Stubby aerial that works?

S

sharpyboy

Member
 Cornwall
Hi all

Anyone know of a specific stubby aerial that works with the z4 e85 as I have bought 2 on eBay that look ok but are not capable of picking up a decent signal like the oe whippy one. I understand the signal would probably be reduced but not strong enough to pick up a radio station is a waste of time.

Thanks
 
Not a suggestion for a stubby, just a thought....

You have two FM aerials, the main one in the rear bumper and the boot mounted one. For FM they switch automatically depending on which has the better signal or will run both at once, so it depends on the strength of signal as to whether the boot aerial is needed at all. Some people get by with a stubby because they are in decent reception areas but would probably get the same FM signal without a boot aerial.

So buy a stubby for the look, not the FM reception 8)

For more Tech geekery see here :) http://www.bmwclub.lv/files/12_E85_Communications.pdf
 
Stubbies don't work. They hang around on car corners making a general nuisance of themselves, claim benefits, contributing nothing to society. :lol:
 
I've got a Peugeot stubby on mine works fine. In fact made no noticeable difference to the signal swapping to that from the OE whippee
 
85genius said:
I've got a Peugeot stubby on mine works fine. In fact made no noticeable difference to the signal swapping to that from the OE whippee
Click to expand...

...... Because you are getting your FM reception from the main aerial in the bumper, the stubby isn't doing anything per the link I posted above :)
 
I've got a Peugeot stubby on mine, and it isn't nearly as good as the whippy I had on the previous one!

Might have to go back to the other side and get a whippy.......!

Much as I prefer the look of the stubby, it's a bit pointless if it doesn't work properly! :lol:

BTW I am sure I read on another thread the other day that the aerial in the bumper was for AM only..........
 
Mr Tidy said:
I've got a Peugeot stubby on mine, and it isn't nearly as good as the whippy I had on the previous one!

Might have to go back to the other side and get a whippy.......!

Much as I prefer the look of the stubby, it's a bit pointless if it doesn't work properly! :lol:

BTW I am sure I read on another thread the other day that the aerial in the bumper was for AM only..........
Click to expand...

The doc I've linked to is from a BMW training manual and states "FM aerial in bumper - The FM aerial consists of a 73 cm long line. The FM aerial is mounted in the bumper on adjustable clips. The FM aerial is adapted precisely to the vehicle. For this reason, no changes must be made to the aerial."

It's defo' the main FM aerial :wink:
 
Ewazix said:
The doc I've linked to is from a BMW training manual and states "FM aerial in bumper - The FM aerial consists of a 73 cm long line. The FM aerial is mounted in the bumper on adjustable clips. The FM aerial is adapted precisely to the vehicle. For this reason, no changes must be made to the aerial."

It's defo' the main FM aerial :wink:
Click to expand...

Thanks - maybe that is the problem then!

Will have to look into that - hope I don't need to remove the bumper, but I suspect I will........ :lol:
 
Mr Tidy said:
Ewazix said:
The doc I've linked to is from a BMW training manual and states "FM aerial in bumper - The FM aerial consists of a 73 cm long line. The FM aerial is mounted in the bumper on adjustable clips. The FM aerial is adapted precisely to the vehicle. For this reason, no changes must be made to the aerial."

It's defo' the main FM aerial :wink:
Click to expand...

Thanks - maybe that is the problem then!

Will have to look into that - hope I don't need to remove the bumper, but I suspect I will........ :lol:
Click to expand...

Sorry, just to clarify if you check my first post above for the full explanation, the MAIN FM aerial is in the bumper, it switches to the whippy when FM signal gets low to help out. So a stubby may give poor reception when the radio is looking for the boost from a full size whippy. The link explains all :thumbsup:
 
Ewazix said:
Sorry, just to clarify if you check my first post above for the full explanation, the MAIN FM aerial is in the bumper, it switches to the whippy when FM signal gets low to help out. So a stubby may give poor reception when the radio is looking for the boost from a full size whippy. The link explains all :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Ah, so it isn't that straight-forward (should have known really)!

Mind you I think part of my problem is where I live - there is a bit of a black hole here for everything, DAB, FM, TV, mobile, you name it!

If I was cynical I might think it had something to do with being less than a mile from the Sandhurst Royal Military College......... :lol:
 
sharpyboy said:
Hi all

Anyone know of a specific stubby aerial that works with the z4 e85 as I have bought 2 on eBay that look ok but are not capable of picking up a decent signal like the oe whippy one. I understand the signal would probably be reduced but not strong enough to pick up a radio station is a waste of time.

Thanks
Click to expand...

search Ebay for Simoni Aerials iv always used them and have never had any issues.
 
