Aftermarket radio + VX antenna?

I noticed our VX antennas are identical to the one my VW GTI had. The VW Fuba antenna was amplified and the factory radio sent power to the antenna. When installing aftermarket radios a DIN-12 adpater was required to provide the antenna with a power lead.

Is that necessary with the VX antenna?

I checked behind the dash the other day and noticed a blue wire running along side the antenna cable. This blue wire ends at a small plug which is plugged to an orange wire running to the factory radio harness. Does this wire feed power to the antenna?

Thanks.

When I replaced my head unit with a Pioneer I didn't and it works just fine!;Dy;

Anyone have any further input on this? I just swapped out my stock radio w/an Alpine head unit and the AM reception is almost non existent. I used a Crutchfield harness, but am now thinking that the extra wire that was jumped into the factory harness at the connector might have been power for the antenna which the aftermarket harness doesn’t account for. Toughts??

i dont have any trouble with reception and i didnt even use the factory harness for my wiring, i ran a new power, new ground etc, only wire i used from the factory unit was to dim the faceplate when the headlights are on

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Originally Posted by paultvx

I noticed our VX antennas are identical to the one my VW GTI had. The VW Fuba antenna was amplified and the factory radio sent power to the antenna. When installing aftermarket radios a DIN-12 adpater was required to provide the antenna with a power lead.

Is that necessary with the VX antenna?

I checked behind the dash the other day and noticed a blue wire running along side the antenna cable. This blue wire ends at a small plug which is plugged to an orange wire running to the factory radio harness. Does this wire feed power to the antenna?

Thanks.

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When I installed my aftermarket headunit, I used a generic wiring harness/pigtail purchased at a car audio shop. I don't recall any additional power needed for the antenna.

But I'm a little unsure about why you would send power to an antenna anyway. If you need to amplify the signal, you could do that in the radio. Remember, that antenna isn't sending anything OUT, it's only recieving signals. VW's are weird - maybe they wired something else to it also, like a HomeLink connection?

Unfortunately, I don’t even have an antenna. When I bought mine there was nothing but the stand. I get fairly good reception in town but when I head home, which is kinda up in the mountains, it gets crappy. So if anyone knows of any good replacement options I’ll be open to those

Fuba antenna, same as used on late model VW's.

Plentiful and cheap on ebay and probably elsewhere.

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Originally Posted by Zorak

Fuba antenna, same as used on late model VW's.

Plentiful and cheap on ebay and probably elsewhere.

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Hmmmm, those Fuba antenna's look powered. That might have actually answered my question...

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Originally Posted by Zorak

Fuba antenna, same as used on late model VW's.

Plentiful and cheap on ebay and probably elsewhere.

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So if I get that sucker it will screw right in?

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Originally Posted by CrnCnn

Unfortunately, I don’t even have an antenna. When I bought mine there was nothing but the stand. I get fairly good reception in town but when I head home, which is kinda up in the mountains, it gets crappy. So if anyone knows of any good replacement options I’ll be open to those

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http://www.antennax.com/

Click on "Volkswagen" and then click on "page 2" then select "GTI".

Cheap replacements with quick shipping. It's where I got my last one.

Same here, when I swapped out the OEM with a Pioneer, plugged right in. In fact I had to buy an extension ant. lead since I mounted mine in the lower hole where the cd changer was.

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Originally Posted by Y33TREKker

Click on "Volkswagen" and then click on "page 2" then select "GTI".

Cheap replacements with quick shipping. It's where I got my last one.

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thanks alot!!! after I posted that I went for a drive and put my foot in my mouth and had some crappy reception.

I swapped my head unit too, and I have no issues. But then again, why the heck would you wanna listen to the radio anyway? Its nothin but mainstream pop garbage, jesus channels and country???

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

:p Bart

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Originally Posted by nfpgasmask

why the heck would you wanna listen to the radio anyway? Its nothin but mainstream pop garbage, jesus channels and country???

