04 WRX/STi antenna wiring within + picture

[chaddeus]

My Subaru radio reception sucks. I did connect the antenna to the 12v power but i am still not getting any AM at all. I am using Huper Optik Ceramic tint for the back window and it still sucks

- Charles

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[shadrool]

Originally Posted by rich728

how could i tell if it were activated from the trunk?

unfortunatly you cant hear any motors running up and down when cycling the power. just me, you will know if you powered the antenna. better yet disconnect the antenna connector and try to scan. then reconnect and scan. do you receive any radio stations?? yes? no? maybe so?

[rich728]

im talking about maybe using a voltmeter maybe

[SLKWrx]

using a voltmeter on the antenna would give you nothing, if you really want to find out, get one of those volt senstive "stickers" (the things that you skewer the lines, and the powered ones light the base of it up). While the radio is on, tap into the white line that east coast scooby has detailed. If the light is on, you've got your reception.

-- Steve

[mook2420]

I have installed an older eclipse head unit tape deck reciever. I am digitally challenged. Question is the only antenna source to go in is a strange looking *plug* jammy. How would I wire this to get reception. All those dudes at the dealership have told me that the 04 sti do have antenna in glass or don't have antenna in glass.... Note, I got NO RADIO when purchased does this mean that necessarily there is no antenna? I doubt that but how can I get it to work...

[IA Performance]

mook2420- There are actually 2 parts for the antenna. One is a coaxial male looking cable (look like wire seen at bottom left of this temporary picture) where as the other source is the power wire depicted in the photo on page one. You will need to plut the coaxial cable into the back of the receiver (you may have to dig in teh dash a bit for it). You should then have good reception. An easy way to tell if you have the antenna in the rear glass or not is if you have vertical wires in your defroster wiring. Defrosters go horizontally, where as radio goes vertical and horizontal.



HOpe this helps.

Stephen
www.IAPERFORMANCE.com
Subaru Audio Upgrades, Click the Subaru

[volkl23]

Stephen, Thanks for the tip on the powered attena. Just one quick question before do this... Just to be sure, I connect the white wire, which is the antenna power lead, to the blue wire on the HU, which is the remote start?

I have 3 wires from the HU that I think I can attach the white wire from the harness to: the blue remote start, a red accessory wire, and a yellow wire (battery lead). Which of these wires would you use?

Thanks again Stephen!

[IA Performance]

I'd opt for the blue remote start (assuming it is a remote amp turn on lead or antenna lead). Next in line would be teh red accessory wire. I would advise against wiring to the Yellow (continuous power) wire since your antenna will be on 100% of the time even with the car is off.

Stephen
www.IAPERFORMANCE.com
Subaru Audio Upgrades, Click the Subaru

[volkl23]

Thanks Stephen. You assumed right about the blue remote start being the amp turn on lead. I will be connecting it to that! I hope that will boost my shoddy AM and semi-shoddy FM reception!

[leocookie]

Wow! What an excellent post. I just connected the blue wire and it was like a night and day difference. The reception was so bad before that I just used the head unit for playing CDs. Now I can listen to radio too!

Thanks.

[brunetmj]

could i check for power somewhere?

Sure. The power unit is located by where the driver rear seat belt fastener is secured by a bolt to the rear upper column. If a passenger was sitting on the drivers side back seat and leaning their head on the rear column it would be just above their head.
There should be a white wire going to a silver colored box labeled clarion. it should show 12 volts when the the head unit is powered up.

[IA Performance]

leocookie-Glad to hear listening to the radio is no longer a thing of the past

Stephen
www.IAPERFORMANCE.com
Subaru Audio Upgrades, Click the Subaru

2112 N Dragoon #16
Tucson, AZ 85745
520-882-2821
520-207-2494 fax
9am-6pm PST

[Peaty]

Mind if I snag your pic and add it here:

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2102

I've had that info up for a while but never got a pic. It's Pin 12

Peaty

[IA Performance]

Sure thing


Stephen
www.IAPERFORMANCE.com
Subaru Audio Upgrades, Click the Subaru

2112 N Dragoon #16
Tucson, AZ 85745
520-882-2821
520-207-2494 fax
9am-6pm PST

[1SIKWRX4U2NV]

...great info, but what's the black plug the connects to the metal bracket that holds the cd player in? (I believe it's on the right side as you look at the dash)

[leocookie]

That would be ground.

Originally Posted by 1SIKWRX4U2NV

...great info, but what's the black plug the connects to the metal bracket that holds the cd player in? (I believe it's on the right side as you look at the dash)

[Peaty]

Thanks added it here:

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/sho...4955#post14955

[WRXRgr]

Originally Posted by conker69

I don't think so. I think it is the front glass, at the bottom. At least in MY04 WRX there are a series of 'wires' in the bottom of the front windshield. But really this is besides the point. I forgot to hook up this wire at first as well but thanks to your thread (I searched) I corrected it.

