08 Ltd, Kenwood DDX6902s, Maestro RR. Do I have an antenna amplifier

[pjw73nh]

Recently installed a Kenwood DDX6902s and Maestro system. Took a long time, and works pretty well. I need some serious "seat time" to get to know the ins and outs of this unit.

One thing that really bothers me. The FM Radio works, but reception is nowhere near as good as factory head was. Local, strong, commercial stations are pretty weak. I even compared it side by side with a know good system in another vehicle. Many suggest the antenna amplifier wire (blue) is not connected. I didn't think I had one or even saw one when I did the install.

I REALLY don't want to pull this head out if I don't have to. Getting it back in with the RR and all the wiring harnesses is a REAL PITA.

2008 Limited, All factory. With Sync, Sub, 6-disc cd and without NAV.

Does anyone know if I in fact DO have a factory antenna amplifier?

Thanks.

 

[Cusefan78]

Did you get the antenna adapter? Without the adapter it won't slide in far enough to make good contact.

 

[pjw73nh]

Did you get the antenna adapter? Without the adapter it won't slide in far enough to make good contact.

Yes, Crutchfield sent this: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_12040CR10/Metra-40-CR10-Antenna-Adapter.html Their tech support suggested that it is easy to bend the recessed pin in the vehicle side connector. I think they refer to it as a "female snap-lock" connector. They are sending another one to me. So that if this proves to be the case when I DO remove it, I can simply replace it then. They didn't think I had an antenna amplifier (according to their documentation), but during this project, I have found that there have been a few times when their (and ADS's (Maestro's) documentation conflicted with Ford's. So I have to try and research as thoroughly as I can before I make any conclusions.

Do you know if my vehicle has a (factory) antenna amplifier?

I can't believe I spent $85 on a set of Ford shop manuals and there is not so much as one schematic in them. I later found out that there is a SEPARATE wiring diagram book.. I do not own that book at this time.

Tnx

 

[Cusefan78]

Yes, Crutchfield sent this: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_12040CR10/Metra-40-CR10-Antenna-Adapter.html Their tech support suggested that it is easy to bend the recessed pin in the vehicle side connector. I think they refer to it as a "female snap-lock" connector. They are sending another one to me. So that if this proves to be the case when I DO remove it, I can simply replace it then. They didn't think I had an antenna amplifier (according to their documentation), but during this project, I have found that there have been a few times when their (and ADS's (Maestro's) documentation conflicted with Ford's. So I have to try and research as thoroughly as I can before I make any conclusions.

Do you know if my vehicle has a (factory) antenna amplifier?

I can't believe I spent $85 on a set of Ford shop manuals and there is not so much as one schematic in them. I later found out that there is a SEPARATE wiring diagram book.. I do not own that book at this time.

Tnx

I don't believe they have amps. Hang on a minute I'll look at my maestro harness. I have it sitting on my office desk.

 

[Cusefan78]

I don't believe they have amps. Hang on a minute I'll look at my maestro harness. I have it sitting on my office desk.

So after rereading your first post. That blue wire I believe is power antenna which is for an antenna that goes up and down. Either way I didn't have it connected. Also would bet anything the connector for the antenna maybe came loose when you slid the radio back in. There are a lot of wires on that harness and not a lot of room back there.

 

[pjw73nh]

Cuse, thanks for checking. I appreciate your efforts. Yes, a disconnect from moving it in and out could be a possibility as well. I looked on the Crutchfield web site for "reviews" of the adapter. There are MANY that report bad adapters, bent pins, etc. We'll see when mine arrives.

There are a lot of wires on that harness and not a lot of room back there.

No joke there !!!!!! VERY TIGHT......

Thanks for the help.

 

[Cusefan78]

Yeah I bet you either have a loose harness or a defective one. Keep us posted

 

[pjw73nh]

So I got the new antenna adapter yesterday. I went to put it in. The old one is fine (was properly connected, no bent pin etc). I put the new one in anyway. No difference in reception.

I did confirm that with NO antenna connected to the back of the radio, I get absolutely NO reception at all. This is to be expected, and the only reason I tried this was to verify what would happen if the antenna became disconnected as I put the radio back in the dash.

Anyway, while I was in there, I called Crutchfield tech support. They said to add a dedicated ground to the radio chassis. I did this while he was on the phone. No difference.

They're stumped, other than to say "AM-FM radio reception on factory units is far superior than the AM and FM on aftermarket units. They (aftermarket manufacturers) gear their head units more towards satellite, internet, mp3 and smartphone devices. Not too many people listen to commercial radio anymore. "

Really? What's the point of HD Radio that that everyone makes such a big deal about?

Crutchfield did offer to send me a replacement head unit. I am going to exhaust all avenues before taking them up on this offer. I've got a LOT of "dash time" into this project.

I called Kenwood as well. Other than having me check the usual (antenna amp (I don't have one), and a new adapter, they said they have never heard of this issue and it would be a "first" for them if it was something in the head unit. They said to send it in for service to be checked out. Three to 4 weeks lead time.

For comparison, I parked side by side with an 07 Honda (factory (non-HD) radio), and an 09 Jetta with aftermarket Alpine. Not sure if it was HD or not. Regardless, the Honda and the Jetta both received 50%-60% more FM stations than my Kenwood and many of them were MUCH clearer than the Kenwood.

One other thought I had. Let me know your thoughts. I looked on line for a replacement antenna for my car based on VIN on a genuine FORD site. I found this:

https://goo.gl/photos/d9vxX9PpvKYbp2EN6

It shows no amplifier. Further, it shows the GPS antenna, but NOT where it plugs in. My factory radio had Sat capabilities, but I never subscribed. I do not and did not have Nav with either my factory or current unit. I suspect if I DID have NAV in the factory radio, it would have had a pigtail like the Kenwood does for the GPS antenna. Could this have anything to do with my issue? I can't imagine it does.

The next time I have the radio out, I am going to ohm out the antenna wire. Center conductor to mast, and outer shield to fender mounted base. Maybe this will show me something.

 

[Cusefan78]

I mostly listen to Sirius and the hard drive in my car. So I won't be much help. I found this article http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/7002/HD-Radio2.html

 

[pjw73nh]

Cuse, tnx for the link. Though rather old, it does sort of validate/agree with my findings. Gonna let the dust settle for a bit before I take any action. Thanks for all the relies. They've helped a lot.