No radio signal BMW

[McFall1984]

Radio signal in the bmw is poor

think the amplifier or booster is gone

so looking to place a new aerial to the car for better radio, i dont listen to cd's, just radio

anyone link me to a good aerial or stuff to get me going?
( old aerial must be built into rear screen, amplifier in boot )

 

[snatch]

What year and model of bmw is it?

 

[McFall1984]

01 530d sport

 

[Cartunes]

It's years since I worked on one, and had this exact model/year of e39 - but I remember that the antenna amplifier is in the c-pillar area - LHS

This might help:


AM / FM Antenna Amplifier upgrade DIY (when replacing 99-01 radios with 02-05)
Background:

This is a DIY for those who have upgraded their 1999 – 2001 radio head unit to the 2002 – 2005 style. The 99-01 HU’s were made by Blaupunkt and the 02 – 05 radios were made by Alpine. Many people have swapped 02+ radios into their 99-01’s to take advantage of the increased functionality of the newer style radios (Sirius, AUX input, OEM iPod adapter). NOTE: Sirius requires an 03+ radio.

Anyhow, the one caveat of doing this is a noticeable loss in AM / FM reception when putting the newer HU’s into the older car’s. The reason for this is because in 2002, BMW changed the type of antenna in the car (NOTE: In all coupes / sedans the antenna is in the rear window—it is not the shark fin or the bee antenna). The older style HU’s have 2 antenna connectors on the back of the radio, and the newer radios only have 1. There is an OEM antenna adapter available that converts 1 of the 2 adapters, allowing basic connectivity of a newer HU to a 99-01 car. The unused wire (I believe) is used to power something known as the antenna amplifier, which is located in the rear driver’s side C-Pillar. Without that wire connected, there is a significant loss of reception in the AM / FM radio.


Solution

If you want to upgrade to the newer style radio and not suffer any radio reception loss, you must replace the antenna amplifier in the rear C-Pillar. This amplifier also is responsible for the keyless entry in the car, so you may benefit from increased range with the new amplifier as well.

Important: There are 2 different frequencies used for the keyless entry system (315 MHz and 433 MHz). You must first determine which frequency you have before you order an new amplifier. Luckily, your existing amplifier is stamped with the current frequency, so you simply need to pop the C-pillar off and do a visual inspection to determine which part you need to order from the dealer.




Alternatively, upgrade to a DAB radio with screen antenna!!
Del