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

:p Bart

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There are only three halfway decent stations here. I bet there was more in Chicago

Actually, Chicago was pretty bad too, there were just MORE mainstream pop garbage channels to choose from. So if you got sick of listening to one hideous mainstream pop song, you could just change the station and hear it again on a different one ;)

There is one station I like: NPR. Its the only thing I can listen too. Maybe I really am getting old? Or maybe I am just extremely close minded when it comes to music ;)

Bart

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Originally Posted by CrnCnn

There are only three halfway decent stations here. I bet there was more in Chicago

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That's one of the three

OK, the radio was really pissing me off so I ripped the dash apart tonight to check things out. I verified that the stock VX antenna is indeed powered (12v). The problem was that the Crutchfield wiring harness did not acknowledge the antenna pin and therefore didn't connect it to the antenna power. The stock antenna must be tuned to receive FM bands, as the FM stations sounded fine without power. The 12v must be to amplify the AM. So all of you with aftermarket head units that get crappy AM signals, check for the antenna power!!

Oh and as for listening to the tuner, I have Sirius and my iPod hooked up for music, the AM is for sports radio (since Sirius doesn't carry MLB). I don't ever listen to FM.

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Originally Posted by PitViper

Oh and as for listening to the tuner, I have Sirius and my iPod hooked up for music, the AM is for sports radio (since Sirius doesn't carry MLB). I don't ever listen to FM.

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Around here the AM sux sooo much worse than the FM. We would be better off finding a Podcast and listening to sports talk that way

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Originally Posted by CrnCnn

Around here the AM sux sooo much worse than the FM. We would be better off finding a Podcast and listening to sports talk that way

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Sports Radio 660AM (WFAN) is quite good around here. I could live without just about every other AM/FM station though. Besides, it would be tough to listen to a live game with a podcast :)

true true... I dont really listen or watch too many sports any how so that didnt occur to me.. I watch MMA fights and thats about it


http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...ong/top_04.jpg

To Bart, and other's. Why listen to radio?.... easiest way to tune in XM (or Sirrus). Imagine, a genres of music that you really really enjoy,... played non-stop.

Best money I've wasted in a long long time. Actually listening to it right now on the computer as we,...type.

just my 2 cents

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Originally Posted by PitViper

Anyone have any further input on this? I just swapped out my stock radio w/an Alpine head unit and the AM reception is almost non existent. I used a Crutchfield harness, but am now thinking that the extra wire that was jumped into the factory harness at the connector might have been power for the antenna which the aftermarket harness doesn’t account for. Toughts??

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AM 'should' use a ferrite dipole loop antenna inside the radio itself. I dont think the roof antenna affects AM at all... But I could be wrong.

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Originally Posted by rowhard

To Bart, and other's. Why listen to radio?.... easiest way to tune in XM (or Sirrus). Imagine, a genres of music that you really really enjoy,... played non-stop.

Best money I've wasted in a long long time. Actually listening to it right now on the computer as we,...type.

just my 2 cents

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Not for music, for sports. I use Sirius for music (and football broadcasts), so only options for baseball are to get XM as well (they have the exclusive rights to MLB), or AM radio. Since I'm good with Sirius, no need to get to get yet another satellite subscription - I can't possibly listen to all of the Sirius stations as it is.

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Originally Posted by Spike

AM 'should' use a ferrite dipole loop antenna inside the radio itself. I dont think the roof antenna affects AM at all... But I could be wrong.

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Not sure of the specifics, but with the 12v antenna wire connected I now get AM clear as a whistle.

I have the same problem with AM. Did you connect it to anywhere in particular or just splice it to the radio input power?

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Originally Posted by PitViper

Not sure of the specifics, but with the 12v antenna wire connected I now get AM clear as a whistle.

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My AM whistles when i am near high tension lines :P

I've thought about that, but I already have 260 GIGs of MP3s that are my genre to keep my ears quite happy...no need for radio of any kind, not even for sports, cause I am one of those rare, straight, American males who could care less about sports of any kind.... :p

Bart

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Originally Posted by rowhard

To Bart, and other's. Why listen to radio?.... easiest way to tune in XM (or Sirrus). Imagine, a genres of music that you really really enjoy,... played non-stop.

