Self radiating aerials

[CraigP]

Hi everyone, I recently bought a silver 172 a couple of months back and its been great, and have not had one complaint about it..... until now !

I bought a "Road Angel" which is a GPS camera / blackspot warning device. I got it today plugged it in, but getting no satellite link up. Read the manual through and came across a tiny note in the manual saying some renaulds and mercedes may cause problems due to them having UV Windscreens which stops the link up.

Checked the Renauld spec on the site and yes its got a UV windscreen, unlike the cup. The suggested solution is a self radiating aerial or external one to get around the shielding. Has anyone any details on these eg price, type and if they are easy to install, where to get them from. Also the road angel has no external aerial output from what i can see, or is it wireless relaying ?

Any help would be great

 

[telford_mike]

Wow, thats a toughy, but there is a bit of the screen in the lower/centre that isnt shielded. Will it work though there?

 

[Glen]

ive wondered about that unshielded bit is that for radar detectors or has it a genuine use? or something to do with the manufacture

 

[Griff]

The unsheilded part is to allow French drivers to use toll motorways. You have to buy a special card with a preset credit limit on it, you place this is the clear rectangle at the base of the window. When you pass under specific gantrys so much credit is deducted from the card.

Griff

 

[andyrap]

Im sure I read that Road Angel do an aerial but its about £80??

Ive got my mobile phone aerial in the clear bit of the windscreen and that was only £15 but I presume this would be different to GPS.

 

[CraigP]

Thanks for the info, I tried it so that the unit was directly opposing the clear section and it did work............ but very intermintently. Kept losing th signal, then getting it and so on, not very reliable for the purpose i bought it for ! It would be just my luck it switching off as i approach a gatsco !

I rang up blackspot.com and have ordered an aerial £70 all in, just got to find out where to put it now. Is all the glass in the 172, uv filtered or just the front screen ?

Just for info when its working its a superb piece of kit it warms you of gatscos, specs, accident blackspots and so on, with a tone and the lcd panel changes to red with warning type, distance etc. Plus can update it on the web with new locations etc.

Only got it after i got 6 points on my licence when i had my TT, which was partly why i sold it, prefer the clio wolf in sheeps clothing image.

 

[CraigP]

Update - useful for anyone getting a gps device eg geodesy, blue origin, road angel, compaq ipaq etc.

You may have to purchase a reradiating aerial for a 172 due to the uv glass. It comes in at around £70, and is approx 10 feet long with a aerial pickup approx 2inches square that MUST fit outside the car. I did try and position the original unit near the non uv patch at the base of the windscreen but only with intermittent success. I then tried the reradiating aerial in virtually every window and orifice inside the car without success. Despite the misleading review in ukspeedtraps.com that says it can go anywhere inside - not !

Due to the size of the aerial (2 inch)it is not easy to route the cable through the car. it would also look crap on the roof which is what is recommended and easily nickable. Took mine down a local garage to get it hardwired in plus the road angel, and they done a superb job, it is virtually invisible (the aerial). The aerial has been installed just under the wiper grill panel on the passenger side and is secured via 2 black cable ties, and you would nt even know it was there its that discreet. the cable then routes through the bulk head down to the fuse box. So if anyone buys one of these this is where to put it, took me hours to fathom out the best place.

It works an absolute treat, picking up at least 5 satellites in 2 minutes for a signal. Road angel works a treat.