Has anyone tried this solution for bringing DAB into their car while keeping the OEM system?
http://www.revo.co.uk/digital-radio/specs.php
http://www.revo.co.uk/digital-radio/specs.php
Revo DAB
- Thread starter jdp1962
- Start date
Install now complete, so here's is my first review, with pics. I ordered it on Monday from Dabs.com, & it arrived this morning, before 8.30. It cost under £95, including shipping. That kind of cuts the rug from under the feet of the people advertising them on Ebay, who quote an RRP of £200.
I wanted to mount it on the ashtray cover behind the auto selector, so that it would sit nearly flush with the horizontal slot under the CC controls. The plan was then to feed the cables back through a hole at the back of the slot, for an almost invisible fit. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite possible. My ICE installer said the box behind that slot was took packed with exisitng wiring to risk drilling through, and trying to feed more cables through. Also the ashtray cover curves downwardsa at the back, & the stick-on cradle pad needs a flat surface.
So, the unit is mounted about a inch & a half further forward, still on the ashtray cover (which is now stuck down), and the cables fed forward between the ashtray cover & the gear selecter surround panel. It sits further forward than I'd have ideally liked, but it is fully accessible when the selector is not in Park, and the cabling is still pretty discreet, if not invisible.
Once that was sorted out, the rest was just about connecting up. The antenna is stuck to the windscreen by the passenger pillar, & the unit itself is connected to the OEM HU aerial via an FM modulator broadcasting on either 87.9 or 88.3 FM. I went for 88.3. You can connect direct to an auxiliary input via RCA cables, but my HU's auxiliary input is already occupied by an Audi iPod adapter (also, it's not RCA).
Both the Revo HU and the FM modulator are wired to an ignition live, but it's not the "key out" live that the OEM HU feeds off (more of that in a moment). One of the FM presets on the OEM HU was then tuned to 88.3, and although this had a muffled white noise output, the FM modulator suppresses it when powered up. It took the installer less than hour to put it all together, so the labour charge was £35.
First impression of it in use are very good. I located Planet Rock, Arrow Rock, TalkSport, 5 Live and 5 Live Extra & saved them to the five presets. The signal strength display quickly shows them all holding between 90 & 100%. SQ is on a par with FM (naturally), so pretty good without being stunning. The obvious reference point is between 5 Live on AM & 5 Live on DAB via FM, and I can tell you there is no comparison. The DAB version is much clearer.
The only ricket I've founds is to do with the Revo not being connected via the "key out" live. It means that when I switch the engine off, the Revo switches off immediately, while the OEM HU stays on until the key is removed. This may only be for a couple of seconds, but in the meantime, the FM Modulator is also switched off, so for that brief period, 88.3FM reverts to the white noise. The work-round is to switch the OEM HU to another preset before switching off. Now for some pics:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/jdp1962/P1010001.jpg
Aerial (from inside)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/jdp1962/P1010003.jpg
Aerial (from outside)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/jdp1962/P1010004-1.jpg
I wanted to mount it on the ashtray cover behind the auto selector, so that it would sit nearly flush with the horizontal slot under the CC controls. The plan was then to feed the cables back through a hole at the back of the slot, for an almost invisible fit. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite possible. My ICE installer said the box behind that slot was took packed with exisitng wiring to risk drilling through, and trying to feed more cables through. Also the ashtray cover curves downwardsa at the back, & the stick-on cradle pad needs a flat surface.
So, the unit is mounted about a inch & a half further forward, still on the ashtray cover (which is now stuck down), and the cables fed forward between the ashtray cover & the gear selecter surround panel. It sits further forward than I'd have ideally liked, but it is fully accessible when the selector is not in Park, and the cabling is still pretty discreet, if not invisible.
Once that was sorted out, the rest was just about connecting up. The antenna is stuck to the windscreen by the passenger pillar, & the unit itself is connected to the OEM HU aerial via an FM modulator broadcasting on either 87.9 or 88.3 FM. I went for 88.3. You can connect direct to an auxiliary input via RCA cables, but my HU's auxiliary input is already occupied by an Audi iPod adapter (also, it's not RCA).
Both the Revo HU and the FM modulator are wired to an ignition live, but it's not the "key out" live that the OEM HU feeds off (more of that in a moment). One of the FM presets on the OEM HU was then tuned to 88.3, and although this had a muffled white noise output, the FM modulator suppresses it when powered up. It took the installer less than hour to put it all together, so the labour charge was £35.
First impression of it in use are very good. I located Planet Rock, Arrow Rock, TalkSport, 5 Live and 5 Live Extra & saved them to the five presets. The signal strength display quickly shows them all holding between 90 & 100%. SQ is on a par with FM (naturally), so pretty good without being stunning. The obvious reference point is between 5 Live on AM & 5 Live on DAB via FM, and I can tell you there is no comparison. The DAB version is much clearer.
The only ricket I've founds is to do with the Revo not being connected via the "key out" live. It means that when I switch the engine off, the Revo switches off immediately, while the OEM HU stays on until the key is removed. This may only be for a couple of seconds, but in the meantime, the FM Modulator is also switched off, so for that brief period, 88.3FM reverts to the white noise. The work-round is to switch the OEM HU to another preset before switching off. Now for some pics:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/jdp1962/P1010001.jpg
Aerial (from inside)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/jdp1962/P1010003.jpg
Aerial (from outside)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/jdp1962/P1010004-1.jpg
AndyMac
Retired from service
Sounds excellent.
