Bad Radio Reception Aftermarket Headunit

Pacsniper · 06-16-2014, 10:09 AM

Hello, I have a pioneer aftermarket headunit installed. I have really bad radio signal. All you can mostly hear is static. The headunit is connected to a traffic tuner, which connects to the cars antenna. Can this be the reason why I have bad signal?
Also, the stock amp has been replaced.

mathematics · 06-16-2014, 10:55 AM

Did you hook up power to the power antenna wire behind the radio?

Pacsniper · 06-16-2014, 12:33 PM

That actually sounds like something I did not do.
You wouldn't happen to know what color that wire would be?

mathematics · 06-16-2014, 02:19 PM

I do not, sorry! Definitely check that out, though. The FM antenna is amplified.

Ali-E90 · 06-16-2014, 04:05 PM

I have the same issue with my Pioneer HU. My installer is being a bit of a douche, so when I asked him about it, he just said he plugged in everything to the harness properly and nothing else is needed.

Is that correct, or is there some additional action that needs to be taken to add power to the antenna wire despite hooking into the harness correctly?

Dannyboy · 06-16-2014, 04:22 PM

You need to make sure you have the correct antenna adapter. The one with the wire to connect to 12v.

ctuna · 06-16-2014, 04:25 PM

http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...2&d=1260829447

There is some info in here about the antenna's it looks like some of them
go through some kind of amp. I wonder if the amp is compatible with aftermarket HU's.
The fact the amp is set up for a diversity antenna setup may have
something to do with it.

bmw325i · 06-16-2014, 09:57 PM

Pin 13 is the remote wire on the factory harness. I'm not sure if that is the same wire for the power antenna. I never listen to the radio but I'm pretty sure mine works

Sp4rtanSD · 02-10-2018, 12:02 PM

Sorry to bump an older thread, but I am wrestling with the same issue and this seems to have a relevant link. Short story - replaced stock HU w. a Pioneer and hooked up with DIN - FAKRA adapter - radio reception sucks big time.
Looking at the information in this link it seems that the antenna amplifier module gets several things from the HU; specifically power, and information about what radio station it is trying to dial in. Clearly it gets neither of those from an aftermarket setup, so the question is: is there a workaround? I have seem some dual FAKRA adapters (my HU only used a single FAKRA connector) that have a power lead, so that might at least deliver the expected power (but nothing more). Has anyone used one of these, and do they work any better than a straight adapter? Scratching for solutions here, thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...2&d=1260829447

There is some info in here about the antenna's it looks like some of them
go through some kind of amp. I wonder if the amp is compatible with aftermarket HU's.
The fact the amp is set up for a diversity antenna setup may have
something to do with it.

david in germany · 02-10-2018, 12:41 PM

Ok this is going to sound strange but are you using any kind of cig lighter phone chargers or for a dash cam? Try unplugging if you are and see if the signal improves. I had really bad radio signal in my e87 for about 4 years. Tried new antenna, new antenna cable, radio ect. My old dash cam died one day and I pulled the harness out... 4 years of bad radio reception gone... Perfect signal ever since.

Sp4rtanSD · 02-10-2018, 10:10 PM

No, no complications like that. I guess I should elaborate a little. 2011 E90 base stereo; owned since new so no mystery mods. Pulled the head unit and stuck in a Pioneer double DIN with the RadioPro4 adapter for the wiring harness. Didn't really change anything other than that. Added a backup cam powered from the battery with a relay to the backup light circuit. The stock antenna harness has two plugs but only one was used and the other was taped up behind the HU. I used the active one and a Metra adapter to plug into the Pioneer. The thing is, everything works perfectly - except the radio reception. Actually the reception works quite well sitting in the garage, but as soon as the car is in motion even the strongest stations fade in and out and disappear altogether at times leaving just static. I've checked the connections and all that stuff. The stock reception was never all that good, but it was OK - this is unusable. So, I'm pretty sure there is something going on between the HU and the antenna amplifier that is not being emulated by the aftermarket installation. Can't believe no one has dealt with this before, so looking for any collected wisdom.

david in germany · 02-11-2018, 02:46 AM

Try disconnecting the backup cam where it connects to power. The pioneer should have a power directly from the fuse box for constant power.

