General Info AM/FM Antenna Booster

[mongs]

I fiddlled with my antenna booster a bit, noticed that there were actually two cracks vertically going through the black material. Anyway I noticed that applying some pressure near those cracks seemed to improve my reception quite much...so I used a piece of plastic and a cable tie to place some pressure and at least for now I can hear more stations than before..

[Chekm8]

shoulda posted a while but just found the thread and tracking. haven't checked my antenna but perfect on stock bose, started to crap out on RNS-E. windows are tinted but tinters didn't pull anything off because i watched them spray and drip liquid on my seats and windows. tint has been on for 7 years and no bubbles but nav has been on for 2 and after nav came on, fm stations were meeeh. making the antenna house stronger may be the key if mongs is right about cracks causing it but how do cracks come about? static/heat/cold/age? who knows. i might rip into it later as well. thanks for the updates.

[mdzaudi]

I fiddlled with my antenna booster a bit, noticed that there were actually two cracks vertically going through the black material. Anyway I noticed that applying some pressure near those cracks seemed to improve my reception quite much...so I used a piece of plastic and a cable tie to place some pressure and at least for now I can hear more stations than before..

You should consider taking a picture of your "somewhat fix" so people know what you're talking about because i'm trying to visualize it.

[mongs]

Like this:





seems to be working at least so far, but probably will not be permanent solution..

[heywier427]

cant hurt to try. thanks for the pics.

[diagnosticator]

Might want to try your local German junkyards/recycle centers. bwautodismantlers.com has a couple used ones for $150 if that helps. Just do a parts search for antenna and it should show up! You can also do a parts inquiry and they are quick to respond.

eBay.de

[A4SoftWalker]

I'm doing this for my weekend DIY

Got a new booster from the dealer and they actually matched the genuineaudiparts.com price.

Am I missing something this is a good addition for the DIY section.

[A4SoftWalker]

Mission accomplished no tools necessary. I had one crack down across the side with the connectors about 1 inch from the edge. The new antenna I have is version "S" and the rubber material is a good deal thinner than the old stuff and actually feels more like a hard rubber eraser while the older stuff seems like the original plastic was harder and more brittle or aged that way.

Tips for future DIYers

1- The interior roof liner comes off from left to right or vice versa.
2 - The antenna booster comes off by pushing back the clips all along one edge for instance the window edge or the edge closer to the sunroof all and leaving the other edge's clips undisturbed. Then the module just lowers out towards whichever edge u opened the clips on. Warning - careful plastic is old and brittle I didn't break any clips but be aware.

[prizmatik]

Purchased an 03 recently, and it has poor reception, this must be the problem. Thank for the Thread.

[A4 Moda]

I just used a boat antenna. It's contained in a little black box. It's under the dash spot that's supposed to house the front speaker ( ? ? ) right at the base of the windowshield dead center on the dash board.

12/10 reception compared to OEM 10/10

hope that helps.

[JPF]

Some one said that these are also used to boost reception of the alarm remote on a B7. Does any one know if this is true?

[A4SoftWalker]

My alarm worked fine throughout the time I had this issue. Didn't know before or I would have tested it at the limits of its range.

As a contribution to this thread - here is a pic of my new vs old antenna boosters.
The connector on the old one is actually the new one that came with the new booster.
No need to un-bolt the old one from the car as it is not a wear and tear item and looked pretty good so I reused it.
Notice the material is thinner and possibly more resistant to cracking from the heat up there in the roof.
It also felt more like rubberized plastic as opposed to the bony hard plastic feel of the old part.


Antenna booster version "S" Vs version "D"

[dmwallace]

A4SoftWalker,

Have you noticed an improvement with the "revision S" booster? I replaced my booster about 18 months ago and am wondering if the replacement part (do not recall which revision) is now going bad so I am about to order another replacement.

[A4SoftWalker]

A4SoftWalker,

Have you noticed an improvement with the "revision S" booster? I replaced my booster about 18 months ago and am wondering if the replacement part (do not recall which revision) is now going bad so I am about to order another replacement.

