Advice on Aftermarket Alpine stereo for Audi A4 B7 - FM RADIO!?!

there are two possible cause, one is the radio antenna is not connt well, this is the most cause, two set the radio frequency, usualy there are USA, europ, russia and japan radio frequincy, you need to set the correct one for your country

Hi Alan.

Not a solution I'm afraid but some additional information/questions as I'm experiencing a similar issue.

I also have 2007 A4 that I have replaced the head unit for a JVC double DIN unit (KW-XR811). This has the standard DIN aerial socket and the removed Concert stock HU had the dual fakra, so I bought Dual fakra antenna adaptor (tried with and without the inline power thing) but in both cases, when I turn my lights on I get a whining noise (side lights and main beam, and with the engine off).

If I pull the aerial lead out, the whining stops.... if I turn up the volume, it's less noticable but still there.... if I drop the volume to zero, it stops so it is somehow being introduced to the HU and that's outputting to the line out to my Bose setup.

Also, looks like I'm picking up about 3 stations on FM -- Radio-2, and two local stations -- nothing else.

The aerials are wired into the rear side windows.

Questions for Alan -- do you notice any noise when you turn lights on? Also, what type of aerial do you have.

Has anyone replaced a head unit where fakra to DIN is needed and had any issues?

I tried running a jump lead from battery negative to the radio case -- no difference. What did improve slightly was connecting the jump lead to the ground of the fakra twin socket where I plu in my twin cable adapter that then goes to the radio. It just seems to me that adapter is picking up the noise..... or, the aerials fitted to the side windows aren't really suitable.

I tried disconnecting the earth from the aerial lead plugging into the radio --- whinning sound gone but radio reception even worse..... so my issue has got to be the aerial lead in some way. Obvioulsy plugging the aerial into the stock Concert HU it works a dream.

Any other suggestions welcome -- maybe I'll need to fit a roof aerail and cable in new?

Thanks -- sorry for waffling a bit and jumping on Alan's post but seemed similar to my problem although the whining not reported.

I have ordered another fakra to DIN adapter tha has no cable --- although this'll only connect one of the two aerials, it'll remove any cable issue between the two connectors as there isn't any. I should have that in a couple of days and will report back.

Have you tried earthing the chassis of the HU to the chassis of the car?
You have a ground loop which is causing the alternator whine, i.e. the aerial earth is different to the HU earth. You need to level the earth by getting a decent earth strap onto the HU.

Hi Andy.

I tagged a cable from a bolt visible by the fuse array to the chassis but that made no difference at all.

How can it be alternator whine if the engine isn't running? I'm suspecting some cross talk somehow with the CAN Bus, but struggling to isolate it: but it's definitely coming in via the aerial lead -- fakra to male connector cable. If I disconnect the fakra adapter -- ground the cable connector to the fakra cable of the car -hope that's understandable -- meaning I just connect (hold) the outta shell of the adapater cable to the outer exposed part of the fakra connector of the car --- so as to just connect the shielding through to the radio, then I get the whine.... but if I hold the fakra connector outta exposed part onto the HU I don't get the whining...... I agree though, and hope it's a grounding issue -- just need to determine a good place to find a real chassis ground and feed that to the radio --- multi-core cable required for that I expect.

For additional reference, I even tried the simplest looms so no CAN Bus connected --- but still got the whine -- I have to have ignition on as otherwise there's no pwer to the radio (but I also tried a permanent +12 and same results -- turn on lights and whine).

I'm new to this forum -- have to see if I could attach a file -- I could record the sound for those interested.... might sound familar to someone that fixed it somehow.

Thanks Andy.

That'll be interference from the Xenons. Have you tried earthing to the car chassis right behind the HU, you'll have to try different positions with the HU & ignition on and the headlights on and see if you can get it to disappear.

Also what adapter are you using to plug into the Bose amp. If it's the ropey speaker input one then that is more likely to be the cause.
Also you don't need a twin Fakra so maybe try a single adapter

Hi Andy -- lights switch in 1st position starts the sound off.... side lights only --- so dipped beam not on.

I have got LED's in place of the small bulbs in the headlight enclosure, and those are the special one's to satisfy CAN Bus requirements so I don't get bulb error --- if that turns out to be causing this I'll eat them! I'll try disconnecting them --- maybe I can pull a fuse that feeds the lights but l;eaves dash lights on -- will experiment --- I'll also see if I can see any ground point behind the head unit -- looked all plastic in there though.

