Technical DAB+ aerial for Doblo 263

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Technical DAB+ aerial for Doblo 263

Camionette

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Hello,

Am in the process of upgrading the stereo in my Doblo Cargo Maxi type 263 with a modern aftermarket head-unit with carplay, DAB+ and that kind of niceties.

First hurdle: the aerial.
The factory built-in aerial shows corrosion on the thread with which the whip goes on the base and the thread is slightly damaged. Could have been caused in or by a car-wash street, I do not know.
Fit a fresh roof aerial, DAB+ certified, seems a good idea by me.
That means some 'work' on and with the cabin roof-trim, the overhead stowage/parcel shelf above the innerside of the windscreen, the plastic over the window pillar, it all has to come off, and back on again.
Sounds simple, but I have no clue how to do this and I dislike using force and the risc of breaking things.
Anyone in this forum been there yet? If yes, would you please share your experiences?

The stereo will most likely be a Pioneer SPH-DA230. The Pioneer installation manual says it needs an ignition switch with an ACC-position. A Doblo does not have that.
To me, this is somewhat confusing.
As far as I understand things, a modern head-unit, like the forementioned Pioneer, 'need' a constand, always present 12V and a ignition-synchronous aka 'switched' 12V. The radio-cable loom in my Doblo carries both via an ISO-connector set.
As I understand it, the constant 12V and switched 12V matter, is solved.
However, I wonder why Pioneer would prescribe such an ACC-position as mandatory? Or, what am I overlooking or ignorant?

With kind regards,

Camionette
 
Not familiar with the Doblo specifically, but get yourself a set of trim removal tools off ebay, amazon, etc. Will allow you to get trim pieces off without breaking them or their retaining clips or damaging the paintwork underneath.
 
Assuming you've not completed this....

My old memory is hazy - I fitted a Pioneer DAB to my Dobby a few years ago.
I seem to recall that I has to do minor modifications to my wiring to get it how I wanted it.
I fitted a small switch so I could have the radio on with the ignition off. I wanted the radio to die with ignition off so I didn't drain the battery. The easy wiring way would have been to have the radio powered up all the time, but I would have had to switch off the radio manually each time. Not for me!
I used a screen mounted aerial from dab on wheels and it gives excellent reception.

The top shelf comes off easy enough so no worries with that.
 
Hi

I've gone down the Pioneer with Dab route in my 263 also.

I did have the stereo professionally fitted but their aerial solution didn't work very well, dab was useless. So I opted for a proper dab aerial. As mine is a van with bare metal roof I decided to just fit an extra aerial at the rear of the van without having to remove all the cubby bits and bobs at the front of the vehicle. I did the aerial installation myself btw.


Obviously it now sports 2 aerials but the second is masked slightly by having a roof bars with a ladder in place!

Dab is now just fine and dandy.
 
I did the same as most folks here, with a couple exceptions! :D

I bought the double DIN housing off eBay from China. Cost £40 and allowed me to install a large touch screen unit with all the toys (DAB, Sat Nav, Video player, MP3/4/WMA/WAV and Android apps).

With all the toys I've installed (Reverse sensors, front/rear DVR, reverse camera, USB charge sockets everywhere) it was easier for me to install a second fuse box to power everything. So everything is fused and a couple relays turn it on/off with the key. Plus I added an emergency power switch to shut everything off if ever needed. I ended up not using the factory power/acc and BAT wires, just the speaker wires.

When i removed the factory antenna I had the hole welded shut then painted. Exterior antennas are so 1980's. Pulling the trim was easy just time consuming. I replaced it with a windshield antenna from Amazon. It was cheap but works great for DAB, FM, AM. I don't remember the brand, but it's kinda like tape, stuck to the top of the windshield and down the right side. You can't see it and the right trim panel covers the wiring. The head unit I bought has an SMA connector for the sat nav and radio antenna, not the whimpy bullet type.

