Cd/radio ftting

Post by **edtog** » Fri Nov 12, 2004 4:19 pm

Just a quick check before I take the plunge will ANY make/type of cd player fit my moggy, I'm assuming I'll have to cut off the adaptors anyway, and where can I get an internal aerial as I don't want to drill holes in the wings or roof.

Many thanks

Ed

Post by **rayofleamington** » Fri Nov 12, 2004 4:28 pm

most car spares places will sell an internal aerial kit - they are much better than body aerials anyway so you win on all counts.
In theory you can fit any make of stereo but you should also have negative earth. If you go for something powerful you might want an alternator, and if you go for a CD player it is best to go for soft rubber mounting otherwise it will keep jumping.

Post by **woo** » Fri Nov 12, 2004 5:23 pm

edtog,

Like you I didn't want to drill holes in the car so I made up my aerial using an idea that Maplin Electronics used to sell.

2 feet of Coaxial Cable with a plug for the radio at one end. The other end has the central (solid) wire connected to 5 amp fuse wire. The braided cable is earthed to the car body. The 5 amp fuse wire is taped to the inside of the windscreen using 'Diamond Ultra Clear Sellotape' I went up the drivers side, across the top, down the passenger side and back (about 10 feet). The 1st length of wire (going out) about 1/4 inch from the edge of the screen. The length coming back about 1/8 inch further into the screen.

I find mine very effective on both AM and FM, and, providing you don't get creases in the sellotape, very unobtrusive.

It's worth giving it a try since, besides a couple of hours spent, it will cost you practically nothing.

I had to buy a reel of fusewire so If you want to give it a try and can't get a long enough piece of fusewire, send me a stamped addresses envelope and I'll give you some.

That applies to anyone else that may want to experiment with it.

Post by **Gareth** » Sat Nov 13, 2004 5:17 pm

If you're feeling flush, you could fit a CD changer - even the speedbumps around here haven't wrong-footed mine yet! It takes a serious pothole to get Ella to skip the way to work... ;) As for which to buy - anything will fit if your car's negative earth. It's best to wire in the connector blocks so you can chop and change the radio as and when you want, rather than having to rewire it each time. Again, a car spares shop will sell the adaptors.

I always thought that internal aerials were a bit dodgy, to be honest, but I never used one. The thoroughly ropey one on Phyllis' wing fell foul of the garage door in the high winds the other week, and had to be replaced - the sound quality now is tremendous, because I cleaned up the earth contact under the wing. I can get ClassicFM all the way to work now...

Post by **rayofleamington** » Sat Nov 13, 2004 7:22 pm

I always thought that internal aerials were a bit dodgy, to be honest, but I never used one.

Thay're easier to fit and the boosted versions will bring out stations that you never knew existed

External aerials are the dodgy ones!

Post by **Gareth** » Sun Nov 14, 2004 11:16 am

So you learn something new every day...

Post by **Cam** » Sun Nov 14, 2004 3:01 pm

Gareth wrote:So you learn something new every day...

Well............. the trouble with boosted aerials is that the actual aerial is usually rubbish and the booster amplifies the signal AND the noise, so they are not very good. A proper external aerial will be better than an internal especially if the internal is bent around the screen as the signal will be attenuated due to the incorrect polarity (orientation compares to the transmitting antenna) of the antenna. Also if it's just a bit of wire then the length will not be optimally matched to the wavlength of the signal and so won't 'catch' all of it, thus resulting in a further attenuated signal.

The reason why a lot of folks think the internal aerials are good is that they are 'good enough' and better than a poorly earthed badly designed external 'car accessory shop' one, or a boosted one (you can't amplify a signal that's not there in the first place!). But a proper external aerial, properly oriented, with a good earth and at the correct length is better!

Post by **woo** » Sun Nov 14, 2004 10:16 pm

Cam,

Your points about aerial tuning, optimisation and the subsequent attenuation of a poorly manufactured (or home made) aerial are all valid. But am I alone in that in my car they would make little practical difference? Below 45mph the radio sounds as reasonable as the speakers, mounted at the ends of the parcel shelf, will allow. Beyond 45mph the engine noise and wind noise combine to compete with the radio to the extent that I lose much of the fine detail in the music. Beyond 55 to 60 mph I turn the radio off. Yet I don't consider my Morris noisy.

