MkIndy7
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| posted on 28/11/05 at 08:15 PM |
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American Car radios
I hope somebody can offer some advice or has experience of this.
Can anybody see a problem with buying a car radio from the States?
Do there radio's work on a different frequency or anything like that?
All the specs i've read have been identical to the UK version only a different model number .
Just they seem quite alot cheeper than the equivalent UK spec.
Just don't want to be spending xxx£'s if it aint gunna work! 
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raccoonradar
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| posted on 28/11/05 at 08:25 PM |
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may be wrong But think they don't have mw or lw.
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liam.mccaffrey
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| posted on 28/11/05 at 08:26 PM |
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don't want to pi$$ on your chips but my boss reckons his radio he bought in the states won't work properly over here whether he did
something wrong or not I don't know
Build Blog
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MkIndy7
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| posted on 28/11/05 at 08:46 PM |
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Thanks so far Guys,
No MW or LW sin't much loss for the saving i'd be making! so could live with that.
Wonder if the manufacturers will be any help or if they'll be as secrative as ever on the matter.
Found an online manual for it and the pictures show the FM tuner starting at 87mhz altho the specs don't actually state any values (prob the
same manual whichever country its sold in).
Any more help/advice in the mean time would be most appreciated.
Cheers, Ian
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nanosleep
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| posted on 28/11/05 at 09:34 PM |
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The FM broadcast band in the states is 88 to 108MHz. Channels are 200KHz apart with the first channel at 88.1MHz. Maximum deviation from the center
frequency is 75KHz.
The AM broadcast band is 535 to 1605KHz. Channels are 10KHz apart with the first channel at 540KHz.
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ReMan
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| posted on 28/11/05 at 10:14 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by nanosleep
The FM broadcast band in the states is 88 to 108MHz. Channels are 200KHz apart with the first channel at 88.1MHz. Maximum deviation from the center
frequency is 75KHz.
The AM broadcast band is 535 to 1605KHz. Channels are 10KHz apart with the first channel at 540KHz.
That sound pretty much the same as here then?
www.plusnine.co.uk
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Hellfire
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| posted on 28/11/05 at 10:57 PM |
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Dont US car's have positive earth? Or is that a thing of the past?
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steve_gus
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| posted on 28/11/05 at 11:00 PM |
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I think +ve earth was stopped younks back as it led to greater galvanic corrosion - and im sure that American rust would be even bigger and better
than our rust!
On M/W the channel spacing may be a tiny issue as the radio will step in 10khz increments - in the UK we step in 9's for some whacky reason. So,
if you wanted 1053/1089 (is that talk radio) you would get 1050 and 1090. Might not be a big deal..... my world band sony has a switch to change
it.
atb
steve
[Edited on 28/11/05 by steve_gus]
http://www.locostbuilder.co.uk
Just knock off the 's'!
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mookaloid
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| posted on 28/11/05 at 11:21 PM |
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In the American cars I hired over there there was no RDS....
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Humbug
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| posted on 29/11/05 at 07:27 AM |
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Is it really worth it to import a radio from the US? You can get a CD tuner from Halfrauds for under £50
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Howlor
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| posted on 29/11/05 at 09:07 AM |
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Does anyone out there remember Mark and Lard. They could only receive W.A.N.K. Cincinatti on there American Radio!
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mookaloid
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| posted on 29/11/05 at 09:49 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Howlor
Does anyone out there remember Mark and Lard. They could only receive W.A.N.K. Cincinatti on there American Radio!
Those were the days
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nanosleep
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| posted on 29/11/05 at 08:29 PM |
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Every car I've seen is negative ground. The only weird stuff is the early 1950's and older which can be 6 volt instead of 12, and trucks
or military which can be 24 volt.
I have two cars which have RDS on their radios. The rental cars probably have the cheapest radio possible.
2000 Mustang GT
2003 Mustang Cobra 450RWHP/450RWTQ
2004 ZX-10R
In progress: 67 Mustang with 520ci(8.6L) V8, 600HP estimated
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Ian Pearson
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| posted on 29/11/05 at 08:50 PM |
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US FM radios have a different freq spacing. I can't remember the exact details, but there will be some stations you won't be able to tune
in to.
[Edited on 29/11/05 by Ian Pearson]
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MkIndy7
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| posted on 29/11/05 at 09:36 PM |
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Thanks Guy's, Suprise suprise i'm still waiting for a reply from the Manufacturer, and it wouldn't suprise me if I don't get
one.
The headunits nearly £400 in this country and only £250 from the States, so it would be a fair saving even if I do get stung for the Tax etc.
Just don't want to go through all that if it isin't going to work properly
(on the Freq spacing a lower spec Uk version I had went in 1/2Mhz steps surely they don't broadcast any finer than that?)
And on +ve Earth front watch out for certain Diesel Corsa's, gave me dad a nice firework display when he tried to jump start1 for a neighbour!.
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steve_gus
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| posted on 29/11/05 at 11:35 PM |
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the bandwidth on a FM radio is summat like 40khz.
thats 0.04 of a megahertz - so 0.1 mhz or 0.5mhz (im sure you didnt mean that?) would be a BIG error.
On that basis an FM signal at 100mhz would actually occupy 100.02 to 99.98 mhz. My FM theory might be a bit rusty, but its there or there abouts.
atb
steve
http://www.locostbuilder.co.uk
Just knock off the 's'!
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ReMan
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| posted on 1/12/05 at 08:36 AM |
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http://www.lidl.co.uk/gb/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20051208.p.MP3_In-Car_Radio_
www.plusnine.co.uk
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MkIndy7
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| posted on 17/12/05 at 09:26 PM |
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Thanks for all your help.
I found a Euro spec unit in the end via Ebay from a shop in Germany, excellent service and arrived within a week via DHL
All postage etc payed, £250!
Onli seem to be able to get the head unit mail-order in the UK and its £370!
hmm unfied Europe, Fair trade...
Oh and the Manufacturers were very uninterested in helping me, saying the warrenty might not stand etc, can't guarentee if the specs were the
same (even if both countries websites said so!)
And what did it arrive with, a European wide manufacturers warranty!
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