Does sound like ti should be something that's either simple or stupid -- or a combination of me "being" simple and stupid. I'd liek to think I'm a competent technical person (30+ years in the computing business), but always willing to discover and hopefully resolve crazy things like this.

Cheers.

If you remove the glovebox there is plenty of metal to try. And use a chunky(ish) lead if you can.

Well it continued to bug me so I went out -- disconnected the led small bulbs -- no difference --- I run a earth cable back to the fuse box bolts -- no difference.

I went back to the fakra adapter that has the power feed..... metered the aerial connection from the radio without connecting the fakra connector and measured around 8-9v on the line so I figured that is sending power to the aerial. I tried tuning and was picking up everything -- but still the hum/whine.

So, figuring on the fact the power is going upstream from the adapter cable to the aerial, maybe the aerial didn't need the ground at the radio -- so I peeled back the crimp --- isolated the cable shield from the connector and that appeared to do the job like before -- minimized the whine but now with the power adapetr to the fakra connector, appears to be tuning in all channels fine as well and next to no whine.

Woke early realising I hadnt; tried starting the engine last night since isolating the ground from the cable feeding into the aerial in the back of the radio --- will try out this morning (hope is doesn;t start with alternator noise -- but will add some grounding when I get time to remove glove box and look around for a point of contact.

*************************************************
I wish I could work out how to add an image to show what I did. Anyway, seems to be sorted after a few frustrated weeks although a drive needs to be completed to really test it out --- I'll be over the moon if that has indeed resolved it.

Now I want to devise a way to be able to turn the radio on without having to have the ignition full on - the Concert HU has CAN-Bus input so decodes the state and enables the radio to be powered on. The odd thing with the JVC HU is that it does have the constant power so if it was able to, it could power on - realised that as pressing the display button will display the time for a few seconds... but holding power doesn;t do anything --- need to put key in and turn to ignition on for ignition-on signal to be decoded by the Connects2 loom to then enable that accessory power line to the radio -- then it comes on.

I was thinking of using the glove box light power feed (assuming it's a straight forward power pick up point, only on when the car is unlocked) to enable a relay to switch permanent 12v onto the switched input of the radio.... then when the car is locked, the glove box power goes and radio would shut off. Theory sounds clean to me but when the weather warms up and "she" isn;t watching me waste more time on the radio.... I'll have a play. Just a shame the Connects look for steering controls, that I use to decode ignition on and lights on signals, doesn't also decode ignition key, or car unlocked and allow the switched input to the radio to go on.

Thanks again for your comments and hope I didn't tread too much on the original essence of this post as it wasn't mine.

I'd also add the JVC unit sounds so much better than the Concert stock HU... and bluetooth phone control and function is really good --- and iPhone music control is not too bad. Also, the option to match the dash lights for colour is cool.... and different colour modes depending on lights on or off.

~Keith

To post pics, you need to host them somewhere else like photobucket and paste the IMG code in your post

There is a proper accessory feed coming off the ignition switch, used to be a very skinny red wire in amongst all the fatter ones (on B6), but again you could only use it as a trigger for a relay running off the perm live as it is too skinny to power a HU. Not sure if it is the same on a B7

Skinny red wire -- I'll have a look when I shake this cold and she's doen't give me grief being out in the damp without a scark, gloves, thermals, etc....
I'll also look at clamping a chunky ground wire somewhere behind the glove box to the HU.
I'll aso look at shielding the ground of the aerial lead a bit better as I still get a bit of hum when I turn the lights on -- but I think now that could be HU ground and that shielding -- a little odd though the whole issue seems to be the ground wire of the fakra adapter.

The chap that made the original post here was reporting bad reception -- I'd suggest trying what I did -- open up the clamp on the lead plugging into the back of the radio and try to put tape over the shield of the cable so it doesn't touch the connector -- of course that's worked for me but can't be the proper method otherwise a lot of people would be having the same issue... and could be a side effect of the JVC HU I'm using and not appropriate for the unit he has. I tried to look up his reference Celsus AA2134 but nothing came back from google. He hasnt responded to the suggestion to check the region setting of the radio.

Cheers again Andy.

I got a picture sorted so you can just about see what I did so far....

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb423/keefnet/JVC-1.jpg