Alpine CD Deck radio trouble

[Grandam1999V6]

Alrite, here's the deal. took my baby (1999 Grand Am V6) to Best Buy and had them install an Alpine CDE-9852 head unit into the car w/ iPod cable. the iPod and CD quality is great, but for some reason the head unit is having trouble playing LOCAL stations, every time i drive it, the local radio stations have static in them. So, took it back up to BB, they said that there is nothing wrong with the antenna, so they switched out the faulty head unit with another one, but the new one does the same thing. This is the first time they ever saw this happen, and they've been working there for around 10 years. Does anyone else have this problem with an aftermarked head unit in their car? Does it have to do with the "smaller wire" in the stock antenna line to the head unit? Is this normal for aftermarket head units in this type of car? I only have a week to fix this and help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your help in advance.

[sunrunner_pei]

No issues with my Alpine CDA-9835, even with the antenna adapter. There is a 'local' setting for the tuning. Try turning it on and off to see if sound improves.

[car audio dave]

funny thing is, if that person worked there for 10 years then theyd be a manager or higher by now, OR they really are incompitent.

try what shawn said. you really shouldnt have any issues since we dont have amplified antennas like the alero does (unless you are running an alero rear window with the built in antenna).

[Grandam1999V6]

yea, that kindof confused me too dave. lol. no amplified antennas...just stock.

well, took it for another drive last night, and apparently now ALL of the stations have the static in them. i dont see now how is ISNT the antenna/wire.

Is it possible to get a new antenna system (new antenna and wire) installed, probabaly under $100? would that most likely take care of the problem?

[sunrunner_pei]

Have you tried the local settings yet?

Don't just run out and install a new antenna. At the very least, buy one and try it before actually 'installing' it. Just plug it in and see if it works better. If not, return it and look elsewhere for your problem.

This could be a ground issue. Where are you grounding the HU? Any external amps?

[Grandam1999V6]

yea, tried the 'local' setting, it didnt help at all, made it a little worse actually.

No external amps for the car, this is the only mod i've made to it...and Best Buy installed the HU so i have no idea where they grounded it. im probabaly thinking it about taking the car to an actual audio shop and have a 'pro' take a look at it...i dont think these BB guys know what they are doing...or what the problem is.

[ZACH]

Just a thought, Maybe the connector for the antenna is touching some metal behind the HU, Like if they neede a antenna adapter and the connection to the adapter it toughing a metal bracket back there or something that could cause interference.

[Grandam1999V6]

I can see where you're coming from...i could see that the adapter (i have one in it) touching metal could cause an interference. also, if the antenna was faulty, wouldnt i have heard static on the stock HU? im jsut thinking out loud.

[sunrunner_pei]

Originally posted by ZACH
Just a thought, Maybe the connector for the antenna is touching some metal behind the HU, Like if they neede a antenna adapter and the connection to the adapter it toughing a metal bracket back there or something that could cause interference.

Very possible. Grandam1999V6, before throwing more money at it, why not remove the HU and see for yourself what they did. The ground should be easy to find. Ensure that it is firmly connected to the metal framework of the car. It should not be wired into the factory harness. There is a metal support behind the stereo that's a perfect ground point. And it will also give you a clue as to the antenna situation. Exposed metal on the antenna adapter is a bad thing, it could be grounding out like Zach mentioned.

[ZACH]

Originally posted by sunrunner_pei
Very possible. Grandam1999V6, before throwing more money at it, why not remove the HU and see for yourself what they did. The ground should be easy to find. Ensure that it is firmly connected to the metal framework of the car. It should not be wired into the factory harness. There is a metal support behind the stereo that's a perfect ground point. And it will also give you a clue as to the antenna situation. Exposed metal on the antenna adapter is a bad thing, it could be grounding out like Zach mentioned.

I dont really think it would be a grounding problem, my HU is connected just to the harness with no problems, and he said it is playing CD's and Ipod with no problems, if it was ground he would get problems with the whole HU not just the radio. But then again with automotive electronics Anything is Possible.

Grandam1999V6. like Shawn said pull out the HU and check for yourself before you spend anymore money on it.

[Grandam1999V6]

so...if it is the antenna adapter, would it pose a problem if i just taped it to prevent metal-to-metal contact? the guys @ BB said they taped it, but they didnt say which part.

Now, when i pull it out, do i take out the entire plastic surrounding the console like BB did when they installed the HU, or do i just 'pull out' the HU? this is the first time im really dealing with this stuff.

[sunrunner_pei]

You'll probably have to remove the entire trim piece. Instructions are in the FAQ.

[MantaGreen97]

Taping it will cause no problems and will prevent it from touching ground, (even though it is ground, lol, it will prevent any possible looping/noise from the frame contact).

Note that the "local" setting on most car HUs is mainly to change the way the station seek works, or at least has been my experience.

