Hi, a friends Audi 03 A4 1.9 TDI has crappy radio reception and it seems to be related to the common fault in the Antenna amplifier circuit board located on the passenger side over the rear windshield where cold weather makes it crack and stop working.

I want to try fitting an aftermarket aerial, just somewhere in behind the dash, but Im unsure what connection I should be looking for or what adapter I need to buy. I dont suppose anyone here knows? Its the Audi Symphony stereo, this one:





I was also wondering if I could just get an unpowered aerial and try it, we do live in a pretty strong reception area, or do I need to supply power to an amplified aerial? What connector/adapter do I need to supply this power?

This is the kind of antenna Im thinking about:


Any help appreciated thanks.

 

You will probably need this to connect any regular antenna setup to the Symphony radios.. Audi uses a different style antenna port on the back of the radio. Car Radio Stereo Antenna Adapter for 1973-2011 Audi BMW VW Mercedes MDP11 | eBay

 

Thanks a million for replying. Unfortunately Im in the UK and I dont see that connection anywhere on the UK Ebay or Amazon:

audi symphony adapter | eBay

I also dont see the Audi 03 A4 1.9 TDI listed in the list of 40 or so Audi models on that adapters ad, is there any chance its a different adapter in Europe or the UK?

 

Could be. You need to pull the radio and eyeball it. Very easy to do but you need to pick up the extractor keys that disengage the clips that hold it in. You can get those on ebay for about $10-20. Literally takes a minute to get it out..

 

Brilliant thanks. Do you know anything about supplying power to an amplified third party aerial? Is there a connector on the back to do it like there is on standard car radios? Its kind of 2 bare wires that you clip in...

 

I'm not sure if there is a separate "remote" power connection on them. If there is a separate wire that is attached to the antenna wire, that would probably be it. It's been a while since I've had to eyeball the back of my unit so I can't say for sure. I'm sure there's a way to do it though.

 

I mean the extra power wires that you see on after market antennas like this one:


Where do you plug that stuff in? Or is there even a place to do that on a Symphony unit do you or anyone else know?

 

I know what you mean. They are called "remote" power leads. I'm sure that one of the wires from the factory radio is one of these because of the separate power booster much like the one you want to add. But you could just wire the new to an accessory power circuit so that always powers up when the ignition is turned on.

Personally, I gave up on Terrestrial radio about 10 years ago and went with Satellite radio. The units have a FM broadcaster that allows you to connect them to any FM radio. They also make a "direct injection" module that piggy backs with the factory antenna (which will require the adapter I linked to in a previous post). I connected my Sirius/XM radio to an accessory circuit like I mentioned for the aftermarket booster above.

Google: "2003 Audi symphony radio wiring" and see if any of those links or pictures help you out.

 

Thanks for the help Dave. Do you think both of these adapters are the same? I need the first one from the US Ebay but I cant find it anywhere in Europe, if the .co.uk one does the same job Im sorted though:

Car Radio Stereo Antenna Adapter for 1973-2011 Audi BMW VW Mercedes MDP11 | eBay

Universal Din Radio Antenna Adapter Aerial Cable ISO Lead UK VW AUDI OPEL SKODA | eBay

 

Yes, they are the same but I'd go with the one with the longer lead. The short angled one might put undue stress on the antenna port on the radio with that hard 90 degree bend. At least the longer lead on the other one will allow for more flexibility when slipping the unit back into the dash.