A standard Morris Minor, however much we love them, isn't the most favourable environment for Car Audio, so why not keep it simple and cheap.

Post by **Peetee** » Sun Nov 14, 2004 10:58 pm

I can vouch for the internal stick on type. The one I bought in Halfords worked very well in Denzil, my (former) 1960 four door.

Post by **Cam** » Sun Nov 14, 2004 11:17 pm

woo, the Moggy is not exactly acoustically brilliant, so you are never going to get true high fidelity sound. I was just commenting from a radio reception point of view and not a sound reproduction one.

Like I said, your system is certainly 'good enough'!

Post by **ColinP** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 8:57 am

What I've noticed with my internal aerial is that the signal strength isn't as good as an external one - local radio stations are ok, but radio 4 has to have several pre-sets (or keep scanning) even for a few miles...
Porbably the internal one is just "good enough", but doesn't compete with the good external one (but it's a new front n/s wing & I don't want to cut it!)

Colin

Post by **woo** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 9:05 am

Cam,

I hope I didn't sound cambatative. I agree with you 100% about the necessity of a good aerial. For my system at home I have had good roof mounted aerials installed for FM, DAB and Digital TV. I also run a 'Long Wire' aerial down the garden with a tuneable coupler for my Short Wave receiver. I just wasn't sure where your post was heading as it appeared to be putting down anything other than an optimal system.

I'm learning another point about accoustics. The older you get, the narrower the frequency range your ears pick up so poor reception sounds better and better.

Post by **Relfy** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:05 am

I'm finding the older I get the better my hearing in high frequencies.... smoke alarms do a little 'pip-pip' noise that drives me crazy when I'm trying to sleep, I HATE those 'silent' cat-frighteners people have in their gardens, but its lovely listening to bats....

But I'm beginning to think I might just be wierd anyway... and far too fond of going off on tangents!

Post by **woo** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:42 am

Relfy,

Speaking of tangents, I wonder what they go off at.

Post by **Relfy** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:54 am

Hmm... six old hags carry a huge tin of arsenic.....

Post by **bigginger** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 11:27 am

Relfy wrote:I'm finding the older I get the better my hearing in high frequencies....

Hmm, definitely weird! High frequencys are generally the first part of hearing to start disappearing with age - there must be a career for you testing smoke alarms without pressing the 'test' button, or learniing to talk to bats.

Post by **woo** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 12:32 pm

Cam,

Have you seen this site re aerials? I found it very interesting. I played with it for hours!

http://www.megalithia.com/elect/terrain.html

Woo

Post by **Relfy** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 1:21 pm

Hmm, definitely weird! High frequencys are generally the first part of hearing to start disappearing with age - there must be a career for you testing smoke alarms without pressing the 'test' button, or learniing to talk to bats.

ahem. yep, thats right, not wierd, just 'special talents'.

Thats a good site Woo - i'm going to hand it on to my dad. I'm getting worried at how much time he's spending up wobbly ladders with his new aerial.

Post by **Cam** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 2:49 pm

woo wrote:I hope I didn't sound cambatative. I agree with you 100% about the necessity of a good aerial. For my system at home I have had good roof mounted aerials installed for FM, DAB and Digital TV. I also run a 'Long Wire' aerial down the garden with a tuneable coupler for my Short Wave receiver. I just wasn't sure where your post was heading as it appeared to be putting down anything other than an optimal system.

Not at all mate! That's what good debate is all about!!

No, I was not putting down sub-optimal systems as such, I as just really replying to a comment further up about internal aerials being better than external ones...............

woo wrote:Cam,

Have you seen this site re aerials? I found it very interesting. I played with it for hours!

http://www.megalithia.com/elect/terrain.html

Woo

Hmmm................ nice site, but it reminds me too much of work I'm afraid!! I come on here to escape that!!

Post by **rayofleamington** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 6:11 pm

replying to a comment further up about internal aerials being better than external ones...............

They're certainly better than naff external ones