DAB Digital Radio (UK ) for the Trophy SE with Forum Discount Offer !

[Coconut]

In the UK, FM radio is gradually being phased out, eventually to be replaced
with "DAB" ( Digital Audio Broadcasting ) Radio Stations. 
Some Radio Stations ( such as my personal favourite "Planet Rock" ) are no longer broadcast on FM,
but ARE available on DAB ( and Internet ) Radio. The Trophy does not have a DAB Radio

I've been in touch with the nice people at RadioSound US - who make the Trophy Audio Unit,
who told me they have NO add-on modules to provide DAB Radio, and there are NO plans
for them to look into doing so in the future - due to the Trophy being discontinued. 

BUT, they hinted that the USB Port might be an option for using a suitable device,
and pointed me in the direction of a Company called DENSION - who make a variety of
add-on audio modules ( mainly for Cars ), to receive DAB radio via the Car Head Unit.   

Over the last few months, in consultation with some very helpful and knowledgeable guys at Dension,
between us we have come up with what is essentially a "Plug & Play" solution,
with a Configuration File specific to the Triumph Trophy SE,
allowing the DAB Radio Stations to be displayed on the Trophy Instrument Panel ! 

This utilises their Dension DAB+U DAB Radio Receiver.

( Edited 09/01/19 ! ) PLEASE NOTE that a DAB Antenna is also needed.
Orginally I tried a solution that was acceptable to me, but was not as good,
in terms of Signal Reception, as the DAB Radio in my car.
I have now found a dedicated DAB Antenna solution - Please see Post Reply #29 & 31 for details !

TRIUMPH TROPHY FORUM MEMBER 20% DISCOUNT :
After negotiating with Dension, and obtaining approval from the Forum Administrator,
Dension are able to offer Trophy Forum Members a 20% Discount off the RRP of the DAB+U device until 31/03/19.
( RRP £126.87 reduced to £101.50 with FREE Shipping ! ).
To obtain the Discount, you will need a "Voucher Code".
I have agreed to help with distributing these so just send ME a Private Message via the Forum,
and I will send your Code with instructions on how to use it !
( You can also request your Voucher Code from Forum "Admin" ).


How it works :

The DAB+U device connects to the Trophy Audio System USB Port.
DAB Radio Stations are "mimicked" as being MP3 Tracks. 
The upper line of the Trophy Audio Display will show "DAB RADIO", and
the lower line of the Trophy Audio Display will show the name of the Radio Station.
The handlebar Audio Switch Cube buttons are used to change Stations, and other Operations.




Note :
A simple one-time operation to upload the specific Triumph Trophy Configuration file
to the Dension DAB+U device must be carried out by the User before first use. 

Please download the attached User Guide - for operating the DAB+U Radio,
by clicking the Link at the foot of this Post.  The User Guide also has instructions
for downloading the required Configuration file and uploading it to the DAB+U device.


What is needed :
 
I purchased the Dension DAB+U device and decided to locate it inside the Glove Box.
( It's not waterproof so that seemed a good place for it, with easy access to the USB Port,
and is a relatively short distance for the Antenna and Power connections ).

You may decide on an alternative installation, such as mounting the DAB+U adjacent to the Audio Unit
( Below the under Rider seat Stowage Box ), where there is room for it, and connections to the
Antenna and Power supplies are available, then utilise an alternative Antenna Solution mounted elsewhere ).



Please see NOTE above, and Post Replies #29 & 31
for a recommended dedicated DAB Antenna solution ! 

Alternatively - For receiving the DAB Radio signal, after a considerable amount of experimentation with different products,
the solution I first tried was to connect to the existing Trophy Antenna wiring,
using an Amplified DAB SMB Splitter cable, and to replace the screw in Trophy FM Mast
with a new "DAB / FM" Mast.  This preserves the reception and selection of FM and AM Radio stations.
This did result in a number of Signal Losses while riding around, whereas the dedicated DAB Antenna
Solution mentioned in later Posts is much more stable.


