Just had a AVIC-D3 installed in a new 2008 Audi A4 by "professionals" and now i have very poor radio reception. Installers claim they cant do anything about it. Does anyone know whats going on?

alot of the german cars need a special ant adaptor that needs powers for the factory ant module. you should ask the "professionals" what type of ant ant adaptor they used and then call 1800 221 0932 ( metra) and compare the part # they give you. the powered ant adaptors are generally 25-$40.

just an update, still looking into the ant issue but haven't heard back from the "professionals".

but thanks for the tip. i'm really hoping that this fixes the problems. When I first talked to them they told me that these radios dont work as well as factory radios, and i really hope that isn't the case bc if it doesn't work Im going to have to take the d3 out. I love all features on it, but if i cant tune in local radio stations, then it really isnt worth it.

The D3 has a power/amplified antenna turn-on lead. Perhaps they omitted hooking it up.

Just out of curiosity, why would a car radio require a power/amplified ant? I was under the impression that ant amplifiers were for higher frequency transmissions and used more specifically when the distance between the antenna and the receiver is greater then 50 ft or conditions that would cause loss of transmission between the antenna and the radio.

Well, usually when you say "power antenna" it's in reference to the automatic telescoping/retracting type of antennas, which require a 12 volt power source to operate. Some of them use the power antenna lead from the radio as the antenna motor's power source, and some have their own power source, and just use the power antenna lead from your radio as an on/off switch, much like aftermarket amplifiers.

And as far as the antenna amplifier is concerned, on some cars they have a small wire embedded in the windshield or rear glass that it uses as the antenna as opposed to a mast antenna mounted on the exterior of the car. And since it's such a small wire, there needs to be an amplifier to raise the signal to an adequate level.

I just spoke to a tech guy at metra and asked him what his thoughts are, and he agreed it was a ant amp/adpator issue and seemed confident that that is the case, but said that the one product they offer might not work (P/N: 40-EU55).

I'll update later when i hear back from the "professionals" who I'm losing more and more confidence in...

Well, usually when you say "power antenna" it's in reference to the automatic telescoping/retracting type of antennas, which require a 12 volt power source to operate. Some of them use the power antenna lead from the radio as the antenna motor's power source, and some have their own power source, and just use the power antenna lead from your radio as an on/off switch, much like aftermarket amplifiers.

 

And as far as the antenna amplifier is concerned, on some cars they have a small wire embedded in the windshield or rear glass that it uses as the antenna as opposed to a mast antenna mounted on the exterior of the car. And since it's such a small wire, there needs to be an amplifier to raise the signal to an adequate level.

thanks for the explanation. i ran into the "power antenna" confusion when talking to the tech at metra. btw, is there another supplier of adaptors other then metra that is commonly used?

you could try schosche, someone here may have the phone # or you could look it up online ( sorry, I usually use metra parts ) also I'm not sure but american international is another kitting company. good luck.

Just called Scosche and they are confident their adapter will work.

try the ai part number vw08 it's a toss up though you can get a powered antenna and mount it in the window or get satellite its better anyways

Thanks for the tip. We are going to go with the Scosche part now, but if it doesn't work then we will move to ai. I just spoke with their tech person and he too felt confident that their part should work.