XSeries-forum

Rather than extend a now defunct thread, here's a fresh one. I probably already know the answer

My car is equiped with DAB but which I rarely visit, basically because there's not much on offer.

The shiny new 2 series i was loaned quite recently, was in a different league with current day tech and DAB in that was rather good. As an aging rock music fan, that car had several Absolute Radio rock music channels?

Is there any way to replicate even part of that choice in an E series car? A tuner module upgrade, if financially viable, or an add on device of any kind? Because its been so infrequently used, I'm not too familiar with it, but I'm pretty sure no 'Absolute' radio channel even appears.

If your car already has DAB then try an all station retune first as that should pick up whatever is in your area. The one in mine sees loads of stuff.

Parts of Kent have always been ‘challenging’ for certain TV & Radio services due to French TV previously working in the DAB frequency band plan we used in the UK. The massive French TV broadcast mast at Caen caused major headaches to my colleagues and I when we were solving interference problems back in the 80s and 90s, particularly in summer months. Now everyone has gone digital, the transmitters are a lot less powerful and interference should no longer be a problem.

The latest cars have DAB+ receivers. BMW did offer a retrofit, but that’s likely been retired for our models, but still worth checking for. Cartronics did do that sort of thing, so you could ping them an email.

I'm sure you're right about poor signals and interference . My Android phone has no signal whatsoever indoors, and any visitors have to log in to my wifi to make or receive any calls. My location was once a WW2 fighter station and is flat but densely (lo-rise) built on now. The parish council has forbidden any phone masts. They have no control over radio signals though

My car has factory DAB but when I last even looked there were maybe five or six stations on offer, mainly BBC choices. The last time i was even in the car was a week ago, but I'll be out in it later today, i'll retune it once I've reached a more suitable location. Home is not that place?

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Having just searched, it seems that not only do Cartronics still exist, they're located in what must be the same car radio facility i used to visit at times when i worked at Brooklands, Weybridge.

Can you not link your phone to the car and play stations that way?
I do that in my *cough* Honda

I think the tech in the car is too old, and likely my phone is also, so no is the answer.

When I went into DAB earlier, i found this, all of five stations from previous fiddling. Having moved around a bit trying to find a good spot, i achieved this.

And even then any of those few stations kept popping in and out, which is why I have never bothered with DAB. The 2 series I had on loan had several Absolute stations 60s 70s, 80s iirc and was a perfect reception in the same locations i experimented with today.

I conclude standard DAB is crap where i live or the cars tuner is iffy? But then it probably wouldnt work at all ? I cant be arsed with it, its a feature I'd not had before this car, so although its frustrating ill just ignore it, as I have since buying the car. My iPod still rules

I just had a reply from Cartronics. To upgrade to DAB+ it would be £980 fitted

You can get a plug in device that takes the Bluetooth output from the phone and transmits on an fm frequency the car radio picks up
Costs a few quid

I'm not sure what you're saying tbh. Can you elaborate? How does an FM transmission end up as Digital, unless I'm being particularly dense this frosty morning?

It doesn’t. The device converts the digital signal received to analogue and rebroadcasts it at very low power to an empty FM channel.

X5Sport wrote: Fri Nov 21, 2025 8:35 am It doesn’t. The device converts the digital signal received to analogue and rebroadcasts it at very low power to an empty FM channel.

Thank you, but it sounds to be a bit fussy and an attachment needed somewhere in the car. I'm going to revert to what i never had, i cant miss.