Sorry I missed this but the radio is better than the car ever was. I used to lose am reception in a DIY carwash while a cheapie 9.99 handheld worked perfectly. Now with tint and the new antenna my reception is fantastic.

Hint:

If u are able to notice reception gradually getting worse then this part is the culprit.

[dmwallace]

A4SoftWalker,

Thanks for the reply. I just checked my current booster and it is "revision P" so I will order a "revision S" and hope for the better results that you have reported.

[dmwallace]

Received the part in the mail yesterday and discovered that the provider send me a revision P booster and not the revision S booster that I requested. So now have to do a return and wait for the correct one! :-(

[Mr_Goodkat]

I just pulled down my headliner today and found this...

[dmwallace]

Very impressive! Evidence of a highly engineered, quality piece of electronics...

[dmwallace]

My provider sent the following email responding to my question about receiving an incorrect rev level of the booster:

"The 225S is not the correct revision amplifier for your vehicle. The 225P is correct."

Can anyone verify the correct rev level of the booster for a 2003 Audi A4 Quattro Sedan with Symphony II radio?

[evolved83]

My provider sent the following email responding to my question about receiving an incorrect rev level of the booster:

"The 225S is not the correct revision amplifier for your vehicle. The 225P is correct."

Can anyone verify the correct rev level of the booster for a 2003 Audi A4 Quattro Sedan with Symphony II radio?

So which one is the correct revision, 225P or 225S?

[rarak69]

F that booster or less you live in the city and want AM :P i just desoldered the antenna connector when mine failed, soldered a wire to the center pin and ran the wire across the back and tucked it into the headliner, i get the same reception i had before, except when really pushing the outskirts of the city

[A4SoftWalker]

So which one is the correct revision, 225P or 225S?

Either one should work fine but the ver "S" is the newer one.

I got it from the dealer and they were sorry enough for me to price match the genuinevwaudiparts.com price.

[evolved83]

Either one should work fine but the ver "S" is the newer one.

I got it from the dealer and they were sorry enough for me to price match the genuinevwaudiparts.com price.

Cool thanks

[A4SoftWalker]

U are welcome let us know how it goes

[A4SoftWalker]

Bumping this thread for those that were/are asking antenna questions.

[tohowe]

Hi All,

Just thought I would giveback seeing as I managed to fix the problem with help from this forum and in the hope of saving others a few £££

On removing the Antenna/booster component from under the back window it had all the cracks etc that seem to be reported...quite a few in fact. As I had practically no reception anyway I didn't think a bit of tinkering was an issue so I removed the pcb and removed the rubber/plastic backing from the PCB as carefully as I could. In doing this one of the components came off. This was a 6 pin chip which came off extremely easily, I would suggest due to the solder joints having already failed. What I found is after soldering that chip back on it still didn't work. I looked at the rubber/plastic I had removed and there was a tiny, what looked like a ferrite ring (above the pcb in pic) still embedded within that would have sat above the chip. I removed this and noticed that there was a coil of wires inside the ring with 4 tiny wires coming out from each corner that had obviously been severed from the pins of the chip when I removed the rubber. It was magnetic but not being an expert not sure what its function would be. It looked like the 4 small wires had once attached to the outer pins where the chip was soldered to the pcb. It was quite tricky but I managed to solder it back in place using some additional wire threads to make up for where it had been torn away. Re-installed and I can now use the radio again!

What I would say is this - If you remove the rubber cover no matter how careful you are you will pull this component off. What I would suggest is you cut the rubber around this component and then very very carfully cut away/remove bits of the rubber left attached to it to slowly reveal the chip & ring. Once you have done this it should just be a case of resoldering the 6 pins and making sure the ring on top has the 4 wires connected in place.

