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    Anyone Install OEM Antenna/Radio Amplifier Parts

    Those with CD43 head units all know that the radio reception sucks when you use the HU with the E30 stock antenna setup. The CD43 was designed to be used in cars that had the diversity antenna and amplifier hardware. So, has anyone successfully retrofitted the am[amplifier parts from an E36 or E39 into their E30?

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    #2
    Did you figure this one out? I have the same set-up and reception is not the best...

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      #3
      I have not picked up the antenna amp parts, so I am not sure if it would help. Some of it is due to the Z3 antenna being so small, and basically all newer cars integrate an antenna into the rear window either next-to or as part of the defroster. But yeah, it still bugs the hell out of me that radio reception sucks.

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        #4
        A number of the Pick-n-Pulls in SJ have E39s. I don’t have a radio yet or I’d try it.
        Nick, BMW CCA Member #425357

        1987 BMW 325is, Schwarz
        2001 BMW M5, Anthractite Metallic
        2001 BMW Dinan 540i/6, Jet Black
        2000 BMW 540i/A, Biarritz Blue Metallic

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          #5
          This might be some helpful information

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            #6
            Thanks. I think I will pass on trying to retrofit a full diversity antenna arrangement since the c-pillar trim is not really removable (part of the headliner, which I am leaving alone!) and I have no idea if it will even improve things since the defroster grid is not designed for RF reception.

            I did pull the radio & do some testing on the antenna cable to see if there was an issue there. The signal cable measures out to ~5.5 Ohms from end to end, which is typical for these, and the grounds also checked out. However, I did note that the shielding for the cable is grounded at both the HU and through the Z3 antenna module. Since I have a fully aftermarket audio setup, I suspected that there might be an issue with a ground loop, so I popped the plug assembly apart at the HU end and modified it to not have ground continuity at the HU anymore. So, the shield was then only grounding at the antenna module in the rear. The result was slightly improved FM reception. It is still far from perfect, but the static is reduced.

            I have a new / replacement antenna cable in the garage, which has been sitting for years. I might go ahead and replace the cable that is in the car now, or maybe even buy a Z3 cable assembly and see about using that instead. Since I had to hack the stock antenna cable a bit to get the Euro HU plug end on (differs from the US / bayonet type originally in the E30), I feel like maybe using a non-bastardized cable could help. The Z3 did not have a diversity antenna or anything, and BMW would not have shipped a car with super lousy radio reception, so maybe the cable is my issue. The Z3 cable is ~3ft shorter than the E30 one, but I would route it down the center console instead of past the steering column and down the side which would probably make up for it. I already have my RCA's there, so it would just be one more signal line going through there, and further away from the various chassis wiring in the sides.

            EDIT
            After driving around a bit, I have decided that the radio reception is very noticeably better than before. However, I guess I did more than simply disconnect the shield ground at the HU end. I also re-soldered the central signal wire to the plug I adapted on (it was not broken, but the previous solder job was nasty), and probably most notably I used a small screwdriver to bend the terminal tabs on the HU where the antenna wire plugs in so that I was certain that the signal prong was actually making solid contact.
            Last edited by bmwman91; 01-23-2019, 08:29 PM.

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              #7
              I'm amazed that we still listen to the radio. I only use the "coconut wireless" to listen to npr. All other times its my personal cd collection downloaded to my USB drive.

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                #8
                Originally posted by uturn View Post
                I'm amazed that we still listen to the radio. I only use the "coconut wireless" to listen to npr. All other times its my personal cd collection downloaded to my USB drive.
                I was thinking the same thing when I put in the M3 antenna and hooked it up to my aftermarket headunit. Sounded great, but I was like when I am going to use this lol.
                Euro Delivery Thread///E30 Project Klaus///COTM August 2021

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                  #9
                  Yeah, I use bluetooth audio 95% of the time so it is not a huge issue. There is one college radio station that I like because they play a variety of stuff that is as wide as it is weird (one minute it is jazz, then Swedish death metal, then ambient electronic, etc).

                  Also, most of the commercial radio stations sound like SHIT on a proper sound system. I suspect that they are applying Fletcher-Munson loudness equalization (if you have ever seen a "Loud" button on a head unit, it is basically boosting the bass and treble since most stock sound systems are not very efficient at those frequencies). My guess is that they do this because 95% of stock car sound systems suck, so they boost bass & treble to try to compensate for it...except it sounds like blown-out shit on a fully built system with full frequency response. The college radio station, at least, does not do this.

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by bmwman91 View Post
                    Yeah, I use bluetooth audio 95% of the time so it is not a huge issue. There is one college radio station that I like because they play a variety of stuff that is as wide as it is weird (one minute it is jazz, then Swedish death metal, then ambient electronic, etc).

