DAB Radio

[peterseddon]

Anyone else think the DAB radio is rubbish compared to the ZS. It drops out all the time even on Radio 2 which makes it unlistenable. FM is not much better so have to use my data on Spotify.

 

[Rei]

It does seem to give up a bit too easily when there is interference.

 

[Lovemyev]

Not had any major problems with station drop out on ours, as of yet.
But last week we made a trip in the S5 that we had done many times before in the ZS EV.
The route is through some very hilly areas, and it briefly lost the signal for a few seconds.
I don’t remember it doing the same thing on the same route in the ZS EV.
But the ZS EV does have an external arial vs the arial that is build into the HRW elements of the S5.
This has to be less effective than the external mast of the ZS EV surely ?.

 

[TimothyN]

In my opinion the radio is rubbish: DAB reception is awful, FM keeps changing channel and the user interface is terrible. I just use my iPhone on BBC Sounds or Global Player and be done with it.

 

[Ian Key]

An aftermarket external aerial is needed.

 

[Weeble]

I've criticised it several times on here. It's the biggest let down in an otherwise enjoyable car, IMO.

 

[TimothyN]

An aftermarket external aerial is needed.

How is this achieved?

 

[Lovemyev]

An external would improvement, I guess the reception area in your location and the channel strength you are trying to receive, plays a part of course.
My wife’s Fiat 500 has a roof arial as standard, but in areas where the terrain is hilly, you can hear the station struggling to maintain its fix.
When it’s raining the reception is not the greatest either.
Is it the arial / head unit / poor weather condition, or probably a combination of all of them, who knows ?.
Today a lot of people prefer to stream or listen to their own choice of music from their phones etc, so less likely that money will be spent on installing a really good quality radios receiver and arial set up .
We always have the radio playing some type of relaxing music playing, at a low volume from the radio in the back ground when driving.
It kind of suits the relaxing peaceful drive of an EV in some way .

 

[TimothyN]

The problem with using data, is that, at least in deepest darkest Kent (which includes most of the area within the M25!), the IP signal disappears regularly as well as, and marginally before, the radio signal.

Oh well, I guess then we just have our own thoughts.

 

[bayardmm]

Anyone else think the DAB radio is rubbish compared to the ZS. It drops out all the time even on Radio 2 which makes it unlistenable. FM is not much better so have to use my data on Spotify.

The DAB in my new, and first, MG3 hybrid+ is awful, compared to my previous Ford Fiesta. Mine sometimes won’t produce anything and when it does it keeps dropping out. I do have a rear dashcam, as well as forward facing, and have read that it may interfere with reception. I have yet to investigate this theory.

 

[Ian Key]

The DAB in my new, and first, MG3 hybrid+ is awful, compared to my previous Ford Fiesta. Mine sometimes won’t produce anything and when it does it keeps dropping out. I do have a rear dashcam, as well as forward facing, and have read that it may interfere with reception. I have yet to investigate this theory.

I had a Ford Focus and that had good DAB reception too. Ford used a slightly different system by using all the heating elements in the rear window via a special box of tricks instead of using the bottom two elements.

 

[bayardmm]

I had a Ford Focus and that had good DAB reception too. Ford used a slightly different system by using all the heating elements in the rear window via a special box of tricks instead of using the bottom two elements.

To be fair my Fiesta had a roof aerial. I’ve never had a car using rear window heater as an aerial.

 

[SmileyCSP]

I’ve had my MG3+ Hybrid a week, but agree, DAB is awful. I’ve had a better reception returning home at 2am without responding to my wife’s text messages to find out if I’m alive or not.