[Solved] VW Passat B5FL Gamma Radio - Poor Reception Outside City Despite Antenna Replacement

Hello,
In the Passat, in the times of the previous owner, someone did not remove the antenna before entering the car wash and the whip was broken. The radio was picking up the waves in town, but outside of town, there was only noise. Due to the bad condition of the antenna stand, I bought a new antenna with an amplifier and stand. After replacing the antenna with a new one, the situation did not change much. It is relatively good in the city, but as soon as I go somewhere outside the built-up area, the signal practically disappears.

I have the original Gamma radio, so the power problems are gone? What could be the problem? Is the radio output directly connected to the antenna with an antenna cable or is there something else on the way?

Well, to my eyes, the problem may be on the power side. It looks like there is no separator between the radio and the antenna. After installing the separator, the problem will disappear. In the city, only the antenna cable works with a fairly strong signal. Due to the fact that there is an amplifier in the antenna, it needs + 12V

I understand. Then today I will disassemble the radio and see if there is a separator. I thought that with the original radio, the separator was unnecessary, and the need for assembly is only with a radio from another company.

Theoretically you are right, I had this problem in Skoda. There is no reception in the capital city outside the city. The lack of a separator is a very common problem. It is worth connecting the separator's power supply to + 12V from the output in the player that powers the antenna.

misiek_89 wrote:

I have the original Gamma radio

This radio does not need a separator, check if the radio supplies power to the amplifier on the antenna cable.

misiek_89 wrote:

milejow wrote:

misiek_89 wrote:

I have the original Gamma radio

This radio does not need a separator, check if the radio supplies power to the amplifier on the antenna cable.

So I will. Tomorrow I will have plates to remove the radio and check if there is voltage in the socket. I will also check the antenna cable for a short circuit and let you know what resulted from these measurements.

So today I took out the radio and as you had predicted, there was no tension on the radio exit. I bought a separator in a store, connected it to the installation and to the radio. There was no opportunity to go outside the city, but previously the radio searched for 3-4 stations, now there are over a dozen of them. So it is definitely better, and whether the problem is completely gone remains to be seen the first time you leave.

Thank you very much for your help! So far, I consider the problem to be solved.

I'm coming back after a long time of testing. Everything is fine, the above advice helped to solve the problem.