Shame they didn't rig the Revo up to a relay triggered by the HU's remote on, so that it switches on/off with the HU and takes the ignition out of the equation, but that's a simple job which you could do later.
Shame about the FM business as this will restrict the SQ on DAB for music, which is the difference between Cd and tape so well worthwhile having. There must be auto switches you can get these days for switching between a CD changer & iPOD that you could use so that you can ditch the modulator?
Shame they didn't rig the Revo up to a relay triggered by the HU's remote on, so that it switches on/off with the HU and takes the ignition out of the equation, but that's a simple job which you could do later.
Shame about the FM business as this will restrict the SQ on DAB for music, which is the difference between Cd and tape so well worthwhile having. There must be auto switches you can get these days for switching between a CD changer & iPOD that you could use so that you can ditch the modulator?
I take your point Andy, but your idea of a simple job ain't mine! As to a switcher, wouldn't it also need an RCA to mini-ISO adapter as well?
The main purpose of the exercise was to gain access to DAB-only stations like Planet Rock & 5-Live Extra, and to improve on the AM-reception of 5-Live, while keeping the OEM HU. I've achieved all of that for a pretty small outlay.
Oh yes, and the kit comes with a registration card which if you send it back to Revo to register your purchase, they send you a free credit-card sized remote control.
The main purpose of the exercise was to gain access to DAB-only stations like Planet Rock & 5-Live Extra, and to improve on the AM-reception of 5-Live, while keeping the OEM HU. I've achieved all of that for a pretty small outlay.
Oh yes, and the kit comes with a registration card which if you send it back to Revo to register your purchase, they send you a free credit-card sized remote control.
AndyMac
Retired from service
The switcher could sit in front of the adapter, so standard RCA's in and out, then feed into the single mini-ISO adapter. Or is your iPOD input using the CD changer cable?
AndyMac said:
The iPod adapter came with its own cabling. The HU end consisted of about ten individual wires, with pins, which I had to insert one-by-one into the blank holes on the mini-ISO plug connected to the back of the HU.
Bump!
After a few months of driving around the country, using the Revo, I've identified quite a few areas where the signal drops off, so I've ordered a glass-mounted external aerial to replace the standard stick-on internal one that was bundled with the original kit.
Will post update once it's in.
After a few months of driving around the country, using the Revo, I've identified quite a few areas where the signal drops off, so I've ordered a glass-mounted external aerial to replace the standard stick-on internal one that was bundled with the original kit.
Will post update once it's in.
Bump, again! Installed the glass-mounted aerial myself about six weeks ago, and the improvement in reception was huge, with no signal drop-outs anywhere. Than about two weeks ago, I was on the M25 when I heard a thud, glanced in the mirror & saw the external antenna disappearing in the distance.
Despite having cleaned the glass & degreased it with alcohol before attaching the antenna, the self-adhesive contact patch had failed after four weeks. I was in a strong signal area when it happened, & the reception was OK with just the internal part of the aerial on the inside if the rear screen.
I decided to leave it a for a while & see how it fared without the antenna, but this past weekend I visited an area where I know the signal can be weak, and sure enough it dropped out again.
So today, I rang up & spoke to Revo. They couldn't have been more helpful. The guy I spoke to confirmed I had fitted it correctly (I was worried in case I was meant to have sealed it after fitting but he said no it wasn't necessary) and agreed to supply a replacement antenna on its own without the rest of the kit, at cost. He said he had no desire to profit from what must just have been a chance failure.
So I'll get a new antenna in a few days for £15, inc. shipping. But regardless of what he said, i think I will seal it this time.
What a fantastic company!
Despite having cleaned the glass & degreased it with alcohol before attaching the antenna, the self-adhesive contact patch had failed after four weeks. I was in a strong signal area when it happened, & the reception was OK with just the internal part of the aerial on the inside if the rear screen.
I decided to leave it a for a while & see how it fared without the antenna, but this past weekend I visited an area where I know the signal can be weak, and sure enough it dropped out again.
So today, I rang up & spoke to Revo. They couldn't have been more helpful. The guy I spoke to confirmed I had fitted it correctly (I was worried in case I was meant to have sealed it after fitting but he said no it wasn't necessary) and agreed to supply a replacement antenna on its own without the rest of the kit, at cost. He said he had no desire to profit from what must just have been a chance failure.
So I'll get a new antenna in a few days for £15, inc. shipping. But regardless of what he said, i think I will seal it this time.
What a fantastic company!
I've been thinking for a while about what Andymac said about limiting the DAB radio to FM, so today, I rang Orpington Car Stereo. They're one of the longest established ICE dealers in this end of the country, and have done quite a few fittings for me.AndyMac said:
I asked him if it was possible to fit an adapter to convert the RCA auxiliary connectors on the Revo to mini-ISO, and then fit a two-into-one switched mini-ISO adapter that would allow me to connect both the iPod AND the Revo DAB to the auxilliary input on the Concert II and switch between them.
He said there was no problem with the RCA-to-mini-ISO adapter, but no one has manufactured a ready made switching system for connecting two sources to one aux-input. He reckoned it could be made up on a bespoke basis , but would be very time-consuming and, because of that, too expensive.
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Buy yourself a Dension Gateway 300 or 400, they have an Ipod interface and aux input for the Revo. Also a USB port for memory sticks
Thanks, Craig
That looks a neat solution. Will look at that one when I've finished paying for Christmas.
That looks a neat solution. Will look at that one when I've finished paying for Christmas.