As already recommended, go buy the trim tools. They will make pulling trim easier and prevent you marking up the plastic. Buy extra clips because you are going to break some and they're cheap. I think I got 100 off eBay for a tenner. Get the plastic as hot as you can. This makes the plastic more pliable and less likely to buckle or break. I ran the heater full blast for an hour before I did mine (stupid cold in the UK!). Be gentle! Don't force it or it will break! Only apply the force needed to remove. Take it easy! Asside from that it's pretty simple to take any trim off. Take loads of pictures to help re-assembly and you should be good!

Also if you are removing door panels you might consider adding sound deadening to the doors. Makes a huge difference in road noise!
 
I did the same as most folks here, with a couple exceptions! :D

I bought the double DIN housing off eBay from China. Cost £40 and allowed me to install a large touch screen unit with all the toys (DAB, Sat Nav, Video player, MP3/4/WMA/WAV and Android apps).

With all the toys I've installed (Reverse sensors, front/rear DVR, reverse camera, USB charge sockets everywhere) it was easier for me to install a second fuse box to power everything. So everything is fused and a couple relays turn it on/off with the key. Plus I added an emergency power switch to shut everything off if ever needed. I ended up not using the factory power/acc and BAT wires, just the speaker wires.

When i removed the factory antenna I had the hole welded shut then painted. Exterior antennas are so 1980's. Pulling the trim was easy just time consuming. I replaced it with a windshield antenna from Amazon. It was cheap but works great for DAB, FM, AM. I don't remember the brand, but it's kinda like tape, stuck to the top of the windshield and down the right side. You can't see it and the right trim panel covers the wiring. The head unit I bought has an SMA connector for the sat nav and radio antenna, not the whimpy bullet type.

As already recommended, go buy the trim tools. They will make pulling trim easier and prevent you marking up the plastic. Buy extra clips because you are going to break some and they're cheap. I think I got 100 off eBay for a tenner. Get the plastic as hot as you can. This makes the plastic more pliable and less likely to buckle or break. I ran the heater full blast for an hour before I did mine (stupid cold in the UK!). Be gentle! Don't force it or it will break! Only apply the force needed to remove. Take it easy! Asside from that it's pretty simple to take any trim off. Take loads of pictures to help re-assembly and you should be good!

Also if you are removing door panels you might consider adding sound deadening to the doors. Makes a huge difference in road noise!
 
I bought a DAB radio & a cheapo aerial that stuck on the inside of the screen. Not the greatest DAB reception going through the countryside, it kept losing whatever I was listening to.
Came out one cold and frosty morn to find the stick on aerial no longer stuck on. Managed to get it to hold but it fell off every few days after that.
I noticed that my original little twig had snapped at the base, it was simply laying flat against the roof.

Looked around the bay for a new aerial - I could buy a small twig or a shark fin. I opted for the shark fin - which now sits on the front of the roof!
Yeah, it might look a bit odd - but it's sat on top of an oddity anyway :D
I masked off the roof and built up the underside with black sealant to match the colour of the fin so it looks like it fits the curve of the roof.
The parcel shelf is a doddle to remove, simply undo a few screws, the same with the windscreen side trim & there seems to be a rather large gap between the dash and screen, large enough to tuck cable in without hassle. Only cable you can see is the radio and power cables from back of the radio pod to the gap at the bottom of the dash/screen.
Happy to report that reception has been amazing.
 
Hi, I fitted an android unit to my 2017 model, I used a set of ISO leads and steering wheel control adapter and dash adapter for the head unit from connects 2, all electrics are plug and play no issues, only problem is if you are parked and want to listen to music or get on the internet you need to have the engine running as you don't have an acc lead on fiats. Also if you use a double din unit as I did you need to cut away some of the internal dash to get the head unit to fit, once everything is fitted with the facia adapter in place it looks like a factory fit . I used an aftermarket DAB aerial which sticks to the inside of your windscreen, to be honest the signal is never going to be as good as factory fit as they are fitted around the roof, however if in a good signal area it works really well. Jon.
 
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