Thunderbird008 · 12-10-2020, 02:16 AM

I am new to this forum......
Do you know of any solution to poor reception on aftermarket head unit reception?
I own a BMW Preface 2005 E90 Diesel.
I installed an XTRONS PBX9990BL Android 9 Radio GPS 4+64GB 8Core

Kind regards
Frik

J0K3R5 · 12-25-2020, 02:47 AM

Connect pin 13 on your BMW quadlock harness to to your remote wire on your headunit

Most of the AFTER MARKET iso harnesses have this wire missing in their quadlock

06-16-2014, 10:09 AM	#1
Pacsniper Enlisted Member 6 Rep 46 Posts Drives: 2013 328i Sedan Join Date: May 2014 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Bad Radio Reception Aftermarket Headunit Hello, I have a pioneer aftermarket headunit installed. I have really bad radio signal. All you can mostly hear is static. The headunit is connected to a traffic tuner, which connects to the cars antenna. Can this be the reason why I have bad signal? Also, the stock amp has been replaced.
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06-16-2014, 10:55 AM	#2
mathematics Captain 69 Rep 994 Posts Drives: 08 328i e93 alpine white Join Date: May 2009 Location: Queens, NY iTrader: (0)	Did you hook up power to the power antenna wire behind the radio? __________________ iPhone 6 Plus (iTunes library/iTunes radio/Waze, etc) to Airport Express via AirPlay. Toslink out of Airport Express to Helix P-Six DSP. PHD AF 1.C tweeters, PHD FB 4.1 midranges. Jehnert Door Cards and mid-bass'.
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06-16-2014, 12:33 PM	#3
Pacsniper Enlisted Member 6 Rep 46 Posts Drives: 2013 328i Sedan Join Date: May 2014 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	That actually sounds like something I did not do. You wouldn't happen to know what color that wire would be?
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06-16-2014, 02:19 PM	#4
mathematics Captain 69 Rep 994 Posts Drives: 08 328i e93 alpine white Join Date: May 2009 Location: Queens, NY iTrader: (0)	I do not, sorry! Definitely check that out, though. The FM antenna is amplified. __________________ iPhone 6 Plus (iTunes library/iTunes radio/Waze, etc) to Airport Express via AirPlay. Toslink out of Airport Express to Helix P-Six DSP. PHD AF 1.C tweeters, PHD FB 4.1 midranges. Jehnert Door Cards and mid-bass'.
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06-16-2014, 04:05 PM	#5
Ali-E90 Colonel 379 Rep 2,365 Posts Drives: 2007 E90 323i (Cdn) Join Date: May 2013 Location: Toronto, Canada iTrader: (3) Garage List 2008 BMW M3 [8.00] 2007 BMW 323i [8.50]	I have the same issue with my Pioneer HU. My installer is being a bit of a douche, so when I asked him about it, he just said he plugged in everything to the harness properly and nothing else is needed. Is that correct, or is there some additional action that needs to be taken to add power to the antenna wire despite hooking into the harness correctly? __________________ Check out my Mod Thread Here
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06-16-2014, 04:22 PM	#6
Dannyboy Lieutenant 37 Rep 401 Posts Drives: 2006 E90 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: New Jersey iTrader: (0)	You need to make sure you have the correct antenna adapter. The one with the wire to connect to 12v.
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06-16-2014, 04:25 PM	#7
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	FYI http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...2&d=1260829447 There is some info in here about the antenna's it looks like some of them go through some kind of amp. I wonder if the amp is compatible with aftermarket HU's. The fact the amp is set up for a diversity antenna setup may have something to do with it.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-16-2014, 09:57 PM	#8
bmw325i Major General 223 Rep 5,120 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325i Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: United States iTrader: (8)	Pin 13 is the remote wire on the factory harness. I'm not sure if that is the same wire for the power antenna. I never listen to the radio but I'm pretty sure mine works
