Hi...I have an 2008 E LX and I bought a JVC head unit from crutchfield. They included an antenna adapter like the one pictured below:

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2005/120/h12040HD10-f.jpeg

I couldn't figure out how to plug it in so i just ignored and and plugged in the normal factory antenna to the back of the JVC head unit. The FM reception is OK (not great) but now I have no AM reception. Anybody know how to fix this?

Like the picture above shows, the antenna adapter has a gray clip on one end...where is this supposed to plug into? I can see where the blue wire and the antenna plug would go, but not the clip...any ideas? Do I need to use the adapter or just figure out where to connect the blue antenna power wire from the wiring harness? The Crutchfield helpdesk was clueless...

The gray plug plugs into the factory antenna connection, the blue to the power antenna wire on the wiring harness. Drew:)

The gray plug plugs into the factory antenna connection, the blue to the power antenna wire on the wiring harness. Drew:)

yeah see that's the problem...my car doesn't have anything for the gray plug to plug into. From checking previous posts, I gatherthe EX and SC E's do, but the LX doesn't? Or if it does, it's not anywhere visible in the gaping hole after the stereo's been removed...my stock head unit only head two things connected to it--the antenna jack (big silver plug and the main wiring harness--no smaller gray plug).

yeah see that's the problem...my car doesn't have anything for the gray plug to plug into. From checking previous posts, I gatherthe EX and SC E's do, but the LX doesn't? Or if it does, it's not anywhere visible in the gaping hole after the stereo's been removed...my stock head unit only head two things connected to it--the antenna jack (big silver plug and the main wiring harness--no smaller gray plug).

Now that is a problem , that answer is there , use the force :twisted::evil:

Right, so on the harness you used to hook up your new radio to the Element harness did you connect the wire on the adapter harness for the power antenna to the wire on your new radio for the power antenna? The Element antenna is a powered antenna and will not work properly without power. Drew

Right, so on the harness you used to hook up your new radio to the Element harness did you connect the wire on the adapter harness for the power antenna to the wire on your new radio for the power antenna? The Element antenna is a powered antenna and will not work properly without power. Drew

I guess the problem is that the wire cluster from my new stereo doesn't have a power antenna (blue wire) coming it out of it. I think i fixed it though...this morning I connected the blue wire from the crutchfield radio harness to the red switched power wires. Now i'm getting FM signals i never knew even existed--very strong reception. The AM is now so-so...not great, but better than it was before--I can actually tune stations in, whereas before I couldn't.

so...is my radio going to explode now that I connected the power antenna and switched power wires? :confused: i'ver never done this before...was real dissapointed that the guys from crutchfield didn't have a clue...i guess they only have data on the SC and EX E's.

The powered antenna wire on the LX is the yellow/green wire on the honda harness side.

So you have two wires (the red one and the blue one) from your receiver harness soldered to the red power wire on the Honda wiring harness?

I need to power my antenna connection as well. The reason I ask is because I initially soldered the 12 volts switched power from the car (a red wire) to the "ignition" wire on the receiver harness (also a red wire). I know now that I have to solder the blue powered antenna wire from the receiver to the 12v red power wire from the car, but I don't know if I should leave the red "ignition" wire from the receiver connected to the power as well.....

FYI here are the wiring diagrams:

Receiver harness (go to page 20): http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/Manuals/500/500CDE102.PDF

Honda harness: http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/Manuals/120/120701721.PDF

THANKS!

You will follow the same color code from the Alpine straight to the same colors on the adapter harness. You would then attach the solid blue wire coming out of the Alpine directly to the wire on the antenna adpter.
It helps if you fill in your profile so we know what model and year E you have. :cool:

You will follow the same color code from the Alpine straight to the same colors on the adapter harness. You would then attach the solid blue wire coming out of the Alpine directly to the wire on the antenna adpter.
It helps if you fill in your profile so we know what model and year E you have. :cool:

Wow thanks for the quick reply. I have an 07 LX (filling out profile now). The issue is that the antenna adapter is not required and does not even work with this model. The wires coming from the car are the wiring harness and then a normal antenna plug (a wire terminating in a metal pin that fits in to the antenna socket in the back of the head unit without any harness required).

......... The issue is that the antenna adapter is not required and does not even work with this model. The wires coming from the car are the wiring harness and then a normal antenna plug (a wire terminating in a metal pin that fits in to the antenna socket in the back of the head unit without any harness required).

Ditto. I went through the same thing two years ago. The adapter came with my HU. I spent about an hour looking at the schematics in the manual and looking for a grey connector and realized it don't exist. I just connected the OEM connector to the radio and everything worked fine.

Ditto. I went through the same thing two years ago. The adapter came with my HU. I spent about an hour looking at the schematics in the manual and looking for a grey connector and realized it don't exist. I just connected the OEM connector to the radio and everything worked fine.

I have to use the wiring harness as the stock harness does not fit in my head unit.

