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That preserves my option to use the original AM/FM tuner for whatever reason I might have. Yup. For a couple dollars you can avoid all that.This item is easy to stash inside the dash - most cars will have enough unused space to hide this easily - in fact I have all IP-BUS units hidden in the dash with room to spare.I ended up getting this for a small fraction of the price with the HD Radio rebate, well worth skipping a couple breakfasts at the fast food place. I still have it and use it everyday.My second IP-BUS unit (DEH-P980BT) has proven the incredible extensibility of this system.
Remember how eight-tracks became bricks when cassettes got to the point where you could get pretty good sound from them. And when you read the reviews here you see all those disappointed with that advice. I have to hand it to Pioneer - they found a way to give a head unit the longest possible life. In the "old days" (think Eight Track Cartridge), when you bought a head unit, it pretty much did one thing - provide music from one source and maybe AM/FM. Out with the old, in with the new.I guess if you don't keep your cars long and you sell the stereo with the car, it might not matter very much. Neither was available when I bought my Pioneer but both were easy to add and have really enhanced the life of the head unit.
The instruction manual is weak on this point suggested to leave the AM/FM in the head unit disconnected from the antenna. It already had huge built-in capabilities. I will grant that my unit treats the HD Digital radio as an "external" device with limited character display, but still has a considerable number of features that are easy to control.And the sound is exactly what HD Radio is all about. I wired it to an auxiliary fuse panel (like Painless Wiring) and added an antenna splitter so that both the regular AM/FM and this unit had antenna connections. But if tend to hold on to things, it's nice when you can update them as things change. I took a no compromise approach to the installation. If you wanted to get the latest new music source on the market you had to ditch the whole head unit and start again.
But adding to it was easy:- XM Radio- iPod- USBAnd now HD Digital Radio.What's not to like.There is some moaning and groaning about the interface. Later units at the higher end of the line support more IP-BUS compatible components, with a better selection of control and display options.My first IP-BUS unit is still in my Jeep and providing me great service - running both an XM radio and iPod. Remember how cassettes became fire starters when it became possible to burn your own CD's and play them in the car. Such is the case with a whole range of Pioneer head units.Pioneer provides an IP-BUS connection system with several tiers of functionality ranges, depending on the age and feature range of your particular head unit.
The user interface depends entirely on the HU you use with this device.I found it a bit frustrating that although my HU (880prs) was listed as compatible, it doesn't work like any of the others, and it doesn't work like the docs say it does for that category of HU. The function menu headings don't have any descriptions and titles are 'function1, function2', etc.
I think I've heard it switch to analog once. For having such a 'universal' interface, I would expect better integration with their own product line.It was a snap to install, and once I got the initial setup headache over with, I was able to pull in all three streams on my favorite station and I've been very happy with the reception.
disclaimer: I was only looking for a tuner that would do a decent job pulling in the HD signal on a single station, and I don't use the interface much. Presets don't work the way the docs say they do, and I had to figure that out myself.
I switch between CD and HD tuner frequently, and the delay from the switch to HD and when the audio comes through is a little annoying as it takes a couple seconds. Also, I paid 90 bucks and got 50 back from the MIR.
When I called pioneer for support, they didn't have much to offer, but did help a bit.
thanks pioneer. the $50 mail-in rebate from HD Radio even made this accessory a real deal. nice add-on to pioneer avh-p4000dvd. recevies both HD and non-HD FM signals.
So BONUS.I have mine setup with the FH-P800BT and it works fine. Also with HD channels there seem to be less commercials, some with even no commercials. I don't understand the negative reviews. But then I don't want to even bother with regular radio when I can have HD.
as i already had the sirius module(xm one on its way). 2 words of warning, 1) if you want to still use the standard FM and AM tuners of the head unit, you will require an antenna splitter.
With the AVIC-D3, you only get the EXT1 interface but with the F90 you get the same interface as standard FM, just a small observation, but i liked it a lot more. 2)if you have the module displayed on the head unit, but no sound, you have put the i-bus cables in the wrong way round.Finally, i have upgraded to the AVIC-F90BT and this gives a much better user interface to the HD radio.
i bought this for my AVIC-D3 with the intention to upgrade to the new F90, once i got around to it. it took in total about 10 minutes.
Fuctionality wise, there is no difference between the D3 or the F90BT It comes with everything required, 2 power connectors and the i-bus cable.
i just tapped into the power cables from the sirus module and chained in the ibus.
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