[IMG] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]
[IMG] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

Incase you find you can't resolder everything back as above (soldering the chip itself was easy), in my experimentation before I noticed the ferrite ring thing - I connected a wire between 2 of the pins on opposite side of the suspect chip to bridge it and got perfect reception doing this whilst I was holding the wire. If I let go reception was lost. I assumed that this was because I was basically acting as the antenna and it had little to do with bridging the chip. What I tried was soldering a long wire onto one of the outer pins of the 'dodgey chip' which also sorted out the reception without me holding onto it but I wasn't sure how well this might work in the long run and whether bypassing the window antennas was the best thing to do. What I would say is that if you can't resolder the chip back on and then resolder the ring with the small wires down to the outer pins you could try this.

In all it was worth not having to spend money on this car that has proved not to be vorsprung durch technik.... How long this fix lasts remains to be seen as it was a less than ideal solder job as can be seen from the the pic! If my fix fails I will probably go down the road of soldering a long wire in place as described above.

Good luck and I hope this helps others. This worked for me but no guarantee it will work for you however I would suggest this component is the culprit of the poor reception unless someone can confirm otherwise. Certainly its the only part I had to sort out to getmy reception back.

p.s The green circle is where I soldered the long wire but think you can use any of the outer pins of the 6 ...play around.

[llll]

PROBLEM SOLVED

I managed to fix my poor reception with the help from this thread, However in my case it was not the cracked black cover that was the cause of the error, - It was the CONTACT SPRINGS on the back of the circuit board versus the CONTACT PADS on the window. The pads in the window where worn down, so all that was needed was to bend the springs on the board slightly (to hit an unscratched area) and use some contact spray on the pads and the radio works perfectly.

[Saturnine]

Is the booster located in the same spot in the Avants? I dont remember seeing anything like that when i swapped out my roof rails a while back..

[Matt Devo]

Is the booster located in the same spot in the Avants? I dont remember seeing anything like that when i swapped out my roof rails a while back..

no, it's behind the driver side trunk liner rear of the wheel hump

[Dwaller]

many people have a crack in theirs but i noticed that when you clean the back window thats the first place you grab and put your weight on it! But somebody posted a fix about 3 weeks ago very simple. Bull clips, turn your radio on to a station that does not come in but should. Using your fingers press on it,you will notice your station will come in. put a clip on that spot a small one!I did this when I saw his post and wala all my stations come in great! 35 cent fix from staples! search bull clips,you will be glad you did!!!!

[Dwaller]

this is the post http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...+reception+fix

[MinuteMan]

Thanks for the tip, your trick also fixed mine!
I found the needed spot on weak station that instantly became strong.
Then I wire-tie'd a wine cork right over the word "germany."
I can't figure out how to paste photos on this reply, sorry!

[daverdfw]

PROBLEM SOLVED

I managed to fix my poor reception with the help from this thread, However in my case it was not the cracked black cover that was the cause of the error, - It was the CONTACT SPRINGS on the back of the circuit board versus the CONTACT PADS on the window. The pads in the window where worn down, so all that was needed was to bend the springs on the board slightly (to hit an unscratched area) and use some contact spray on the pads and the radio works perfectly.

one other thing i did, was i have a fiberglass brush used in electronics, and i cleaned the clips and the pads, mine were gold looking before, and silver looking afterward. You can also use a pencil eraser if you dont have a fiberglass brush.

[Satummoo]

could an upgraded anntenna like this work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AUDI-A4-N-S-...item1c28d1e1f4

[jsmorris]

no, it's behind the driver side trunk liner rear of the wheel hump

I pulled the access cover off and did not find anything that looked like that booster above. Do you have to remove additional panels to get to it on an Avant? Curious, because there isn't a ton of space for a component of this size to "hide" out of view from the access panel. My reception is crappy.

[rollerton]

I pulled the access cover off and did not find anything that looked like that booster above. Do you have to remove additional panels to get to it on an Avant? Curious, because there isn't a ton of space for a component of this size to "hide" out of view from the access panel. My reception is crappy.

