Direct Electronics HD Radio Install - 2010 Platinum with Navi
04-13-2016, 01:43 PM
#1
Direct Electronics HD Radio Install - 2010 Platinum with Navi
http://smile.amazon.com/Car-Connect-...HD+Radio+tuner
Has anyone installed one of these in their F150 with navigation?
Any tips to pass along to me as I undertake this endeavor would be appreciated.
BTW, I already know about the overheating and over-modulation issues with this unit and have taken the necessary steps to alleviate these issues.
Has anyone installed one of these in their F150 with navigation?
Any tips to pass along to me as I undertake this endeavor would be appreciated.
BTW, I already know about the overheating and over-modulation issues with this unit and have taken the necessary steps to alleviate these issues.
Last edited by Parson777; 04-13-2016 at 01:54 PM.
04-14-2016, 11:16 AM
#3
The 2010's did not have HD radio. I think it was introduced in 2011 or 2012.
I really hate the tinny compressed sound of Sirius Satellite Radio and prefer HD radio, mostly for the 2nd channel option that has good music and very few commercials. Plus, I live in Houston and there's only one classic rock station that broadcasts simultaneously on two analog channels, but the alternate channels in HD play different content, so there's really three classic rock stations for the HD listener and I want access to it.
Moreover, I'm getting tired of listening to all the music I have on hand...
Any help with install tips would be most appreciated!
I really hate the tinny compressed sound of Sirius Satellite Radio and prefer HD radio, mostly for the 2nd channel option that has good music and very few commercials. Plus, I live in Houston and there's only one classic rock station that broadcasts simultaneously on two analog channels, but the alternate channels in HD play different content, so there's really three classic rock stations for the HD listener and I want access to it.
Moreover, I'm getting tired of listening to all the music I have on hand...
Any help with install tips would be most appreciated!
04-14-2016, 11:21 PM
#4
Senior Member
The 2010's did not have HD radio. I think it was introduced in 2011 or 2012.
I really hate the tinny compressed sound of Sirius Satellite Radio and prefer HD radio, mostly for the 2nd channel option that has good music and very few commercials. Plus, I live in Houston and there's only one classic rock station that broadcasts simultaneously on two analog channels, but the alternate channels in HD play different content, so there's really three classic rock stations for the HD listener and I want access to it.
Moreover, I'm getting tired of listening to all the music I have on hand...
Any help with install tips would be most appreciated!
I really hate the tinny compressed sound of Sirius Satellite Radio and prefer HD radio, mostly for the 2nd channel option that has good music and very few commercials. Plus, I live in Houston and there's only one classic rock station that broadcasts simultaneously on two analog channels, but the alternate channels in HD play different content, so there's really three classic rock stations for the HD listener and I want access to it.
Moreover, I'm getting tired of listening to all the music I have on hand...
Any help with install tips would be most appreciated!
I'd be willing to get this for my Mustang.
Last edited by DJ2014; 04-14-2016 at 11:28 PM.
09-15-2016, 12:05 PM
#6
I thought it would be good to come back to this old thread and tell the readers that I've installed the Directed Electronics HD Radio in my truck and it sounds great! It provides crisp, no-hiss or fade radio broadcasts. I have yet to try it outside Houston city limits, but that's not critical to me.
Tips if you're planning on installing this in any vehicle...
1. Unscrew the case from the electronic guts of the unit and drill holes in both the top and the bottom. This should help alleviate some of the overheating problems shared by reviewers of this product.
2. The RCA jacks are the only way to use this unit properly. The RF modulation feature just give crappy sound so don't bother with it. The problem with the RCA jacks is that the output is way overmodulated. This is easily remedied by wrapping a length of stripped wire around both the left and right RCA terminals and grounding the wire. I hit the wire with a little solder to keep it in place since the unit is sitting behind the nav unit and it's a pain to get to to fix if it comes loose.
3. Ford, in their infinite wisdom, uses a non-standard plug for their antenna. So, you'll need to get a combo antenna kit sold by an aftermarket company so you can adapt the factory antenna to go into the HD unit and then come out of the HD unit and go back into the factory head unit.
4. For the display, I drilled a hole in the little shelf unit above the nav screen and jammed the display in there and it fits nicely with friction fit. BTW, I removed the plastic shelf (4 bolts) to drill it out. You don't want to attempt that with it in the truck.
5. For the input, I used the stereo jack (LINE IN). I routed the cable under the head unit and drilled another hole in the black plastic face plate that holds the stereo plug receptacle and the USB receptacle. I don't love the little wire coming out of the plate and being plugged in to the mini stereo jack, but frankly, cutting into a factory wiring harness is not worth it.
Was this a pain in the **** to install? Absolutely. The unit itself is not plug and play and has inherent problems. But this is the only unit I could find to add HD radio to my system. Moreover, because of the overheating and overmodulation issues, Directed Electronics has stopped selling the product... but you can get them cheap off ebay now and I think it's worth the effort for one reason: more channels to listen to.
In Houston, there is one, count it ONE classic rock station broadcasting on two channels in Houston. By adding the HD radio with three bands per station broadcasting, I get FIVE kinds of rock and roll stations (the sixth is a sports talk radio simulcast from an AM station).
Feel free to PM me if you have questions about an install on an F150.
Tips if you're planning on installing this in any vehicle...
1. Unscrew the case from the electronic guts of the unit and drill holes in both the top and the bottom. This should help alleviate some of the overheating problems shared by reviewers of this product.
2. The RCA jacks are the only way to use this unit properly. The RF modulation feature just give crappy sound so don't bother with it. The problem with the RCA jacks is that the output is way overmodulated. This is easily remedied by wrapping a length of stripped wire around both the left and right RCA terminals and grounding the wire. I hit the wire with a little solder to keep it in place since the unit is sitting behind the nav unit and it's a pain to get to to fix if it comes loose.
3. Ford, in their infinite wisdom, uses a non-standard plug for their antenna. So, you'll need to get a combo antenna kit sold by an aftermarket company so you can adapt the factory antenna to go into the HD unit and then come out of the HD unit and go back into the factory head unit.
4. For the display, I drilled a hole in the little shelf unit above the nav screen and jammed the display in there and it fits nicely with friction fit. BTW, I removed the plastic shelf (4 bolts) to drill it out. You don't want to attempt that with it in the truck.
5. For the input, I used the stereo jack (LINE IN). I routed the cable under the head unit and drilled another hole in the black plastic face plate that holds the stereo plug receptacle and the USB receptacle. I don't love the little wire coming out of the plate and being plugged in to the mini stereo jack, but frankly, cutting into a factory wiring harness is not worth it.
Was this a pain in the **** to install? Absolutely. The unit itself is not plug and play and has inherent problems. But this is the only unit I could find to add HD radio to my system. Moreover, because of the overheating and overmodulation issues, Directed Electronics has stopped selling the product... but you can get them cheap off ebay now and I think it's worth the effort for one reason: more channels to listen to.
In Houston, there is one, count it ONE classic rock station broadcasting on two channels in Houston. By adding the HD radio with three bands per station broadcasting, I get FIVE kinds of rock and roll stations (the sixth is a sports talk radio simulcast from an AM station).
Feel free to PM me if you have questions about an install on an F150.