How to improve dab radio reception?

[chris]

We have a Philips DAB radio in our living room that comes with a shock black aerial cord that when held up forms a T. The DAB reception is very poor breaking up all the time. If I blutack the aerial to the living room wall the reception is 100% perfect but when the wife spots what i've done i'm quickly ordered to coil it back up behind the cupboard!

Any tips on how I could improve the DAB signal?

The other side the wall to the DAB radio is the garage is it possible to cut and extend the aerial lead, then I could drill a hole into the garage where I'm free to have it fully extended.

 

[satelliteman]

Possible but why not fit a Dab aerial in the loft. If the radio is close to the TV then you could use a diplexer and combine to the aerial downlead. Of course you'll need a TV/ Radio outlet.

 

[chris]

The DAB radio does not have an external aerial input socket just the black lead that is hard wired into the radio.

 

[Channel Hopper]

1) Cut back the black cable and connect a piece of wire the same colour as the wall

2) Get rid of the wife

 

[Jumpstart]

My mum bought a Roberts digital radio and it couldn't pick half the stations up. The aerial was some awful, very thin 8 inch plastic wire. Totally useless.

So I got some old TV aerial wire, cut the plastic covering away and just used the copper wire as a new aerial. Works a treat. All 18 inches of it.

 

[fergyc]

1) Cut back the black cable and connect a piece of wire the same colour as the wall

2) Get rid of the wife

I had an old portable TV aerial. I cut the wire and soldered it to the aerial and it works anywhere!

 

[Terryl]

The black wire is 300 ohm twin lead, you can cut it and get a 300 ohm to 75 ohm bauln transformer, some come with screw terminals to connect the twin lead to, this will allow you to use 75 ohm coax to run to the attic the outside or where ever your wife wont see it, another 75 ohm to 300 ohm bauln at the other end will connect back up to the antenna, but the newer antennas may have the 75 ohm connector on them already.

They also make an active antenna that will cover all radio bands, you can hide it amongst all the other HiFi stuff in the stereo cabinet.

Looks like this thing, hXXp://www.opentip.com/Electronics-Computers/To-Ohm-Matching-Transformer-p-1247798.html