It's in back glass, upper three or so courses of traces...take a look at it, it's independently wired from the defroster grid. The signal booster is hanging under the rear deck, in the trunk.

[WRXRgr]

Originally Posted by chaddeus

My Subaru radio reception sucks. I did connect the antenna to the 12v power but i am still not getting any AM at all. I am using Huper Optik Ceramic tint for the back window and it still sucks

The guy that tinted my 04 WRX said that "All tint is metallic", just a matter of how much metal is in there. My AM reception went in the bucket after the tint application (standard charcoal-gray color tint). I trimmed off the tint from around the antenna grid in back window, and AM & FM immediately improved. I met another guy who had the same problem, his tint shop pulled the top strip and replaced it with black vinyl..worked just as well.

[wrx05]

can a mod make this a sticky?

[Peaty]

Originally Posted by WRXRgr

The guy that tinted my 04 WRX said that "All tint is metallic", just a matter of how much metal is in there. My AM reception went in the bucket after the tint application (standard charcoal-gray color tint). I trimmed off the tint from around the antenna grid in back window, and AM & FM immediately improved. I met another guy who had the same problem, his tint shop pulled the top strip and replaced it with black vinyl..worked just as well.

Info on that here:

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/sho...ht=Window+Tint

[MisSTi13]

[quote=East Coast Scooby]Chances are if you wired up your 04 wrx or sti (and most all other 04-present subarus) you've noticed that your radio reception was exceptionally poor. There are 2 reasons why.

1. The rear glass mounted antenna unit needs to be turned on by a 12v power source. Here is a picture depicting the desired wire



The antenna will only be on when the deck is turned on by wiring it to the switched 12v line.

2. Do not forget to fish out the coaxial cable from behind the radio dash area and plug it into your headunit. The item looks like this.



Please make note of which wire and maybe even make this guy a sticky thread to help out others that are pulling out their hair over weak radio reception.


Last week when I install my New Alpine CDA-9835 I notice the radio reception was very POOR and it made me I thought I wire up my hardness wrong but when I found this post, I wanted to give a try knowing maybe I wouldn't be so ...... When I did the connected the 12v wire with the Power Antenna and test the FM before I put everything back together it work..... It took less then 5 mins.
I wouldn't know what I would without NASIOC....


Thanks Stephen

[IA Performance]

MisSTi13-Glad to hear the hair pulling was a minimum once this post was found Nothing worse than finishing an install and then not having any tunes to listen to

Stephen

www.IAPERFORMANCE.com

Subaru Audio Upgrades, Click the Subaru



1687 W Grant Rd #102
Tucson, AZ 85745
520-882-2821
520-207-2494 fax

M-F 9am-7pm

[SVXdc]

Here's a new improved wiring pin-out that shows the wire colors on the Imprezas for all the different model years. I compiled the wire colors by reviewing all of the Subaru wiring diagrams from 1993-2005. Note that wire colors in the above chart are for Imprezas only! Other 1993-up Subarus use the same pin out, but some of the wires have different colors.

The power antenna wire (pin 14) is a different color than white in different models/years:

Forester
2003, 2004, 2005 - Blue/White
2002 - Blue/Red
1999 - Blue/White

Legacy/Outback
2005 - Yellow/Black
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 - Green
1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 - Green/Orange

Baja
2003, 2004, 2005 - Green

Impreza/Outback Sport
(see table in link above)


Any models not listed above do not have either a motorized antenna or an antenna amplifier (so there won't be a wire at pin 14).


Update: 2006, 2007, and 2008 Subarus still use the same 14-pin radio harness, with the same pin-out. Some of the factory wire colors may differ slightly.


Also, most people will be using an aftermarket wiring adapter to install their new HU. On that harness, pin 14 is a Blue wire. Use this blue wire instead of connecting directly to the car's factory wire.

Connect the blue wire to a wire from the HU's harness. Your options, from BEST to WORST:

1. Blue "antenna remote" or "power antenna" lead. This will power the antenna amp only when you listen to AM or FM, not while in CD or Aux modes.
2. Blue/White "amplifier remote" lead. This will power the antenna amp whenever the HU is on, even while you're not in radio mode.
3. Red +12V accessory power (ignition-switched) lead. This will power the antenna amp whenever you turn the ignition key to Accessory or On (even when the HU is off).

(some HUs do not have a Blue wire, some don't have a Blue/White wire, and a few don't have either)

[csewrx]

This thread needs to be stickied. It saved my behind last night. Thank you IAPERFORMANCE.