Below is a diagram of what I think I should do. The wires from the Alpine harness are on the left and the wire from the Honda wiring harness is on the right. I am going to solder BOTH of those wires from the Alpine harness on to the one switched power wire on the Honda harness...

I'm going to do this soon anyway, but it would be cool if someone could confirm or disconfirm that it is the correct thing to do.


Alpine wiring harness:............................... Honda wiring harness:


Ignition (red) ---------------
........................................\
.........................................|------------ 12v switched power (red)
......................................../
Power antenna (blue) -------

Great diagram, lol. You can also use a relay that is fused like I did so you dont take the chance in screwing anything up, should not, but you never know.

Below is a diagram of what I think I should do. The wires from the Alpine harness are on the left and the wire from the Honda wiring harness is on the right. I am going to solder BOTH of those wires from the Alpine harness on to the one switched power wire on the Honda harness...

I'm going to do this soon anyway, but it would be cool if someone could confirm or disconfirm that it is the correct thing to do.


Alpine wiring harness:............................... Honda wiring harness:


Ignition (red) ---------------
........................................\
.........................................|------------ 12v switched power (red)
......................................../
Power antenna (blue) -------
DO NOT hook up the blue of the radio. It puts out 12v when the headunit it switched to 'tuner' mode. If the new radio didn't have an antenna power lead then you would have hooked up the blue wire of the antenna adapter to the red, not the blue of the radio. Since your radio has a blue and it's not needed to power the antenna, just leave it unhooked.

DO NOT hook up the blue of the radio. It puts out 12v when the headunit it switched to 'tuner' mode. If the new radio didn't have an antenna power lead then you would have hooked up the blue wire of the antenna adapter to the red, not the blue of the radio. Since your radio has a blue and it's not needed to power the antenna, just leave it unhooked.

That's what I originally did. The only thing is, now my reception is quite poor! I guess maybe what I need is a power antenna adapter which has a normal antenna socket instead of the gray antenna plug which isn't used in this model....

disregard this message

That's what I originally did. The only thing is, now my reception is quite poor! I guess maybe what I need is a power antenna adapter which has a normal antenna socket instead of the gray antenna plug which isn't used in this model....
Judging by the diagram, the BLU/WHT wire of the adapter harness runs the antenna power. It should correlate to a YEL/GRN wire on the factory harness coming out of the dash. If the BLU/WHT wire of the adapter harness is attached to the BLU/WHT of the radio, it should work. Make sure the inline fuse isn't blown and that the BLU/WHT actally does make connection to the YEL/GRN.

Judging by the diagram, the BLU/WHT wire of the adapter harness runs the antenna power. It should correlate to a YEL/GRN wire on the factory harness coming out of the dash. If the BLU/WHT wire of the adapter harness is attached to the BLU/WHT of the radio, it should work. Make sure the inline fuse isn't blown and that the BLU/WHT actally does make connection to the YEL/GRN.

Hmm I just pulled it out and what I did previously was solder the blue power antenna turn on from the head unit (it's solid blue, not blue white... error in the manual) to the blue power antenna wire on the Honda wiring harness. SO IT SHOULD WORK! Gah

The only wires I left unconnected were the orange/white "dimmer" lead from the Honda wiring harness and both the pink/black "audio interrupt in" and the blue/white "remote" leads from the Alpine harness.

(It does work, but there is always some audible static and it's definitely worse than the stock unit, so my assumption is that the antenna isn't getting power.)

I'm using a KTP-445 power pack amp between the head unit and the speakers, but that shouldn't be a the issue since it literally plugs right in to the Alpine head unit and its output is the exact same harness.

SOLUTION:

It turns out I had everything wired properly (once I pulled it out and checked); I was just second guessing myself.

I tested the reception without any power going to the antenna and the reception was roughly the same, so I figured there was no voltage going to the power antenna lead.

I knew there was current coming from the red wire since the head unit powered on fine, so I connected the powered antenna lead from the car to the 12v wire... still bad reception.

At this point, it was narrowed down to a problem with the head unit tuner or a connection in the Honda wiring harness.

I got my hands on a multimeter to test if current was actually reaching the yellow/green power antenna lead coming from the car. It turns out it was getting 12v, so the Honda wiring harness was not the issue.

ULTIMATELY, it turned out to be the tuner in the head unit. It's a newer model Alpine unit. Crutchfield is sending out a replacement today.




If it still doesn't work for some reason, then **** it, I'll get satellite radio :)

Glad you narrowed it down. :cool:

Any updates on this specific topic? I'm having the same exact situation over here with a 2008 Element LX. I'm replacing the factory radio with a JVC. Crutchfield supplied me with the same antenna adapter but i have no clue how to install it.

I've come to the conclusion that the antenna adapter is not needed for the 2008 Honda Element LX. I've installed it and connected the blue/white cable from the harness to the blue/white cable on the JVC and FM reception is perfect. Even picks up HD stations and AM stations just fine.

The antenna adapter is not needed on the LX because it doesn't have XM or an amplified antenna.