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02-10-2018, 12:41 PM	#10
david in germany Lieutenant Colonel 729 Rep 1,815 Posts Drives: 118i, 335i and 328i Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Mannheim Germany iTrader: (2)	Ok this is going to sound strange but are you using any kind of cig lighter phone chargers or for a dash cam? Try unplugging if you are and see if the signal improves. I had really bad radio signal in my e87 for about 4 years. Tried new antenna, new antenna cable, radio ect. My old dash cam died one day and I pulled the harness out... 4 years of bad radio reception gone... Perfect signal ever since. __________________ 2009 118i Monaco Blue "Maximillion" 2009 335i Saphire Black M Sport "Leopold" Cobb stage 2 aggressive tune, Mishimoto FMIC, Cobb charge pipe, Cobb catted down pipes, Forge diverter valves, BMS inlets and DCI, Cyba scoops and M Individual Audio retrofit and M3 gauge cluster retrofit. 2011 328i Titan Silver M Sport "Franzel" <--Wife's car
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02-10-2018, 10:10 PM	#11
Sp4rtanSD New Member 3 Rep 18 Posts Drives: 2011 328i Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: CA iTrader: (0)	No, no complications like that. I guess I should elaborate a little. 2011 E90 base stereo; owned since new so no mystery mods. Pulled the head unit and stuck in a Pioneer double DIN with the RadioPro4 adapter for the wiring harness. Didn't really change anything other than that. Added a backup cam powered from the battery with a relay to the backup light circuit. The stock antenna harness has two plugs but only one was used and the other was taped up behind the HU. I used the active one and a Metra adapter to plug into the Pioneer. The thing is, everything works perfectly - except the radio reception. Actually the reception works quite well sitting in the garage, but as soon as the car is in motion even the strongest stations fade in and out and disappear altogether at times leaving just static. I've checked the connections and all that stuff. The stock reception was never all that good, but it was OK - this is unusable. So, I'm pretty sure there is something going on between the HU and the antenna amplifier that is not being emulated by the aftermarket installation. Can't believe no one has dealt with this before, so looking for any collected wisdom.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-11-2018, 02:46 AM	#12
david in germany Lieutenant Colonel 729 Rep 1,815 Posts Drives: 118i, 335i and 328i Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Mannheim Germany iTrader: (2)	Try disconnecting the backup cam where it connects to power. The pioneer should have a power directly from the fuse box for constant power. __________________ 2009 118i Monaco Blue "Maximillion" 2009 335i Saphire Black M Sport "Leopold" Cobb stage 2 aggressive tune, Mishimoto FMIC, Cobb charge pipe, Cobb catted down pipes, Forge diverter valves, BMS inlets and DCI, Cyba scoops and M Individual Audio retrofit and M3 gauge cluster retrofit. 2011 328i Titan Silver M Sport "Franzel" <--Wife's car
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12-10-2020, 02:16 AM	#13
Thunderbird008 Registered 0 Rep 2 Posts Drives: BMW E90 320D 2005 Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: South Africa iTrader: (0)	Help Please PBX9990BL Poor Radio Station Reception I am new to this forum...... Do you know of any solution to poor reception on aftermarket head unit reception? I own a BMW Preface 2005 E90 Diesel. I installed an XTRONS PBX9990BL Android 9 Radio GPS 4+64GB 8Core Kind regards Frik
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-25-2020, 02:47 AM	#14
J0K3R5 Lieutenant 406 Rep 410 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: In a deep hole iTrader: (0)	Connect pin 13 on your BMW quadlock harness to to your remote wire on your headunit Most of the AFTER MARKET iso harnesses have this wire missing in their quadlock __________________ Help yourself Software part II, read post 1 : https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...7#post27890067 Last edited by J0K3R5; 12-25-2020 at 02:58 AM..
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