Best money I've wasted in a long long time. Actually listening to it right now on the computer as we,...type.

just my 2 cents

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I only use AM to listen to Coast To Coast AM w/ Art Bell or George Noory... :)

I only like sports at the venue... hate them on the radio, and not so great on TV either

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Originally Posted by MustangO3

I have the same problem with AM. Did you connect it to anywhere in particular or just splice it to the radio input power?

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I connected it to the antenna power wire on the Alpine head unit. You probably don't want to use the main or acc power since it would be on more then it needs to be. The antenna power line only reads 12v when the radio is on.

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Originally Posted by PitViper

Not sure of the specifics, but with the 12v antenna wire connected I now get AM clear as a whistle.

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huh! :_confused guess that shows how much i listen to the radio in my VX.. long live the mp3 DVD!

Thanks, now I have a project for this morning. As for the side conversation, I put in SIRIUS and love it. It is the way to go for music. I just like the local talk on AM for the politics, news and traffic.
"Play anything man, just play it loud!"

A few comments about Satellite radio...

As much as I love music and variety and dislike repetative programming and all that, I don't think satellite radio is all it's cracked up to be. The first problem, and most annoying for me, is that it doesn't work when you're driving through heavily wooded areas. During my daily commute, I might get satellite reception 15% of the time. So I thought it might be good for long trips. I drove 15 hours, each way, to California and back over the holidays, so I had plenty of time to sample everything Sirius had to offer. 184 channels and nothing to listen to. I don't listen to Sports either (there are more of us than you think, Bart!) and I don't listen to very much talk radio unless its NPR or news or something semi-intelligent. So that leaves me with tons of great music, non-stop on the other half of the channels, right? Well, maybe, but I can still never seem to find anything to listen to. The other major downfall with Satellite radio is the fact that it takes too long to scan through stations. Because satellite communication is two-way (unlike radio, which is one-way), it takes a LOT longer to make a connection, authenticate, and get the signal streaming through your speakers. FM is almost instantaneous. Maybe some radios address this problem better than others, but the one I have in my VW is horrendous. And since I like to scan the stations rather than listen to a small number of presets, and it takes FOREVER to move from one station to the next, satellite just doesn't do it for me. I'd be curious to hear if others have had similar complaints with other satellite radios.

I've had XM for a couple years and I too experience dropouts when in heavily wooded areas. This only occurs in a couple areas in my 85-mile daily commute, and only for a second or so. I drove from Northern Virginia to Atlanta over Christmas, and never lost the signal. My daughter did most of the tuning. She likes to pick the comedy channels, and different rock channels. I stick with a few channels that I have pre-set. I've never had a problem with a long lag while scanning. I never listen to FM in my VX any more, and there are no AM stations that I ever listen to.

I got XM because they had NASCAR, and I even bought a boom box so I could listen to the driver radios while watching the race on TV. Unfortunately, there is so much delay in the XM signal, that the radio feed was useless, and annoying. The boom box has been relegated to the garage for those times when I'm waxing the VX.

interesting, a five year old post, that got like TWO return posts back in the day, has generated two pages of responses in the last few days. I don't know that the AM even works...but then,I've never squirted the windshield washers either. It has ,however, traveled about 200yards in low low :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by PitViper

OK, the radio was really pissing me off so I ripped the dash apart tonight to check things out. I verified that the stock VX antenna is indeed powered (12v). The problem was that the Crutchfield wiring harness did not acknowledge the antenna pin and therefore didn't connect it to the antenna power. The stock antenna must be tuned to receive FM bands, as the FM stations sounded fine without power. The 12v must be to amplify the AM. So all of you with aftermarket head units that get crappy AM signals, check for the antenna power!!

Oh and as for listening to the tuner, I have Sirius and my iPod hooked up for music, the AM is for sports radio (since Sirius doesn't carry MLB). I don't ever listen to FM.

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I just checked and my blue antenna power was not hooked up. ( No wonder I could not get am stations!? So, I cut the orange wire and spliced it to the blue wire. Volia, AM stations came it great. Well, as good as AM comes in anyway. Just thought I would share what I had dug up.

In my case, The blue wire from the deck harness was not connected to anything. The main harness (aftermarket) had no wire for it to connect to. I had to cut the orange wire and splice it to the blue one from the deck.