                    Also, most of the commercial radio stations sound like SHIT on a proper sound system. I suspect that they are applying Fletcher-Munson loudness equalization (if you have ever seen a "Loud" button on a head unit, it is basically boosting the bass and treble since most stock sound systems are not very efficient at those frequencies). My guess is that they do this because 95% of stock car sound systems suck, so they boost bass & treble to try to compensate for it...except it sounds like blown-out shit on a fully built system with full frequency response. The college radio station, at least, does not do this.
                    Agreed! My E38 has been upgraded to all new speakers and amp and it sounds so overmodulated sometimes.
                    Euro Delivery Thread///E30 Project Klaus///COTM August 2021

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                      #11
                      Quick update. I am going to try my luck with these items.
                      https://www.ebay.com/itm/OE-Volkswag...W/331991011241 (will not be using the included stubby mast since I have a 16" one already)


                      The base, which I am going to have to disassemble and make a custom enclosure for, should be pretty easy to get into the right spot in the trunk and connect to the mast through the grommet. I have access to a network analyzer at work, and I am tempted to run some RF sweeps on this to see if it actually does anything lol.

                      Thankfully, a simple ebay search for "jetta antenna cable" brought me right to the second item. It looks to have exactly the connectors which are needed for this antenna base and head unit, and those cars all use the signal-line-powered amplifier bases, so I think that things should work out nicely. I am not sure how long the cable is, but if it is at least 4.8 meters then I can route it in the factory path. If if is shorter than that but more than ~3 meters, I can just run it down the center of the transmission tunnel with my RCA cables. The DC resistance of my stock BMW signal cable is ~6 Ohms (the conductor is 30 or 33 gauge...SMALL) which may be a problem if that wire is also intended to supply current to the amplifier. Maybe this one is the same, but for $30 I am willing to take my chances to see if it was designed to work better with this antenna base.

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                        #12
                        I received the antenna base and antenna cable. The cable seems to be almost the perfect length to run from the head unit to the antenna, if routed down the center of the car. Its signal line also measures out to 0.4 Ohms, versus the ~6 Ohm E30 antenna cable.

                        The real challenge will be making an adapter for the VW base so that it will still make a water-tight seal with the grommet in the rear quarter. I may yank apart the Z3 antenna base to get the plastic bulb thing which fits into the grommet, and use some M6 threaded rod to adapt it to the VW base which will be down in the trunk.

                        More to come...

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                          #13
                          Alright my dudes, I tested out the new antenna rig this evening. I am very happy to report that it seems like I have near-perfect radio reception with the VW cable + VW base + 20" antenna mast (the 8" stubby one that came with the base did not help reception much at all).

                          I tested it by popping open that cover panel on the inside-left of the glovebox, giving me fairly good access to the antenna jack on the head unit. Then I just plugged in the VW cable to the HU, connected the amplified base and then held it in my hand as I installed / removed the antenna mast. Reception varied over a number of configurations as I poked around. Here are my subjective observations.

                          1) Head unit with nothing connected to the antenna jack - 90% static (expected)
                          2) Head unit with the VW signal cable (no base) held within ~1cm of the jack but not touching - 50% static
                          3) Head unit with the VW signal cable (no base) plugged in - 50% static
                          4) Head unit with VW cable plugged in and amplifier base on the other end (no mast) - 20% static, mono sound
                          5) Head unit with VW cable plugged in and amplifier base on the other end and 8" stubby mast - 20% static, mono sound
                          6) Head unit with VW cable plugged in and amplifier base on the other end and 20" mast - 0-5% static, stereo sound

                          Fitting this thing took a little custom turning on the lathe. The conical base cannot be shoved deep enough into the rubber grommet to be accessible to the mast, so I made a little "extender" from some scrap 7075 rod.



                          When the mast is fully seated, it draws the adapter up into the grommet and seals very nicely. Additionally, the mast's rubber base also gets pulled tightly against the outside of the grommet, so I think that this should be nice and weatherproof. I did have to use an x-acto knife to chop out the internal ring inside the grommet since that seemed simpler than trying to make a more complicated aluminum spacer on the (manual) lathe. The downside is that the base is a little more prone to falling down into the trunk if the mast is unscrewed, but I can make a mount bracket for the base inside the trunk.




                          All in all, I think that this should be a durable and waterproof setup to adapt into the trunk. The next order of business will be to use some aluminum flat bar stock to make a little bracket that bolts the base to the chassis bracket right near the opening where there is a ground lug. I am hoping to get to that this weekend, along with pulling the seats, console and carpet so I can run the antenna wire.


                          While I was at it, I also took the amplifier base apart just to see if there was actually anything in it. Sure enough, there was a little RF amplifier in there, and it looks like one side is for FM and the other for AM. It's all discrete components, versus a specialized RF amp IC which a lot of newer automotive antenna bases use, but it seems to do its intended job.






                          I'll follow up once I get it all properly installed and give my final thoughts on the radio reception.

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                            #14
                            That is fantastic news for more modern OEM+ radio retrofits like CD43.
                            Way to chase the solution down for the community man - you really know your stuff
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                              #15
                              Ha thanks. I like to think of it more as experimenting with an educated guess lol.

                              This setup could work with various BMW radios, but it would require an interposer / adapter on the signal wire to apply the 12V antenna power to the RF signal line. The CD43 and others do not seem to provide 12V power over the signal line, but rather via the "ANT" wire coming from the head unit. There are adapters out there for VWs and such which take 12V from the "ANT" line and apply it to the RF signal line (so that aftermarket head units will still work properly with the factory VW amplifier base.

                              Something like this would probably be what you'd need, although I cannot remember if the CD43 uses a Motorola type antenna jack or the Euro one.


                              The VW cable PN that I am using is 1J5971650B. I still have to install it and om 95% sure that it is long enough to reach lol.

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