Can Nokia 6230 cradle use external aerial?

[Rory]

Using the Mercedes factory fit 'phone kit, I use 6310i which has an aerial connection into the cradle which then uses the roof aerial.
Our phones are being changed to 6230's, which have no aerial connection.

So does the 6230 cradle use some kind of inductive coupling, or is it not able to access the roof aerial at all?

Anyone any experience of using the 6230 with the Mercedes factory fit kit?

 

[jberks]

I know the Nokia 'pop port' (CK7W etc) kits have an optional inductive loop connection so I presume the Merc kits support this feature too. The nokia part is an AXF-15S if you want to have a look.

 

[Rory]

Thanks for this - someone who fits car phone kits told me that the Nokia inductive coupler doesn't seem to make any difference - the kits work just the same with or without it.

However I got a reply on another forum telling me that the Merc cradle has a 'proximity aerial' (which I guess is much the same thing) and it works fine.

 

[jberks]

I was told that these days, you don't really need an external ariel. I fitted one to the wife's car as I was swapping kits and the ariel was already installed so it seemed a waste not to use it. Not sure I'd go to the trouble if I had to fit the ariel though.

 

[DavidBoot]

Rory, I didn't know you could get 6230 kits - I have the same problem as you were my company's phones moved from 6310 to 6230 - so have been using a jabra kit ever since (rendering the MB phone cradle redundant - which was a bit of a pain).

Can I ask how much you plan to pay for yours, have you been quoted from the MB dealers, and do they have to fit it?

Thanks

Dave

 

[HAPPYMAN]

Happyman

Has Any One Got A Phone Kit For Sale To Fit A Nokia 6310i

 

[GlynC]

NOKIA 6310i

I have the fully intergated kit in the E class and just upgraded my phone. Sad part is MB reckon it's a £1,000 to upgrade the command unit to work with another phone!
So I have taken thsim out of the new one and stuck it back in the 6310i for now as it's a great piece of kit on the move. I've ordered a sim card for the picture phone and will use it as Pay as you Go!
I'm told the more recent built Models post 09-04 can be adapted with just a change of cradle!
Oh well you can't have everything I suppose.
I use a bluetooth Nokia kit in the other car and it works a treat, you can source them for about £70 on the net and they are easy to fit, One live wire, one ignition switched and eart and you in business.

 

[PRS]

Happyman I have a complete kit, except the cradle

 

[Rory]

Rory, I didn't know you could get 6230 kits - I have the same problem as you were my company's phones moved from 6310 to 6230 - so have been using a jabra kit ever since (rendering the MB phone cradle redundant - which was a bit of a pain).

Can I ask how much you plan to pay for yours, have you been quoted from the MB dealers, and do they have to fit it?

Thanks

Dave

So I'm pretty new to this, but if your car is fitted with a universal interface then the cradle is a DIY swop (tells you how to do it in the car's manual). The cradle seems to be about £130.
If it's a company supplied phone and your car is used on company business then your employer should pay for it - I don't think a Jabra type kit meets the necessary requirments to stay legal.

I don't need a camera phone so I've decided to stay with the 6310i for now, so the 6230's just sitting here in its box.

 

[Sullivj]

You can buy a cradle that fits the 6230 and plugs into the box in place of the plug where the 6310i cradle plugged into.

Next week however, I am having the full 6230 kit installed as the 6310i kit was sold along with my previous car. The inductive loop (which I have also to be fitted) is supplied as an add on to the standard car kit.

I have also just bought a leather pod mount from dashmount.co.uk as I didn't like the look of the cheap metal bracket that they were planning to supply me with. The leather mount was £66 (inc. next day delivery) but it looks much better in my W140 than the metal bracket ever would. They even match the leather colour.

Hope it all works as it should and he doesn't ruin my sat nav or any other part when he's fitting it. I am always very wary of so called 'experts'.

 

[BarryS]

I have the 6230 cradle fitted in my CLK, and can verify that it was about £130 and just plugs into the connector. Very interested to read that the 6230 connector does not support an external ariel since I always assumed that it was using the external roof ariel - certainly the signal strength is fine.

Rgds, Barry

 

[Rory]

I think it's highly likely that the 6230 cradle *is* inductively coupled to the phone (rather than having the physical aerial connecter that the 6310 cradle has). However nobody seems to be able to confirm the inductive coupling capability.

 

[Sullivj]

The car kit I have been given to have fitted does have the antenna coupler. See http://www.nokia.co.uk/nokia/0,,48619,00.html

It doesn't plug into the phone, it just rests against the back of it and is fitted between the phone holder and the car. The coupler has a connector to fit your existing aerial or a new aerial. The fitter told me that the old style roof aerials are very much in the past and one that fits inside the front screen is the way to go.

Mine's being fitted on Wednesday.

John

 

[Sullivj]

PS, it's not part of the standard cradle. It's an add on feature.

 

[Sullivj]

The car kit I have been given to have fitted does have the antenna coupler. See http://www.nokia.co.uk/nokia/0,,48619,00.html

It doesn't plug into the phone, it just rests against the back of it and is fitted between the phone holder and the car. The coupler has a connector to fit your existing aerial or a new aerial. The fitter told me that the old style roof aerials are very much in the past and one that fits inside the front screen is the way to go.

Mine's being fitted on Wednesday.

John

All fitted now. Looks great and works really well. The antenna coupler does improve reception slightly but the fitter said it will never do as well as the old kit for the 6310i, which had a physical connection. The new kit cuts the radio out and routes the phone output through the speakers. Also, if the radio is not on, it still puts the output through the speakers - clever huh?

The leather dashmount kit was money well spent. It looks superb.

 

[Rory]

Thanks for the feedback - I decided to stay with the 6310 for the time being, and, in case anything happens to it, I grabbed a spare one from a collegue who switched to a 6230.

It does seem a major faux pas on Nokia's part to not continue with a phone that is physically (inc the aerial connection) compatible to the 6310.

 

[Darius2]

I used an Orange 6310 and when I upgraded to a 6230i the Orange shop told me to buy an adapter which was only available from O2. It just slots into the existing kit, and doesn't use the external aerial but supports all the other functions. It seems to work fine and at about £30 is presumably a lot cheaper than an MB upgrade.

 

[Rory]

That's useful to know, thanks. I know several phone kit manufacturers do 6230 to 6310 adaptors, but I never imagined there would be one that would work with the MB cradle.

Where did you actually but it - just from an O2 shop?

 

[blassberg]

any experience out there of a C7KW kit with a 6230 in a W203?

if so any commnents on mounting position. I'm assuming a glovebox bracket but am interested in any other options.

 

[jberks]

Charlie,
The wife has a 6230 with the CK7W and is very happy with it - admittedly in a Jeep.
As far as mounting goes, it needs to be somewhere you can see it, or you won't know who's calling. There are lots of after market mounts that are designed to blend in with the dash and MB probably do one too. I have the MB E class one and its great, you wouldn't know it wasn't always supposed to be there. It is made out of the same material as the dash so colour and texture are an exact match. It even curves in slightly in line with the cubby hole cover - very neat. Also, all the wires run directly inside the mount so there is no visible wiring. Ask your dealer.