Auto-sleepers Duetto Radio

Our 1998 Duetto has the original Ford Traffic 3000 or 4000 (I can't remember which) radio and the Auto-Sleeper rubber duck aerial on the sloping front of the fibreglass top. It is unusable on AM, including long-wave, when the key is turned on as there is a huge amount of interference that presumably comes from the engine management computer. The engine doesn't have to be running for the interference to be present. FM is fine, and AM is also fine when the key is off. Has anyone experienced this problem, and how was it cured? I wonder if the aerial earthing is faulty but haven't yet checked. I presume it is accessible at the aerial end by removing panels from inside the over-cab cupboard.

I haven't looked all that closely, but I can't see how to get the radio out of the dashboard, or even how to remove the fascia to get access to the wiring and aerial plug. Can anyone offer any hints?

All advice gratefully received.

Thanks.

Alistair

Hi Alistair,
Is it a Radio or Radio Cassette? My 1998 Duetto has the 4000 traffic Radio Cassette. My Haynes manual says you need to insert U shaped rods into the special holes each side of the radio, if possible it is better to get special rods from a audio specialist. Also disconnect the battery -ve lead before you start
Pete
Certa Cito

to remove the radio in the absence of the special rod I use an old bicycle spoke. It works for me.

squip

It's a radio cassette. I'll have a look at a Haynes manual and see what they say.

Hi there,

Petal is a 1998 model and I have to agree that reception on the radio is c**p with a capital "K" when it comes to AM reception!

On hire cars we have managed 198 metres long wave (Radio 4) as far south as Lyon but on Petal the interference is so bad that we just don't bother with the radio; even at home!

I presume that this is not a "one-off" so I have discounted "faulty connection" and any way of improving reception will be much appreciated!

Best regards,

Dutto

Alistair wrote:Our 1998 Duetto has the original Ford Traffic 3000 or 4000 (I can't remember which) radio and the Auto-Sleeper rubber duck aerial on the sloping front of the fibreglass top.

I wonder if the aerial earthing is faulty but haven't yet checked. I presume it is accessible at the aerial end by removing panels from inside the over-cab cupboard.

I haven't looked all that closely, but I can't see how to get the radio out of the dashboard, or even how to remove the fascia to get access to the wiring and aerial plug. Can anyone offer any hints?

Removal keys can be bought off ebay for as little as 99p.

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Basically just two wire U shaped prongs but if you can get hold of a welding rod, that will do the job.

Personally I don't like the standard Ford radios. Pretty cr*p and I replaced both of mine in Focus car and Transit Duetto with decent Pioneer sets which will play blank media and also has a USB facility. Better quality radio too.

The rubber duck aerials IMO should be banned! They rust where the aerial mast joins the base mount and will eventually fall off. I suspect yours has corroded similar to how mine had which explains your rubbish reception.

Replacing is a right pain in the ar*e! Mainly because it's a two man job.....it's impossible to do on your own.

1) Remove both forward inner roof panels (lot of screws so keep them somewhere safe!).

2) You will now see where the roof aerial comes through the roof.

3) Whilst holding the aerial cable mount (which is threaded) on the inside with a pair of grips, you will need a friend to unscrew the base mount screw on the outside of the roof.

Once you have the aerial and mount off i'd suggest chucking it away and replacing it with a 'normal' roof aerial.

The ideal one to use is fitted on Rover 200 cars and I got mine from a local scrapyard. The mast was a bit too long and 'whippy' for my liking so I found a mast off a Citroen which was shorter and fitted perfectly. Cost me just two quid.

Fitting is simply a reverse of removal but of course you still need a friend to help you.

It's a ball ache of an exercise which could so easily have been avoided had AS properly thought things out by either fitting a windscreen aerial, using the Status 'wok', or using a wing mounted aerial. If like me you are single living alone, it means you need to find someone to help you which I found really annoying. By comparison replacing the aerial on my Ford Focus took just ten minutes to remove and replace by myself.

Many thanks for replies.

The removal keys look simple to make. I presume inserting them in the four holes in the fascia releases latches that hold the fascia in place.

On a motorhome forum a few weeks ago, a response to someone's post suggested the windscreen-mounted aerial with a built-in amplifier - only a little over 4 pounds on ebay. Has anyone any experience of this type of setup?

Thanks again.

Alistair

Alistair wrote:Many thanks for replies.

The removal keys look simple to make. I presume inserting them in the four holes in the fascia releases latches that hold the fascia in place.

On a motorhome forum a few weeks ago, a response to someone's post suggested the windscreen-mounted aerial with a built-in amplifier - only a little over 4 pounds on ebay. Has anyone any experience of this type of setup?

Thanks again.

Alistair

Yes they just push back the prongs to release the radio from the metal cage.

I've never tried the windscreen type aerial but it's worth a go at four quid and anything is better than those daft rubber ducks! But if you remove it and go for an alternative you will still have a hole in your roof which will need to be sealed with a blanking plug. It could also be worthwhile making up your own internal aerial from a length of copper wire and taping that inside the roof.

Interesting to read the comments on the Duetto radio/aerial problems! We have just bought a 1999 Duetto and very pleased with it - only problem is the radio which is a 4000 series with cassette player. I was going to buy a 6000 series cd version and change them over but am I better looking for another make/model? The reason I was going to stick with the Ford version is because most car radio/cd players are half the height and I didn't want an unsightly gap left! If there are alternatives I would certainly be interested. Also - is it the radio itself which forces the unit to switch off after 1 hour or an external timer? Many thanks in advance.
Jock