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No AM After Install of Aftermarget Radio

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by dianeinreno, Apr 27, 2012.

  1. dianeinreno

    dianeinreno Member

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    So I just installed my Pioneer 4400BH - took several hours and all went well - EXCEPT - no AM reception after I installed the radio. FM seems fine. Anyone have an idea what I may have done wrong?

    Two possible guesses:

    1. Did not push the antenna connector in far enough?

    2. Gen 3's use an antenna amplifier. I did not think that Gen IIs used on so I did not connect the Power antenna lead to anything. Should I have done so?

    The above are just guesses but if anyone with experience in installation of Gen 2's has an idea I'd love to hear it.
     
    #1 dianeinreno, Apr 27, 2012
  2. ajtozzi

    ajtozzi Junior Member

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    You're missing to power antenna lead turn on. I can look up the wire info tomorrow or you can test for it using a DMM. It will false a ground when you probe it.

    Do you have JBL or the base audio?
     
    #2 ajtozzi, Apr 27, 2012
  3. dianeinreno

    dianeinreno Member

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    I have the base audio. Have you hooked one of these up yourself?

    If so do I simply splice the antenna power into the yellow ignition on wire?
     
    #3 dianeinreno, Apr 27, 2012
  4. ajtozzi

    ajtozzi Junior Member

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    No you don't splice it to the yellow wire. The yellow wire (from the Pioneer unit) is constant.

    The wire in the car that you want is next to the ground on the larger of the two connectors you used to connect the radio.

    Did you use a Metra (or similar brand) harness to install your radio? If so, it should be the blue wires.

    Feel free to call me if you need further explanation. 201-400-7833

    Anthony
     
    #4 ajtozzi, Apr 27, 2012
  5. dianeinreno

    dianeinreno Member

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    I'm sorry but your answers are just not making sense to me :(

    Hooking an amp wire to ground shouldn't do anything. Ground won't make a voltage flow to an amp on American cars.

    You said " I can look up the wire info tomorrow or you can test for it using a DMM. It will false a ground when you probe it." A DMM will either read a voltage or a ohms reading. It won't "false a ground" . I don't even know what that means.

    So I appreciate your input but let's give someone else a try here and/or I am going to directly write to one of the guys who posted write ups of their installations. Thanks for your time but I would like to get some additional input here.
     
    #5 dianeinreno, Apr 27, 2012
  6. dianeinreno

    dianeinreno Member

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    Re: No AM After Install of Aftermarket Radio - SOLVED

    OK here's the thing:

    1. You ABSOLUTELY MUST connect the power antenna lead (blue) on the METRA harness to a power source. Although there is no power antenna there IS an antenna amplifier and without power you get zero AM reception and reduced FM reception.

    2. On my radio , a PIONEER 4400BH, connecting the power antenna lead to the metra harness blue wire did NOTHING :( . A led light showed that for some reason there was no power coming out of the Pioneer antenna amp connection - or possibly too little power. Connecting the blue METRA harness antenna lead to the RED ignition-on power did the trick and everything works as it should now.

    So hope this helps someone else.
     
    #6 dianeinreno, May 9, 2012
  7. fiftympg

    fiftympg Junior Member

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    Thank you for posting this.

    I just installed an Alpine W505 in my 2011 Prius II. Every function worked well except I can't pick up any AM radio stations. The problem was fixed after connecting the thin "TAN" wire in the Toyota harness to the power antenna 12v output on the Alpine. This tan wire is located adjacent to Toyota's "brown" colored ground wire.

    I had no idea there was an antenna amp on this thing!
     
    #7 fiftympg, Jun 21, 2012
  8. charly keyser

    charly keyser Junior Member

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    Same problem on a pioneer install,I will check power antenna tomorrow
     
    #8 charly keyser, Jul 21, 2013
  9. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    Deleted by mod.
     
    #9 69shovlhed, Jul 22, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 19, 2018
  10. charly keyser

    charly keyser Junior Member

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    Sports radio! And we have special needs children so we don't use the R word.
     
    #10 charly keyser, Jul 22, 2013
    usnavystgc likes this.
  11. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    #11 69shovlhed, Jul 22, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 19, 2018
  12. PLSPUSH

    PLSPUSH Active Member

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    what's am radio?
     
    #12 PLSPUSH, Jul 23, 2013
  13. wrothgar

    wrothgar Junior Member

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    I think this might solve my problem as well. There was a wire on my stereo harness that didn't have anywhere to go...I thought it was for powered antenna..and interpreted this as those antennas that used to have motors to extend them out of the car!
     
    #13 wrothgar, Aug 29, 2014
  14. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    I love Rush Limbaugh and I'm a republican. Your remarks are extremely offensive and uncalled for. What happened to tolerance on your part? Calling people Deleted by mod because their beliefs are different than yours seems very intolerant for a member of the "party of tolerance".
     
    #14 usnavystgc, Aug 29, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 19, 2018
  15. wrothgar

    wrothgar Junior Member

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    yup, power antenna worked for me!
     
    #15 wrothgar, Aug 29, 2014
  16. DotBone89

    DotBone89 Junior Member

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    Spliced the blue power antenna wire into power supply and it worked!;):cool: (now just have to re-install all the panels, etc!)
     
    #16 DotBone89, Apr 27, 2017
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