I don't know about on your year GA but on mine if you just pull out the HU from the mounting kit that's fine to take the HU out but it proves difficult to get it back in without the possibility of squishing wires behind it. Plus if the wires aren't long enough you're just going to be tugging at a harness, antenna wire and other connections that aren't going to give way without you getting your hand back there. (My RCAs for example make it impossible to pull the HU out anymore than about 1" unless you want to rip the RCAs, lol.) So it's better to take the dash part off and go from there as if you were installing it from scratch.

Very strange problem though especially considering they changed the HU. (Are you certain they did that? lol.) If the HU has been swapped out, and nothing else makes sense I'd probably start checking the integrity of the antenna wire from the HU all the way to the trunk. Start with the connections on both sides (at the back of the HU first and then in the trunk at the antenna); failing that you might have to see if the antenna wire is cut/damaged somewhere along the way. How that would happen I can't fathom--the antenna wire is tough and it's pretty stationary under the carpet, but not much is making sense right now anyway.

Edit: Another possibility is that the antenna adapter itself is the problem! It could have it's wire damaged inside, so you might want to get them to swap that, as it's a pretty inexpensive part and easy to change.

[Grandam1999V6]

where would the antenna wire usually run, just under the carpet or overhead?

If i do find something wrong w/ the wire or antenna (in theory), would it be difficult/expensive to replace it?

Edit: very true about the adapter...they will probabaly swap it out 4 free...so that'll b easy. lol

[MantaGreen97]

I'm not 100% sure on your car but should be on the side of the antenna, along the door sill, under the carpet. Wire isn't too expensive and it isn't that hard to replace but let's hope it's something else you can fix a little easier...

[Grandam1999V6]

i agree...im really not too comfortable w/ tearing this thing up too much, (1) b/c i probabaly wont know how to put it back together, and (2) i just dont want to screw anything up too badly and have to fork out more money than i have to for this fixing the interior i screwed up. lol.

I guess i can just hope it is something as simple as an antenna adapter problem. lol. ;)

[hamiltonaudio]

I've got a WAY better idea :) get yourself a full-amplified "hide away" antenna and stick it under the dash somehwere. I sell the like crazy to the cruiser/hot rod/tuner guys who shave the shit out of everything including antennas. I love the Metra piece

http://www.amazon.com/Metra-44UA20-Univ-Hideaway-Amplfd/dp/B000B9E3QM

All it needs is ground and ignition (switched power) and just plug it in. Run it somewhere under the hush panel under the glove box and tie it up - and thats it! They work AMAZING - at the very least as well as a stock antenna....

No running cables, splicing, etc...

bmoney

[Grandam1999V6]

sweet, ill look into it if its an antenna prob. thanks for the idea...seems like a really smart alternative...and a lot easier...if the problem is the antenna. thx

[car audio dave]

after some thinking i was also leaning toward it being the antenna adaptor cable. if you still have the stock stereo, try rehooking that up and see what happens. they might not have plugged the adaptor in all the way or it could be damaged. kinda funny that they went through the effort of changing the radio out instead of looking at cheaper options like the wires. and then they gave it back to you with the same problem. i say that those installers dont know how to trouble shoot. :lol:

[Grandam1999V6]

Well, after talking to the guys who worked on the car, they said that they DID replace the antenna adapter, but did not tape it, so i guess the adapter is probabaly (not entirely) ruled out and metal-to-metal contact is still in question.

I was also doin a little thinking, and wouldnt an amplified antenna, if hooked up to the ignition, drain power from the battery? I know we are having a problem with a mobile entertainment system in another one of my family's cars dranining a new battery every 2 weeks...and that is hooked up to the ignition for power.

[car audio dave]

was this other system installed by the same installers? :lol:

the amplified antenna would only turn on when the radio is on, if its installed right. i still think that before you replace the antenna try hooking the stock radio back up and see what happens.

[Grandam1999V6]

yea...i am gonna hook the stock radio back up...when i get a chance, ive just been so darn busy. lol.

[Grandam1999V6]

I dont know what else to do.

Took the car up to 3 audio places...and they dont know what the problem is. they did everything: checking the connection below the kick board, hooking a new antenna up to the connection below the kickboard, taping and replacing the antenna adapter again, checking the ground, installing an amplified antenna...NOTHING SEEMS TO WORK!!! I got nothin left, i've tried everything i can think of and a lot of other people tried. it just seems really frustrating that this is the first time MANY people i talk to have seen this happen, even with the Alpine decks. hahaha.

I dont see what else there is to do...i think its time to pull it out. :(

[hamiltonaudio]

the solution is simple - get a new deck! And likely not something alpine...

bmoney

[Grandam1999V6]

yea...thats what it has 2 come down to. i just liked the layout/looks of the Alpine...and the iPod hookup was really good. oh well.