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Radio problem

Tiny
PAUL BRADY
  • MEMBER
  • 2011 NISSAN VERSA
  • 142,000 MILES
I just installed a aftermarket radio in my car along with the antenna adapter and connected the wiring harnesses by matching color and all I have coming through the speakers is static even when the car isn’t fully turned on and just on the alternator. I was wondering what could I do to fix it or what did I do wrong?
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Tuesday, December 25th, 2018 AT 6:22 PM

30 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 108,192 POSTS
Hi and thanks for using 2CarPros.

If all you are getting is static, it sounds like the antenna isn't connected or working. What do you mean by antenna adapter?

Let me know,
Joe
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Tuesday, December 25th, 2018 AT 10:40 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,977 POSTS
Did you use a harness adapter or just cut the wires? Which radio did you start with? The base radio or the up-level without navigation?
Attached is the wiring for the base unit. Do the colors look like what you have?
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Wednesday, December 26th, 2018 AT 12:15 AM
Tiny
PAUL BRADY
  • MEMBER
  • 23 POSTS
Sorry about forgetting to mention that. I had upgraded from the stock radio to aftermarket and had used a harness adapter along with the antenna adapter that was needed.
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Wednesday, December 26th, 2018 AT 9:31 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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  • 12,977 POSTS
So it should be plug and play if the harness is correct. Do you get static if you try the CD or other sources? Or is it just the AM/FM section? If it is only the tuner you could try to see if it's the antenna by pulling the antenna plug out and putting in just a piece of wire into the center pin connection. See if you can tune anything then. Also be sure the radio is tuning in the correct steps. The various countries around the world tune stations in various ways, if the unit was set to receive European stations but is in the US it won't find the US stations.
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Wednesday, December 26th, 2018 AT 2:52 PM
Tiny
PAUL BRADY
  • MEMBER
  • 23 POSTS
Only on AM/FM.
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Wednesday, December 26th, 2018 AT 4:10 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 108,192 POSTS
If the problem is only related to AM/FM reception, it sounds like an antenna problem. Confirm that the adapter you got is good.
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Wednesday, December 26th, 2018 AT 6:24 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,977 POSTS
I'm thinking the service information may be wrong. They show an amplified antenna for both of the "upper" range but a plain rod for the base, but everything I can find shows the car used the same antenna across all models. Is the antenna you have the one mounted on the rear of the roof and short? Like the picture? If yes then there is a signal amplifier in it. Without power you won't get anything on AM/FM. You would need to be sure that it was included in the adapter.
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Thursday, December 27th, 2018 AT 1:38 AM
Tiny
PAUL BRADY
  • MEMBER
  • 23 POSTS
Yes my car has that antenna. So does it mean I would have to buy a signal amplifier or what?
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Thursday, December 27th, 2018 AT 6:46 AM
Tiny
PAUL BRADY
  • MEMBER
  • 23 POSTS
So what can I do or buy or whatever to fix the issue?
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Thursday, December 27th, 2018 AT 3:13 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,977 POSTS
The amplifier is in the antenna base. You need to find the wire that powers it in the harness.
There should be a 3 pin connector that you used to adapt the new radio to the factory antenna. That should have a power wire that feeds the amp. It would connect to the new radios power antenna feed.
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Thursday, December 27th, 2018 AT 6:32 PM
Tiny
PAUL BRADY
  • MEMBER
  • 23 POSTS
There’s my problem. The antenna adapter didn’t have that wire (idk why).
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Thursday, December 27th, 2018 AT 8:28 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,977 POSTS
That would do it. If you apply 12 volts to the pin it should turn on the amp. Then you just need to connect it to the switched power feed or power antenna wire.
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Friday, December 28th, 2018 AT 10:33 PM
Tiny
PAUL BRADY
  • MEMBER
  • 23 POSTS
One more question. The blue wire on the adapter which other blue wire does it connect to? Because there’s also the one on the stock harness adapter and there’s one on the radio harness. So does the one on the adapter connect to the radio harness or the other harness or both?
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Monday, December 31st, 2018 AT 7:22 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,977 POSTS
It should connect to a switched power source. If the one out of the radio turns on/off with it you could use it.
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Monday, December 31st, 2018 AT 9:14 PM
Tiny
PAUL BRADY
  • MEMBER
  • 23 POSTS
Okay, so neither to stock harness adapter or the harness from the radio has a blue wire. So what would I do about connecting the blue wire off of the antenna adapter?
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 7:10 AM
Tiny
PAUL BRADY
  • MEMBER
  • 23 POSTS
But I can hear a little bit of the radio station. So would that mean that the signal is weak and I would need a signal amplifier or? I do apologize because I do not know how to read diagrams or anything like that.
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 7:52 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,977 POSTS
The weak signal is because the amplifier is off but some signal is still getting through. Could you take a picture of the vehicle side of the antenna connection and load it on here? The wire may not be blue, It could be any color. That is why the diagram says NCA for No Color Assigned. The problem is that they also don't show the antenna in a good schematic.
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 7:58 AM
Tiny
PAUL BRADY
  • MEMBER
  • 23 POSTS
Those are the only wires I have to work with.
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 8:25 AM
Tiny
PAUL BRADY
  • MEMBER
  • 23 POSTS
The car side of the antenna.
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 8:29 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,977 POSTS
See the small terminal on the antenna lead that has a black wire to it? That should be the power feed to the amplifier. Can you show me the antenna adapter connector you have please. And if you still have it the antenna connection on the rear of the original radio. That should allow me to verify that before you connect anything.
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 AT 9:15 AM

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