Technical Poor radio reception. Aerial antenna base replacement?

[Rogereld]

When I took ownership of the 2010 Panda 100hp the factory fitted radio/CD (Bosch) had very poor tuning / reception. The channel search will usually find one channel eventually. Sometimes Radio 4, sometimes radio 2 or 1. Sometimes it finds nothing.

I have removed the head unit today. Detaching the aerial plug, and poking a bit of wire in to the centre contact of the coaxial socket solves the problem and all channels can be received and displayed on the screen. Re-connecting the aerial plug to the head unit causes the problems to reappear.

A multimeter test on the central pin to the outer ring of the coaxial aerial plug shows no "short circuit". I have spent some time searching the ICE section of the forum but have not found much. Wider internet searches have found a couple of you tube videos suggesting the antenna base on the roof may need replacing when this type of fault occurs.

I have been looking for parts. I have not found a part number and shop 4 parts and autodoc offer plenty of aerials but I have not found the correct base unit.

Can anyone direct me to a reputable supplier for an antenna base. There are a few listed on ebay from china, but the base contains a circuit board and I prefer to buy from a decent known supplier when electronic components are involved.

 

[SPORTPACK50]

Aerial base

Genuine Fiat aerial base & mounting nut to fit the following models: 500 Abarth <2012 Grande Punto Abarth Fiat 500 <2012 Fiat Panda 2003> Fiat Grande Punto Fiat Punto Evo Fiat Bravo 2009> Fiat Stilo 2003-2007 Fiat Idea Fiat Croma 2005-2010 Please note: this is not suitable for models with...

www.partsworld-uk.com

Seems a bit expensive though!

 

[Rogereld]

Thank you. That has helped with some part numbers.
52076073 / 51789234 / 51908657 ?
£59.99 does seem expensive. A search for the same part number shows one from aliexpress with free delivery for £12.42. Various ebay listings from china have prices around £10-£20.

 

[jrkitching]

£59.99 does seem expensive. A search for the same part number shows one from aliexpress with free delivery for £12.42.

And you can buy a brand new s23 ultra on Aliexpress with 16GBRAM, 1TB flash memory and a 7800mAh battery for £44.28. So no point paying Samsung £1599 for one.

I'd say both have about the same chance of performing in the way you'd expect.

At least it won't kill you. There's a chap in the US who bought a $3000 paramotor on Aliexpress and is posting a collection of youtube videos about his adventures with it. Talk about a death wish!

 

[koalar]

Theres two areal bases fit to the panda

Passive or Active

Passive are cheaper but not as good

I suspect you have an active one, the rubber seal between the roof and aerial base has leaked and water has got into the active electronics

You may or may not get away with giving it a good clean with IPA if it's got corroded

But if its electronically dead it will need a new one

Also worth checking the fuse for the aerial

Probably this one

 

[koalar]

Cheapest passive 1 connector. Works fine in good reception areas, not so great in mountains

Better active two connector, most common fitted

All singing all dancing three connectors


Depending on equipment level you will have one of these three, most likely the two connector

Here's the part numbers

 

[Rogereld]

Better weather for looking at the car today. I have released the roof lining and I can see only one single wire which connects to the aerial lead going towards the front of the car. I disconnected the coaxial plug and put a short piece of electrical wire in the hole. With that in place the radio works and will tune all the radio stations I would expect to receive in our area.

What does the circuit board do in a "passive" aerial? Does the single wire antenna base receive any power from the aerial wire?

My conclusion is I will find the cheapest single wire antenna base and try it. If I can get a decent signal reception with a bit of old wire I do not see the benefit of spending £60 on a replacement.

 

[koalar]

I am surprised it only, a one wire type, my dynamic is the two wire type, the 100hp being a higher spec car I would have expected the two wire type

The one wire is passive no electronics just the aerial

Two wire is the aerial plus a sperate power to the active boost circuit

 

[Rogereld]

The one wire is passive no electronics just the aerial

I have watched a couple of you tube videos of someone attempting to repair a fiat 500 radio aerial with a single wire. In one video he opens his single wire antenna base to reveal a circuit board. In another video he suggests the aerial coaxial cable may supply a voltage from the back coax outlet on the Bosch radio unit to the antenna base but offers no proof.

 

[koalar]

No idea what's going on, the circuit diagram for the 100hp 2006/7/8

All show a seperate power plug

My eco dynamic has the two connector antenna, pretty good, gives reception, just all the way through the tunnel under the river conwy

My active with a cassette player had one connector but still had the power wire just taped out of the way,

 

[Rogereld]

51908657 is the part number for a single wire antenna base, but some pictures I have found for that part number show a female plug socket fitted and that will not fit our 2010 Panda 100hp.
The antenna fitted on our car has a male pin plug on the antenna base cable, which plugs in to a female socket on the cable that runs through to the head unit. The attached picture shows the male plug on the antenna base.
Unfortunately the listings I have found online do not always illustrate the detail of the connector plug pin, and when they do it is a female socket and not male.

 

[koalar]

Nornal online madness

51789234 51908657 52076073​

Pulls up several with

Although this is £17 but has £25 shipping

Just the first one I found I am sure if you do a reverse image search of the image above you should be able to find better shipping rates. They all tend to use the same stock images, going out now so can't search further

 

[koalar]

I was in a fiat garage today, though I might as well ask for a 2010 antenna base for a panda 100hp

£97 something or other, but thier picture also shows the wrong connector

 

[koalar]

Reverse image search came up with this

£20 something or other and free postage

Male connector

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/14382243...fT3bvIFZVzH699T2iRcfRrrA==|tkp:Bk9SR9yi3Nn2Yg

 

[Rogereld]

I have located an original fiat part from a car that is being dismantled. Similar cost to an imported pattern part but quicker delivery and from a more local source. I do not know if an original 15 year old component will be better or worse than a new cheap copy but if it works I will be happy.

I am surprised at the amount of electronic components inside the base of the unit and do not know what the circuit does or how it functions. The only connection is the single coaxial aerial lead that goes to the Bosch factory fitted radio head unit.

 

[koalar]

As suspected

A active antenna with a failed seal as water has entered

At least one component has blown

With an identical one for reference an electronic engineer should be able to repair it

 

[Rogereld]

Update: The antenna base from a donor car arrived with a very perished rubber gasket. With a new gasket eventually received by Royal Mail the antenna has been fitted and the radio is now working.
A multimeter test for circuit continuity between the screw thread on the roof where the whip aerial fits, and the central core of the coaxial cable feed to the head unit shows no direct circuit. I have no idea how the aerial works but it operates without a direct connection.