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i ran across a issue with my otherwise excellent stereo replacement in our 2008 sc430.
the pioneer seems to have no dedicated antenna control like the OEM radio.
my limited understanding is the OEM radio sends a signal to the antenna computer telling it how high to raise itself and if not playing the radio or powered off the antenna retracts.
i assume my installer simply left the OEM plug loose in the dash.
seems ignition on power sends power to the antenna computer and raises and lowers the antenna solely by the ignition switch.
The luxlink shop ran the car through a car a car wash with the radio powered off and snapped the antenna off. They replaced it out of courtesy as I had mentioned to them that the antenna did not go down and asked if they had any experience fixing it?
they do not do stereo work unfortunately and had no info.
hopefully someone here has found a solution to this issue.
Smart car. Smart OEM radio. Smart antenna,
aftemarket radio. No smart antenna output.
anyone have a work around retaining the ability to control the antenna allowing its manual use?
hate to pull a fuse to keep it down which I think can be done versus a manual switch install?
auto would be nice but probably too technical to do.
On my 07 SC430 the antenna height is controlled by the radio which sends out two heights, a short one for FM and a tall one for AM. When I took out the radio (without unplugging it) to install Grom car interface I could see two things from the radio going to the back---one is the antenna cable and the other is the control wire conduit. The conduit comes out and split into two plugs that connect to antenna unit in the back. There is youtube video showing the components in SC power antenna. I imagine the two plugs into the power antenna by the trunk control both its height and power. Somehow, the wire conduit must be connected to the new radio for it to control antenna height. There is no antenna computer in SC I am aware of; if there is its inside the radio. You will probably need to find an ignition wire and connect that to the wires going to the antenna in the center console. That way every time you turn on the key the antenna will extend and turning off will make the antenna retract. I imagine it may be quite complicated.
On my 07 SC430 the antenna height is controlled by the radio which sends out two heights, a short one for FM and a tall one for AM. When I took out the radio (without unplugging it) to install Grom car interface I could see two things from the radio going to the back---one is the antenna cable and the other is the control wire conduit. The conduit comes out and split into two plugs that connect to antenna unit in the back. There is youtube video showing the components in SC power antenna. I imagine the two plugs into the power antenna by the trunk control both its height and power. Somehow, the wire conduit must be connected to the new radio for it to control antenna height. There is no antenna computer in SC I am aware of; if there is its inside the radio. You will probably need to find an ignition wire and connect that to the wires going to the antenna in the center console. That way every time you turn on the key the antenna will extend and turning off will make the antenna retract. I imagine it may be quite complicated.
Mine works on the ignition. Not the radio
thanks for the description. I surmised as much looking at the wiring diagram.
unfortunately does not show values or pin locations I can see.
I don't have the same setup as you, I have a pioneer radio with the beatsonic interface. My antenna goes down when I turn the radio off but even when the radio is off the antenna will go up when I place the car in reverse because it turns the radio on to show the backup camera.
the antenna should go down anytime the radio is turned off and it makes me wonder if there is a different way to wire the radio and/or interface.
I unfortunately lost a hard drive that had the majority of my notes on it, including my research into how the antenna signals work, but there are two signals on the back of the radio that are used to control the height of the antenna.
They are on the 6 pin connector labeled ANTA and ANTB. On is for FM and the other is for AM.
There is also an ANT+ signal on the main power connector. All of them are fed by BU (Backup power) which allows the antenna to continue retracting when the car is turned off.
So, you have two control signals for height and the main supply for the motor. The two control signals are pulses (12V) that are just timed to cut out the motor at the specific height. The specific configuration of the signals determines whether it extends or retracts. I can't tell you the times or which one is which unfortunately without my notes.
They are all 12V signals, though. I know, not much help, but hopefully this will give others enough info to help more:
I have a project coming up shortly, so I will have a chance to look at those signals again and will let you know what I come up if someone else can't figure it out. It should be pretty simple to do.
