Radio 9 - A Disappointment - What to Do

[vibrato]

Hello all Radio 9 owners. I find the radio 9 a huge disappointment and am wondering how I can tweak it to receive better reception. Can anybody offer suggestions? Is it inherent in the radio itself? Is there a reasonable replacement on the aftermarket that wouldn't look like a hack job? What might such an upgrade cost? Is the radio 10 any better?

Any advice much appreciated.....

Vibrato

[Yellowcarsrock]

I don't have mine yet, but I'm thinking both have an MP3 port/plug. You could get an MP3 player (don't have one of those yet either), download your favs and not need reception....
That won't work for up to date traffic reports though.
If you have much of a commute you could check out Books on CD at your library. No reception needed there either and that's free....
Just thinking off the top of my head.

[msjohnson1974]

Radio? What's that?

I honestly don't use the radio portion of the radio. Just the CD and AUX input. XM has way fewer annoying DJs and my iPod uses the same cable...

I want to replace the radio but am going to wait for a while until the mounting kits and wiring are worked out by someone else. Until then I'll use the factory unit.

[smartune]

Better way is to buy my radio10! Just pulled it out of the car today ;)

[burtandnancy]

You may have a problem, ours is perfect on AM & FM. Haven't tried the CD yet...

[vibrato]

I don't have an MP3 player either. For music I use the CD player, and I don't think the sound from the speakers are that bad at all. Suits me just fine. I do like to catch some news, etc., but this Radio 9 is very,very poor. Anybody know how cheaply I could get into a satallite radio? And should I consider XM or Serius? I'm wondering if I could get a really cheap piece of equipment and take a subscription for a year or two. What would that cost do you think? Also, are they easy to install? Any suggestions? Would I have to do any wiring?
Thanks,

[msjohnson1974]

XM and Sirius will be the same company soon. Check eBay and myradiostore.com for deals. Service is $12.95/mo without prepaying and can be under $10 with a prepay.

The portable models can be easy to install depending on how installed you want it to be. Using the cigarette lighter adapter and an auxillary cable into the port in the glove box is all you need to do. However, I ran all the wires behind the dash, got a hard wired power adapter, and a fixed mount (spent about 70 on the install materials though). I put the antenna on the dash on the passengers side and it is working well.

I'd take it back to the dealer to check out the radio as well. There were threads on crummy reception with aftermarket radios b/c we have a Euro antenna that requires power. There could be a loose connection or short in the antenna wiring. Couple of times I've used the radio it has been ok for reception.

[Orphan-Beggar]

Originally Posted by vibrato

I don't have an MP3 player either. For music I use the CD player, and I don't think the sound from the speakers are that bad at all. Suits me just fine. I do like to catch some news, etc., but this Radio 9 is very,very poor. Anybody know how cheaply I could get into a satallite radio? And should I consider XM or Serius? I'm wondering if I could get a really cheap piece of equipment and take a subscription for a year or two. What would that cost do you think? Also, are they easy to install? Any suggestions? Would I have to do any wiring?
Thanks,

I suggest you borrow an mp3 player connected to aux-
also, consider a USB stick player ($30)
Wait for the sat radio merger finalization, if possible

[radaroriley]

Originally Posted by msjohnson1974

The portable models can be easy to install depending on how installed you want it to be. Using the cigarette lighter adapter and an auxillary cable into the port in the glove box is all you need to do. However, I ran all the wires behind the dash, got a hard wired power adapter, and a fixed mount (spent about 70 on the install materials though). I put the antenna on the dash on the passengers side and it is working well.

I currently have XM, but no Smartie yet. Just getting prepared. I use the cigarette lighter adapter currently, but do not understand "aux cable into the port in the glove box". This must be a feature in smart? How does it work?

Can you share photos? How difficult was the power adapter install?

I recently purchased a new XM unit in a smaller size just for my smartie. Cost a whole $6!.

Thanks for sharing.

[saronian]

Originally Posted by vibrato

Hello all Radio 9 owners. I find the radio 9 a huge disappointment and am wondering how I can tweak it to receive better reception. Can anybody offer suggestions? Is it inherent in the radio itself?

My Radio 9 has good reception but I'm in a metropolitan area (SF Bay Area). You should have the dealer check the grounding for the antenna.