Items that are needed to utilise the existing Antenna are :

1. 
Amplified Antenna Splitter cable with DIN Male, DIN Female, SMB Female, and Power connectors.
See Photo - These can be found quite readily on Amazon / eBay etc, usually for around £15.00.
The Splitter cable is used to connect the DAB+U Unit into the existing Antenna line,
while still preserving it for using the FM / AM Radio :




2. 
SMB Male to SMB Female Right Angled extension cable ( 30cm ).
This isn't 100% necessary but is useful if following the same installation method,
as it provides a "Quick Disconnect" for whenever the Glove Box or Fairing are removed,
such as during routine maintenance / servicing.




3.
Replacement screw in DAB Antenna Mast.
I tried using the original Trophy FM antenna, and although some DAB Stations could be received,
there was an unacceptably high number of instances where the Signal was lost.
Using a "proper" DAB Antenna Mast has resulted in far fewer "No Signal" reports.
This is the one I used - there are many others available :
DAB On Wheels Spare mast for Kinetic DRA-6001 ( £14.99 ).




4.
A short ( 25cm ) USB Type A Male to Male cable is needed to connect the DAB+U device to the Trophy USB Port.
( The DAB+U device is supplied with a long USB cable, that might be useful if you decide to mount the device
somewhere other than inside the Glove Box.






Hardware installation ( DAB+U inside Glove Box ) :

Remove the Trophy Screen by undoing the six screws. 
Put the screen somewhere safe to protect it from getting scratched !

Remove the Glove Box, disconnecting the wires for the Accessory Socket, USB Socket, and Lock Solenoid.

Remove both Mirror Pods - Refer to this Topic for details of which screws need to be removed :
How To Remove the Fairing ...... Paragraphs 11 to 14.

Remove the panels surrounding the Instrument pack, as far as is necessary
to access the rear of the Instruments, where there is an in-line connector to the Trophy FM antenna.

Refer to this Topic for details of which screws need to be removed :
HOW TO: Fit Triumph Sat Nav Bracket .....

NOTE : There are two additional fixings that need to be removed - they are Plastic "Scrivets" -
inside the Mirror Pods - directly above each of the large headed Indicator retaining screws.
The Scrivets can be carefully unscrewed - also recover the plastic parts they screw into, to prevent losing them !

Locate the In-Line Trophy Antenna cable connector that runs through a Clip at the rear of the Instrument Panel.
Grasp the connector ( NOT the cable - to reduce the risk of damage ) and pull the connection apart.

Location of Antenna cable connection :


Connect the Male DIN Plug of the Amplified Splitter Cable to the Trophy Antenna wiring socket,
and the Female DIN Socket of the Amplified Splitter Cable to the Male DIN plug of the Trophy Antenna Fly Lead.

Route the SMB Male connector and Power cable across and into the area below the Glove Box.
Keep the wiring tidy, routing it so as not become trapped when refitting the Instrument Pack.

Prepare the Glove Box to accept entry of the Antenna Fly Lead.

You might decide to just a drill a hole and pass the Antenna cable through,
but for a neater method, and to reduce the potential for water ingress, I made an access
immediately below the Accessory Power socket, ( which I have previously removed
from my Trophy and replaced with a combined Voltmeter / USB Power Socket ).

To remove the Accessory socket from the Glove Box is a bit fiddly - you need to release the two small tabs
inside the socket by depressing them while pushing / pulling the metal part out of the Glove Box.
A thin blade or small screwdriver can also be used carefully, to pry the socket apart.



I filed a small groove - the same width as the Antenna Fly Lead, and sufficiently deep
so as not to interfere with replacing the Voltmeter, ( or Accessory Socket ),
and fed the SMB Male to Female Extension Lead into the Glove Box,
so that the Female socket was inside the Glove Box, ready for connection to the DAB+U. 
Refit the Accessory power socket ( or Voltmeter ).



Splice the Power cable ( which has an In-Line fuseholder )
into the Positive Feed to the Glove Box Accessory Socket.
( You may decide or prefer to use an alternative Power Source ).

Connect the SMB Female antenna connector from the Amplified Splitter Cable,
to the SMB Male Plug of the Extension lead emerging from the Glove Box.

