughline* is a bit of wire dangling down behind the shelf it sits on

Seriously, for good FM reception, a good three or four element yagi situated high up in the clear with a good clear line to the transmitter will be ideal. Avoid it looking at or through tall buildings in the locality as this can cause multipath effects as the signal bounces around and off the building giving rise to phase distortion. For good clean Stereo reception you need a good, strong signal free of any multipath. The more directional 4 element will help guard against this... Using just a straight dipole may allow weak signals from a more distant transmitter on the same frequency to be received with sufficient strength to cause noise in the background...

How far distant are you from the transmitter?

* The Leak Troughline is a 1960s all-valve FM tuner and I use this because it is a very well known fact that valves give a far superior sound compared to solid-state devices.

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 18 Apr 2011, 20:02

Funny you should mention audiophools Jim, I read an article in a hi-fi mag (while looking for a replacement amp for Danielle's) where they got several of them and blind tested several audio leads, ranging from gold tipped near £100 leads down to the winning bent wire hanger.
Yes, a wire hanger gave the highest sound quality.

As for the FM switchover, first they need more listeners via digital (which unfortunately includes internet listening) than analogue, and even then they're only planning on bumping the national beeb stations onto DAB only.
By then we'll have 4G, so most areas will have a fast enough mobile internet access to enable internet radio via mobile without interruption.
Much better than DAB.

Post by **Peter.N.** » 18 Apr 2011, 20:45

The world of Hi Fi has always been the same, people that could afford it would try to impress others not by what their equipment sounded like but by how much they had paid for it.

In 1954 I started work at a firm called City Sale & Exchange, I don't suppose anyone has heard of it now but it was a subsidiary of Wallace Heaton that any photographic buffs among you may know.

We sold Quad, Leak and other amps made by less well known manufacturers and they all sounded brilliant, mono of course, stereo was only just beginning to appear at this time, in fact I have never since then heard anything that sounds better - but of course they did use valves, which have now been re-discovered.

Snobbery has existed ever since some people became wealthy enough to afford things that the less well off couldn't and its always applied to sound equipment.

Peter

Post by **myglaren** » 18 Apr 2011, 21:09

I don't actually subscribe to the Hi-Fi mania but do have some fairly heavy-duty cables on the decent stereo to carry the current.

I have just bought a Sonab R-4000 receiver. It is probably 40 years old and matches the Sonab record deck I bought in 1971.

I don't actually listen to radios and wanted just the P-4000 amplifier - hens teeth are more common.

I set it up upstairs and used the radio first as I hadn't wired the DIN plugs back onto the record deck and it wasn't too bad without an antenna. A bit hissy naturally but I am ALMOST

line-of-sight with the transmitter eight miles away.

I say almost as the village I live in is in a bit of a dip and the signal skims the rooftops - had a right carry on sorting an antenna for my daughter who lives 100yds from me.

Took it down into the dining room and it is hopeless so considered a dipole but don't want a plastic ribbon on the wall, neither do I want to invest in anything more than a tenner as I am unlikely to put it to use anyway but as it is there it would kind of complete the picture, as it were.
So would some Sonab OA-22 speakers. Not going to happen in my lifetime though.

I was going to post a photo but Windows Security has detected a threat and I have god knows how many viruses on my C-drive - on a Linux computer
Where's those roflecopters when you need them

addo · Post by **addo** » 18 Apr 2011, 21:49

I like that word, "audiphool".

Jim - thanks for the description of antenna wire routing - I need to replace mine, and this helps.

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 18 Apr 2011, 22:20

myglaren wrote: Where's those roflecopters when you need them

red_dwarfers · Post by **red_dwarfers** » 18 Apr 2011, 22:23

A very interesting read this thread has been. I've learnt quite a lot today, earlier on I was being taught the basics of variable length subnetting. All good stuff. I'm liking that roflcopter

Highly amusing!

Post by **CitroJim** » 19 Apr 2011, 07:28

Pleased you've enjoyed it Kev

red_dwarfers wrote:I was being taught the basics of variable length subnetting. All good stuff.

Now there's an evil subject if ever there was one

You wait untuil you learn about supernetting

Networking is a very interesting subject and one I rather enjoy actually...

Nigel, most humble apologies for so comprehensively hijacking your thread and allowing it to go so far off-topic... Us miserable old admins really ought to know better

falling-out-with-my-car · Post by **falling-out-with-my-car** » 19 Apr 2011, 10:32

No probs Jim it makes for interesting reading I have always been a bit of a Hi-fi nut, I ignore any thing on sale with less than 150 watts of output.

my latest hi-fi has been very good to me and is a Technics SLDV280 cost around £500 nope I didnt actuall go out and buy it I got it as a repalcement through the insurance for a machine that had Karioke on it.

until fairly recently it was one of the most expensive stereos available.
a total RMS of 320 watts it really does kick some noise and in surround sound to. the fact that I havent replaced it is probably due to the fact that it has been so relaible compared to many other makes I have had over the years one of the best was a midi unit made by a company called schenider apparrently woolworths used to sell them rebadged. very good amps but crappy speakers, these days I dont often get to turn the music up I dont want to be chucked out of my rented home to be honest and it does help neighbour relations somewhat if the walls arn't shaking.
or maybe I'm just getting old.