Ewazix said:
Mr Tidy said:
I've got a Peugeot stubby on mine, and it isn't nearly as good as the whippy I had on the previous one!

Might have to go back to the other side and get a whippy.......!

Much as I prefer the look of the stubby, it's a bit pointless if it doesn't work properly! :lol:

BTW I am sure I read on another thread the other day that the aerial in the bumper was for AM only..........
Click to expand...

The doc I've linked to is from a BMW training manual and states "FM aerial in bumper - The FM aerial consists of a 73 cm long line. The FM aerial is mounted in the bumper on adjustable clips. The FM aerial is adapted precisely to the vehicle. For this reason, no changes must be made to the aerial."

It's defo' the main FM aerial :wink:
Click to expand...

If the aerial in the bumper was not working would the whippy be enough to work on its own? All I know is the whippy works and 2 stubbies I've tried don't. :thumbsdown:
 
sharpyboy said:
Ewazix said:
Mr Tidy said:
I've got a Peugeot stubby on mine, and it isn't nearly as good as the whippy I had on the previous one!

Might have to go back to the other side and get a whippy.......!

Much as I prefer the look of the stubby, it's a bit pointless if it doesn't work properly! :lol:

BTW I am sure I read on another thread the other day that the aerial in the bumper was for AM only..........
Click to expand...

The doc I've linked to is from a BMW training manual and states "FM aerial in bumper - The FM aerial consists of a 73 cm long line. The FM aerial is mounted in the bumper on adjustable clips. The FM aerial is adapted precisely to the vehicle. For this reason, no changes must be made to the aerial."

It's defo' the main FM aerial :wink:
Click to expand...

If the aerial in the bumper was not working would the whippy be enough to work on its own? All I know is the whippy works and 2 stubbies I've tried don't. :thumbsdown:
Click to expand...

The manual states "2 physical aerials are connected to the radio aerial diversity, i.e. the rod aerial and the aerial in the bumper. The aerial diversity function switches over to another aerial as soon as the system undershoots a defined threshold. Changeover takes place in such a way that no interruption can be heard. Depending on the reception situation, reception on both aerials simultaneously is also possible."

So yes it looks like a whippy can provide reception on it's own if the bumper unit is insufficient, or can be called on to work in tandem with the bumper unit. This probably explains your experience with stubbies.
 
Ewazix said:
sharpyboy said:
Ewazix said:
The doc I've linked to is from a BMW training manual and states "FM aerial in bumper - The FM aerial consists of a 73 cm long line. The FM aerial is mounted in the bumper on adjustable clips. The FM aerial is adapted precisely to the vehicle. For this reason, no changes must be made to the aerial."

It's defo' the main FM aerial :wink:
Click to expand...

If the aerial in the bumper was not working would the whippy be enough to work on its own? All I know is the whippy works and 2 stubbies I've tried don't. :thumbsdown:
Click to expand...

The manual states "2 physical aerials are connected to the radio aerial diversity, i.e. the rod aerial and the aerial in the bumper. The aerial diversity function switches over to another aerial as soon as the system undershoots a defined threshold. Changeover takes place in such a way that no interruption can be heard. Depending on the reception situation, reception on both aerials simultaneously is also possible."

So yes it looks like a whippy can provide reception on it's own if the bumper unit is insufficient, or can be called on to work in tandem with the bumper unit. This probably explains your experience with stubbies.
Click to expand...

Does the bumper aerial have an amplifier? I suppose that could be not working leaving me with the whippy and not working with a stubby.
 
Only the Germans could make something as simple as a piece of wire sound so :headbang: complicated. :lol:
 
I used a Citroen one that I'm sure some put an Ebay link to on here. In and around Manchester its fine on FM but on talk sport (AM) is not great. When I was in deepest darkest Wales I switched back to the Whippy to get anything at all (even FM) and to be honest I have switched it back in 4 months. Be nice if there was a more effective option.
 
MACK said:
I used a Citroen one that I'm sure some put an Ebay link to on here. In and around Manchester its fine on FM but on talk sport (AM) is not great. When I was in deepest darkest Wales I switched back to the Whippy to get anything at all (even FM) and to be honest I haven't switched it back in 4 months. Be nice if there was a more effective option.
Click to expand...
 
sharpyboy said:
Does the bumper aerial have an amplifier? I suppose that could be not working leaving me with the whippy and not working with a stubby.
Click to expand...

See pages 10 -12 of the attached http://www.bmwclub.lv/files/12_E85_Communications.pdf

If I've understood the diagram correctly, it looks like only the rear bumper aerial has an amplifier and this is located in the boot. I wonder if you stubby boys could fit another amp to boost your wee stumps? Not my area of expertise but maybe worth investigating if you are getting poor signal and must have a stubby. :)
 
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