xB: Problems with poor radio reception and aftermarket hu?

[Anonymous]

Credit:Tomas@Clubxb.com

For all you folks with aftermarket head units and poor reception: When the new unit was installed the installer probably didn't hook up the power antenna lead from the head unit, and your in-line antenna amplifier is not being powered.
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[slamminxb]

i went back in and tied the wire up and sure enough thats what it was thanx.

[Scion05BOPxB]

I have problems with poor reception on my STOCK HU in areas no other vehicle I have does. Figured it was just the way the antenna(s) was designed.

[06xb30]

thats some great info thanks ..

[chefbamm]

awesome info thanks! It'll help!!

[BUniqueXb]

So where do i hook this power anntena wire from the back of the new headunit to?

[450xb]

I know mine is plugged in to my head unit but I get horrible reception.

[zobispo]

same here i install my new HU and hook up the blue wire to power amp wire and still reception suck

[ifeldwn02]

you should have 1 blue and 1 blue w/ white tracer on the aftermarket harness, if i remember right, the 1 with the white tracer should be the antenna

[Toast]

good info, i've had horrible reception for almost 3 years with my aftermarket HU, ill check it out as soon as i get home from the middle eastern sand box

[YellowSubxB]

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[bB2NER]

Very nice info Tomas. As usualy!!!:wave:

[crazycoti05xb]

I have problems with my gauge face, i haven't been able to figure it out, all i know is as soon as i installed my HU the gauge face lighting quit working, and the clock light doesn't work either anyone have any ideas, i took it all out and couldn't find any lights

[slamminxb]

did you tap into any wires besides the ones for the hu>? all your cluster wires are all bunched up in a loom where the back od the hu would be. also what brand and type of hu are ya running?

[SCIKO4U]

Thanks bro! Worked for me!

[xBvegan]

yeah i had always had crappy reception with my aftermarket HU. I finally pulled it out of the dash and checked....sure enough the jackass installer didn't hook up the power antenna. i made the connection and reception was perfect.


...only problem was...i was the jackass who installed it the first time.

:doh:

[hotlava82]

Thanks for the info!

[gta]

woot! glad i read this! i almost didnt attach the power antenna wire today when i installed my deck.

[vettereddie]

Wow, I never knew the antenna had power. Yeah, I was the jackass installer as well, gonna have to pull the dash to fix this one :(. I get to pull out an 8" screen, computer and head unit to get to it, man this sucks. At least I'll have radio again.

[aminal8]

I have problems with poor reception on my STOCK HU in areas no other vehicle I have does. Figured it was just the way the antenna(s) was designed.

I had problem with my stock HU also, until one day when my cell phone beeped, letting me know it was fully charged.

When I pulled out the power supply for the cell phone, I got 100 times better reception.

I guess there is something withthe wiring, and the frequency of the converter that makes the antenna go nuts with, and not get any rception.

[slamminxb]

humm you pulled your charger out and it fixed your problem?? i no i get interfirence when mine is pluged in but i patched the wire in and as soon as i unplug my charger it goes back to normal.

[Kenrock1000]

Update:

I just did mine today and I get 94.9 (even tho I dont listen to it often). I never got it before.

Just for clarification...my aftermarket harness had the antenna wire labeled and it was solid blue. The stock harness does not have a random antenna wire...it is the black/red one in the stock harness. If you match the two harness together you'll notice that the black/red wire on the stock harness plugs directly into the antenna side of the aftermarket harness.

So, that black/red wire needs to be powered. I just spliced the remote amp wire with the antenna wire (both off the aftermarket harness) so power would run the black/red wire (Amp antenna).

Seems so simple I cannot beleive I missed it in the first place!!! Thanks again for the post! :thanks:

[vettereddie]

Well, I did this and still get crap for reception. I dug through the service manual and found that the antenna is integrated in the rear and two small side windows, it's the printed pattern on the rear quarter panel windows. I'm thinking the trace may have gotten damaged when tint was cut and installed on those windows. I will be metering it out tonight. For those of you with issues, this might also be the case. To fix the broken trace, auto parts stores make defroster line repair stuff that should work on this as well.

[agent_orange]

i didn't know about the power ant. wire until i got on here. i fixed that problem and know my radio works some what i don't know what it is about it getting strong signal but i guess the ant. being in the back two windows is the problem.

[Shinigami]

"ive been saying that for 10 damn years"

[lego_car]

so there is a blue and white wire that needs to be connected to what>

[lego_car]

so im confuesed were does the blue wire with whote tracer gets attatched to what

[HammeredRooster]

I think you have to attatch the black and red wire from the factory wires to the blue one on the back of the radio. sometimes its blue, sometimes blue with white stripe

[DarkTari]

yeah i had always had crappy reception with my aftermarket HU. I finally pulled it out of the dash and checked....sure enough the jackass installer didn't hook up the power antenna. i made the connection and reception was perfect.


...only problem was...i was the jackass who installed it the first time.

:doh:

ROFLMAO !!!!!! :Vache04:

Gotta laugh when you can admit to it !!!! LOL !!!

I installed an HU and had the same issue. Thinking it was the connection between my HDR unit & HU. I did check the antenna power and it looked good, blu (HU) to Blu/wht (harness). Guess I'll get back in there and try the red/black.....

[boone469]

thanks i just put in a new radio in mine and it wouldn't pick anything up in my own driveway. took 10 mins and connected the wire any sounds great now