Hey guys,

I have a Pioneer HU and just ripped everything apart to add Aux / antenna adapter to it which the previous owner did not add..as well as a PAC-SWI-PS for steering wheel controls.

everything works great but the signal on the FM radio is utter crap.. i am sure i connected everything correctly, the adapter is the right one and it plugs right in..

is there anything else i could have missed? some stations come in loud and clear, but for the most part i have trouble hearing the radio.

i hear something about a antenna signal amplifier cable? can anyone provide details?

 

i have been having the same issue with my pioneer unit as well and its been at least 2 years ive been having this issue!

 

On the harness that connects to the factory harness, there's a wire that will be marked as "Power antenna" or "Antenna amp", that needs to be connected to the main power wire going to the new radio.

 

I already have a pac-swi-ps connected to my port that is "wired remote" and i have my antenna adapter (metra 40 -ni10) connected to the "antenna/radio" port..am i missing something?

do i need to splice the "power antenna / antenna amp" wire with the steering wheel control remote cable which is plugged into the "wired remote" port? or is there another port that i missed?

 

No, remote as in "remotely turn-something-on signal"

It has absolutely nothing to do with the steering wheel interface.

 

Wrong recommendation was here.

 

Wrathernaut, it's people like you who make these forums enjoyable.

I appreciate you sharing your knowledge - I will try this when I get home.

Thanks for all the help - I only help I can repay the favor someday.

 

No problem, just trying to help people get the most out of this place.

 

I also installed a new (older) head unit Pioneer DEH P3500
in my 2009 Nissan Versa
using a kit that include wiring harness adapter and antenna adapter

Initially the blue remote wire coming from the head unit wiring plug was not connected to the blue wire coming from the head unit antenna plug. AM and FM reception was very bad

I then connected the blue remote wire coming from the head unit wiring plug to the blue wire coming from the head unit antenna plug. AM an FM reception continues to be very bad

What is the next step? Is there such a thing as a signal booster that is guaranteed to work because it has been proven over and over in this common situation? I am not really interested in the try this and then try that and then maybe this other thing approach.

Thanks

 

The next step is to use the red (switched/accessory) power wire for the headunit to connect to the antenna amp signal wire.

 

Thank you but I could use a little more clarification.

note. The adapter harness specific to Nissan Versa has a blue and white wire called "Amp turn on" in the adapter harness manual But it has 2 separated wires that are blue and white. One on each end of the adapter harness.
On the end where the adapter harness plugs into the original car harness this blue and white wire was and now still is connected to nothing
On the end where the adapter harness plugs into the head unit the blue and white wire was not connected but I connected it to the blue wire coming out of the antenna adapter plug that goesinto the head unit.

On the other hand in the Pioneer install instructions it shows a blue and white wire called "to system terminal of the power amp or auto-antenna relay control terminal (max 300 mA 12V DC"

Now Do I
1) leave the wires connected as I just described they are now and ALSO slice into the "red (switched/accessory) power wire for the head unit "

a) Attach the red wire "On the end where it plugs into the car harness blue and white wire that was and now is connected to nothing?

b) OR attach the red wire to the blue and white wire coming from where the harness plugs into the head unit which I connected to the blue wire coming out of the antenna adapter plug?

OR do I disconnect the blue wire coming out of the antenna adapter plug and attach the red wire instead of the blue wire coming from the head unit?

Do I connect the blue and white wires coming out of the adapter ends? i.e make it a continuous wire from plug end to plug end?

Thank you I hope I made my confusion clear. Ha is that possible?

 

Connect the red wire going to the radio to the blue and white wire going to the antenna amplifier (and the blue wire going to the factory amplifier if you have the bose amplifier).

 

Thanks for all your help

Well I have determined that the Nissan Versa antenna basically sucks for a few reasons.

Yes as was pointed out in the various posts either the red acc. wire or the blue and white amp wire coming out of the back of the head unit being connected to the blue wire on the antenna adapter powers up the antenna so it works. Somewhat anyway.

However wiggling around the antenna adapter connector plug to the original car plug caused intermittent FM reception success. AM remained non existent. This connector if it would have been good would not have caused me so much trouble.

I decided to bypass the likely defective plug of the antenna adapter and hook up direct. (original plug must be good since original radio worked) This revealed that the car wire is not a wire at all but a rather cheap coaxial cable.

The coaxial cable once cut is almost impossible to reconnect or attach a connector to it because the center wire is a cheap and small stranded wire and not solid. This would cause a man with less experience and training at rescuing hopeless situations to give up.

To rescue the situation I connected the cut wire of the antenna adapter to the center core of the original coaxial cable using a sewing pin.

I crimped a terminal female end on the adapter wire and a male terminal end on a sewing pin. I then shoved the sewing pin down the center of the coaxial cable. The insulation sheath of the coax must not touch the center wire/pin. I strengthened the joint by taping it all to a pop sickle stick.

This has given good but recognizably flawed reception for FM and no AM. I have determined that the antenna is although maybe great for the original head unit but it is not acceptable for my 7 year old Pioneer.

I am going to get a normal antenna that has a male plug in at the end of the antenna cable and try it. I expect to have stellar performance. Then I will just have to work out a permanent normal antenna and bypass/abandon that coaxial thing that I conclude is my problem. I would be rather teed off about the screwed up coaxial connection/discovery except that I figure that even a perfect connection would not result in AM reception. I think a normal antenna is needed. Or at least one that has the male plug in fitting factory installed. For all I know the "normal antenna" is coaxial also. (or go back to using the original head unit)

I notice the 2010 Nissan Versa looks like it uses a normal antenna. Maybe they agree with me. http://www.carparts.com/details/Niss...ementrb5014011

If you are thinking of cutting the vehicle wire to bypass a suspect plug ----- don't it is coaxial.

As of now good but not great FM, no AM and of course the CD works.

 

awesome info thanks for that helped me a lot!!!

 

Not trying to be "that guy" but the blue/white wire is the remote turn on wire and the solid blue wire is the antenna power wire which will only output 12v while the fm/am radio is on, while cd/aux/usb/bt is selected this wire should drop power.

Some radios do not output on this wire, we've experienced this mostly with Kenwood radios, haven't seen this with pioneers but from what I recall the pioneers(maybe not the screens) do not have a separate power antenna output wire in the harness, only the blue/white remote turn on wire.