You have to remove the ENTIRE left rear interior panel- not just the cover to the little storage compartment- in the Avant. And the booster is in a metal housing, I think in the Avant it would not be very prone to failure. It's not very big- like the size of a typical cell phone but a few inches longer overall.
To remove the interior panel properly you have to pull the carpeted floor-cover out, and remove the left side plastic trunk floor, bottom rear trim panel, fold the seat down, take out the seat-latch bolt, remove a bunch of trim clips. etc...it's a decent project the first time you do it.

[jsmorris]

You have to remove the ENTIRE left rear interior panel- not just the cover to the little storage compartment- in the Avant. And the booster is in a metal housing, I think in the Avant it would not be very prone to failure. It's not very big- like the size of a typical cell phone but a few inches longer overall.

I can see a metal housing if I look to the front of the vehicle from the access panel. Didn't know it was a different part in the Avant, thanks for your help rollerton.

Understanding that the booster is a different part in a metal case vs the sedan, this begs the question; has anyone had issues with the antenna booster in an Avant (S6, or other)? Maybe I need to slide the HU out and check the antenna connections. New to me car, not that familiar with it yet so I appreciate the discussion and help!

EDIT: Mine didn't end up being the antenna booster after all. FIXED.

[travrach]

PROBLEM SOLVED

I managed to fix my poor reception with the help from this thread, However in my case it was not the cracked black cover that was the cause of the error, - It was the CONTACT SPRINGS on the back of the circuit board versus the CONTACT PADS on the window. The pads in the window where worn down, so all that was needed was to bend the springs on the board slightly (to hit an unscratched area) and use some contact spray on the pads and the radio works perfectly.

This one worked for me. tried the bull clip one..did not help me. It really seems that all the small springs that touch the glass "antenna" just get weak over time and just need a little refresh.

[Barryo2002]

Hi guys, I might have a free solution to this topic. I know this is a fairly old thread but im sure that the problems outlined are still valid, or even worsening as our Audi's get on in years. I bought my 2001 Audi a few months ago and realised all too soon that I had little or no radio reception, its my first audi and I was at a loss as to what it might be, thinking it might be the head unit. After finding some posts about the cracked rubber on the amplifier, (major design fault if i may say so!!) I had three options, either buy a new amp and spend nearly 400 euros, look for a secondhand unit that might last 6 weeks or 6 years, or suffer on with no radio.
I decided i needed a fourth option!
Basically the amp switches between something or other in order to maximise reception, it has three plugs that go into one end, im sure one is for AM reception, one is for FM and the other I have'nt got a clue. Anyway, heres how i fixed mine in a few minutes:

Go to where the white connector plugs into the board
On the bottom of the board, under the white connector, there are five solder points, arranged like the "5 side" on a dice. the one we are interested in is the solder point in the middle
Solder a fine wire to that point about 7 or 8 inches long.
Look at the back window of the car, there are vertical lines running down the window, they are the built in antennas
Look for the longest of the vertical lines, find the spring clip on the board that corresponds with that line and wrap the other end of the wire around the spring clip
clip everything back in place and you should have great if not perfect reception.

Basically you are running a direct wire from the centre of the white connector to the antenna built into the back window. Drawbacks include not being able to hear anything but static when the rear defogger is switched on but hey, I prefer to hear the radio with good reception 90% of the time than not to hear it at all!!

If anyone has a picture of the amp removed (bottom side) post it and i will point out the exact points to bridge, I am reluctant to remove my own again as the plastic cover has a few clips broken and i dont want to disturb it anymore as i now have mine working!!

[lamar5271]

I joined this forum just now. Thanks for the info guys. Bought my 02 a4 last week. No radio reception. I had nothing to lose so I took the black backing off the booster. Only one chip came off the board. The little magnet thing that was spoke of never broke off. So I soldered the 6 pin chip back onto the board and POW!!!. Best reception ever. Stop scaring people telling them they can't fix it. If I did it anyone could