Head units & poor reception

[otolith]

Dash of the Elise is currently in bits being retrimmed. My head unit has some cosmetic damage, so I'm considering sticking a new one in while it's easy.

The radio reception - DAB and FM - has always been awful. I could stick in one of those screen mounted DAB aerials while I'm at it, though I'd rather not.

Question - the head unit is a 15 year old design. Do newer ones cope with a crappy signal better than they did?

[Cylon2007]

Yes newer ones are better BUT the main issue with DAB is the ariel, stick on screen mounted ones are not good, the best ones are body mounted (assuming metal body) or glass mount external mast ariels.

[otolith]

It’s a fibreglass body. I think the oem aerial is a wire loop somewhere, but where I don’t know.

[Graunching_dave]

In en Elise you can mount a dual band (AM/FM/DAB) body mount aerial in the rear deck. You will need to degrease the underside of the deck and use adhesive foil tape (available online and in Wickes) to create a ‘ground plane’. Overlap the tape to create a continuous section of foil on the whole underside of the deck. This will not be as good as a metal bodied car but will be an improvement on a windscreen mounted effort. Run the cabling into the car and to the headunit (obviously). This is a PITA as I have done it a few times over the years and it isn’t easy or pleasant. I’m sure some Elises came with a beesting/ 16v flex aerial in the deck albeit analog?