Reconnect the Glove Box Accessory Socket wiring, USB Port, and Solenoid Lock wiring.

Place the Glove Box loosely back into position, and use the short USB Type A Male to Male Cable
to connect the Lower of the two DAB+U USB ports to the Trophy USB socket.






Unscrew the Trophy FM Antenna mast and replace it with the new DAB Antenna Mast.


After the physical installation, the system needs to be commissioned:

Follow the User Guide that and can be downloaded from the Link at the end of this Post.

Have the Trophy in a location where there is good DAB Radio reception.

Switch ON the Ignition - Start the engine to prevent draining the battery,
unless in a confined space where the exhaust fumes would be hazardous.

Switch the Audio Output to "SPEAKERS" ( Press and hold the "M" Button to access the Audio Setup Menu,
scroll down to AUDIO OUTPUT, select SPEAKERS, Press "i" then EXIT out of the Menus ).

Press "M" repeatedly if necessary, to select "USB" as the Source -
the Dension DAB+U device should be shown as "DBU31.220.5.4."




The DAB Radio now needs to Scan for DAB Radio Stations - Refer to the User Guide.

When SCANNING has completed the DAB+U will restart and is then ready for use. 

DAB Radio Stations are selected by using the handlebar Audio Switch Cube buttons - pressing
">> Next Track" or "<< Previous Track" for the Next or Previous alphabetically stored Radio Stations.



Triumph Trophy Forum Member Discount
To purchase the Dension DAB+U device and receive a 20% discount, with FREE Shipping,
Go to the Dension Web Shop and Enter your Voucher Code at the Checkout.
Note that you will need to register on their Web Site before you can use the Voucher.

Send me ( or "Admin" ) a Private Message to request your Voucher Code !

[DrSteve]

Excellent post - very professional and helpful. 

[Saddle Tramp]

Coconut, you must like music as much as I do! 
Good show, researching and negotiating a solution for your fellow Trophies, and then following up with a detailed tutorial about the installation.
Makes me want to go out and get one, and I live in the States!

I guess something similar has been happening in these parts for some time, but they call it HD Radio over here.

[bobv07662]

We've had digital FM here in the US for quite some time. I don't know if it's the same system you'll be using...perhaps a US spec radio unit might solve your problems?

[Coconut]

There are only 2 versions of the Triumph Trophy Audio system - the one we have in the UK
is for Long Wave (LW) and Medium Wave (MW), which are both "AM", and "FM" Radio.

There's not much to be found on LW and MW these days, and as stated
"FM" is being phased out, to be replaced by "DAB" ( Digital Audio Broadcasting ).

The Audio system fitted to the US & Canadian Export models of Trophy
has "AM" and "FM" plus Sirius XM Satellite Radio - which we don't have / can't receive in the UK.

HD Radio in the U.S. ( HD is the Brand Name of iBiquity Digital Corporation
who invented the HD Radio technology ), is a Digital Radio service that is broadcast
over the existing AM and FM spectrums.

A HD Digital Radio receiver is needed to receive HD Radio programmes.
An Analogue AM / FM Radio will just ignore the HD Digital Radio signals.

There is no mention in the Audio handbook of the U.S. Trophy version
having AM HD or FM HD Radio, so I can only assume that it is an analogue system.

AM Radio Stations in the UK broadcast from 153kHz to 1602kHz
FM Radio Stations in the UK broadcast from 87.6 MHz to 107.9 MHz

DAB Radio in the UK broadcast on a completely different frequency spectrum
than AM or FM - being much higher from 174 MHz to 229 MHz.

Even if the US Version of the Trophy Audio system DID have an HD Radio receiver,
it would therefore be of no use in the UK.

Cheers 

[Saddle Tramp]

Just to be clear, the US radio does not have HD radio capability.
And, I am not the least surprised that we operate on a different frequency! 

[trophied]

With all the requirements for different parts of the systems changing and some of the solutions not even available yet, it's no surprise the Trophy was discontinued.

[earthman]

Looks like a good mod, one question, is that another USB slot at the top? Can that be used to play songs that you have stored on a stick already or do you have to unplug the DAB device every time??