Wow, that's lots of research Retroplay! When I looked at the radio and its possible upgrade I was daunted by how complicated its antenna system was. With its two antennas not only the car knows which signal to pick and when, but also it knows how far to extend the power antenna for different stations. And if that's not complicated enough the power antenna extends differently when the top is down too! I guess that the power antenna takes into account the aluminum top's effect on signal reception as well. I wonder if any 3rd party radio out there would incorporate all these elements.
I connected up the spare radio to see if I could figure this out quickly. It actually looks simpler than I remember
ANT+ is always 12V when radio is on in either AM or FM mode
ANTB is 12V when AM is selected, 0V when FM is selected (or tape/CD mode)
ANTA seems to always be 12V regardless of AM or FM mode (this might be the top down indication but that would be controlled through the network)
The antenna itself is powered directly off the battery. Those signals just control the mode of the antenna. The antenna has a series of switches in them acting like relays which handles itself.
So to make the antenna go up or down, you just need to apply 12V to the ANT+ signal. Removing it will retract the antenna. It appears this is the main signal for retraction/extension. If aftermarket radio does have antenna control, you really only need this signal.
If you want it in AM mode, then you would also put 12V on the ANTB signal.
If you could sense the top down some other way than the network, I suspect 12V on the ANTA signal would put it in top-down mode.
Probably unrelated, but I accidentally stumbled on this and can't find any mention of it in the service manual for the radio. I was holding down the AM and CD buttons at the same time while I applied power. Not seeing any reaction to any button presses, though.
Without aftermarket antenna control, we would need to find some other signal that would indicate when the radio was on (preferably also whether in radio mode or not)
An AMP REMote signal would be an example of a signal that would likely indicate whether the radio was on or not. But not whether it was in AM or FM mode.
Great info. Has to be a way to fix this and maybe build a bunch?
It's still quite dependent on the radio, or at least some type of manual switch. There are some somewhat complex ways to automate it and sense radio mode, but we are talking pretty complex dealing with sensitive signals and such. I prefer simple
If you tell me which radio you have, I might be able to look it up and find a clever solution for you.
It's still quite dependent on the radio, or at least some type of manual switch. There are some somewhat complex ways to automate it and sense radio mode, but we are talking pretty complex dealing with sensitive signals and such. I prefer simple
If you tell me which radio you have, I might be able to look it up and find a clever solution for you.
There is a Blue/White wire which is the remote for turning on/off the amp. The amp turns on with the radio (after a slight delay to avoid pop sounds) using this signal. It is capable of supplying 12VDC @ 300mA max. If you were to tap into this, the antenna would extend/retract with turning the radio on or off. The smartest method would be using diodes to isolate the actual amp signal and the antenna signal.
One concern, though, is if the antenna relay would draw too much current. Unknown, but easily tested by placing a multi-meter BETWEEN the ACC line and the ANT+ lead going to the antenna. I suspect it won't draw much current. Note: Your antenna will extend during this test, if it isn't already.
This would at least give you extension/retraction controlled by the power of your radio.
I don't see any signals that determine whether you are listening to the radio/CD/Etc... though. And obviously that also means nothing to determine AM/FM mode.
There is a Blue/White wire which is the remote for turning on/off the amp. The amp turns on with the radio (after a slight delay to avoid pop sounds) using this signal. It is capable of supplying 12VDC @ 300mA max. If you were to tap into this, the antenna would extend/retract with turning the radio on or off. The smartest method would be using diodes to isolate the actual amp signal and the antenna signal.
One concern, though, is if the antenna relay would draw too much current. Unknown, but easily tested by placing a multi-meter BETWEEN the ACC line and the ANT+ lead going to the antenna. I suspect it won't draw much current.
This would at least give you extension/retraction controlled by the power of your radio.
I don't see any signals that determine whether you are listening to the radio/CD/Etc... though. And obviously that also means nothing to determine AM/FM mode.
IIRC, there is a C-best (or some way to set it in the radio??) setting for the antenna that determines whether the antenna is up or down during CD use.
12-10-16, 04:22 PM
Antenna control
